B
Brody
Junior member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2011
- Messages
- 1
Hello all!
So I am glad I found a board that suits me to the T. I am 29 years old and the last time I have been to the dentist was when I was 23 for a chipped tooth but due to the dentist that I had when I was a child into my teens I developed an extreme fear of dentists and still remember a traumatic experience when I was 16 where the dentist said word for word "The way you treat your mouth if you were my son I would give you a spanking". He was not gentle at all and having cavities filled would often result in me not sleeping worrying about the visit. Granted I drank a lot of soda and spent more time out having fun and being a teen than worrying about my teeth. When I was 23 and had a chipped tooth I never quite realized how bad my dental fear had gotten, instead of just having a 235.00 fix and letting the process of getting my teeth fixed get started I was too nervous and just cancelled and never thought twice about it.
Fast forward 6 years and my mouth is now a disaster. Simple decay that existed years ago led to me having 4 teeth that are completely missing. I also have lots of decay that will lead to more teeth rotting out which scares me tremendously. My dental habits have changed so much in the past 3-4 years. Instead of brushing 1 time a day when I was younger I now brush 2+ times a day but the damage is done unfortunately.
So I am looking for some advice here. I am on a limited income due to some mental health problems that have occurred in my life which at times is complicated by my dental health, (I am diagnosed with bi-polar, severe anxiety disorder and agoraphobia). I am in the process of patching up my life and being able to smile again confidently would be a major step for me. I am fortunate to have a dental insurance plan but also unfortunate because Delta Dental only allows me 1000.00 a year and pay 50% for major restorative items. Since I am not even 30 yet I really really do not want to look at any type of denture related things. My goal is to just be able to smile again without being ashamed, eating without having to worry about a tooth chipping or severe pain and discomfort. The research I have done has been somewhat discouraging though because with the cost of a crown being several hundred dollars I am worried that the amount of work I need to have done could take years. I don't have very good credit so taking a loan out is not a possibility for me.
Just getting out of the house is a major chore for me and my life has taken quite a fall in the past 4 years but I want to begin this climb upwards and the few phone calls I have made locally to dentists have resulted in more fear/anxiety and frustration because the costs seem so tremendously high. It truly is discouraging and being 29 and being in this spot is something I have lost sleep over and all confidence and a lot of my mind.
Surely someone has been through a similar scenario and would be able to provide some advice for someone in my shoes! Thank you in advance!
-Cliff notes
- 29 and missing a few teeth and have lots of decay
- Very very limited income
- Private dental insurance through delta dental
- Severe fear of dentists due to bad experience with childhood dentist through teen years
- Have not been to a dentist in 6 years and have not been to a dentist on a "Regular Basis" in 12 years.
So I am glad I found a board that suits me to the T. I am 29 years old and the last time I have been to the dentist was when I was 23 for a chipped tooth but due to the dentist that I had when I was a child into my teens I developed an extreme fear of dentists and still remember a traumatic experience when I was 16 where the dentist said word for word "The way you treat your mouth if you were my son I would give you a spanking". He was not gentle at all and having cavities filled would often result in me not sleeping worrying about the visit. Granted I drank a lot of soda and spent more time out having fun and being a teen than worrying about my teeth. When I was 23 and had a chipped tooth I never quite realized how bad my dental fear had gotten, instead of just having a 235.00 fix and letting the process of getting my teeth fixed get started I was too nervous and just cancelled and never thought twice about it.
Fast forward 6 years and my mouth is now a disaster. Simple decay that existed years ago led to me having 4 teeth that are completely missing. I also have lots of decay that will lead to more teeth rotting out which scares me tremendously. My dental habits have changed so much in the past 3-4 years. Instead of brushing 1 time a day when I was younger I now brush 2+ times a day but the damage is done unfortunately.
So I am looking for some advice here. I am on a limited income due to some mental health problems that have occurred in my life which at times is complicated by my dental health, (I am diagnosed with bi-polar, severe anxiety disorder and agoraphobia). I am in the process of patching up my life and being able to smile again confidently would be a major step for me. I am fortunate to have a dental insurance plan but also unfortunate because Delta Dental only allows me 1000.00 a year and pay 50% for major restorative items. Since I am not even 30 yet I really really do not want to look at any type of denture related things. My goal is to just be able to smile again without being ashamed, eating without having to worry about a tooth chipping or severe pain and discomfort. The research I have done has been somewhat discouraging though because with the cost of a crown being several hundred dollars I am worried that the amount of work I need to have done could take years. I don't have very good credit so taking a loan out is not a possibility for me.
Just getting out of the house is a major chore for me and my life has taken quite a fall in the past 4 years but I want to begin this climb upwards and the few phone calls I have made locally to dentists have resulted in more fear/anxiety and frustration because the costs seem so tremendously high. It truly is discouraging and being 29 and being in this spot is something I have lost sleep over and all confidence and a lot of my mind.
Surely someone has been through a similar scenario and would be able to provide some advice for someone in my shoes! Thank you in advance!
-Cliff notes
- 29 and missing a few teeth and have lots of decay
- Very very limited income
- Private dental insurance through delta dental
- Severe fear of dentists due to bad experience with childhood dentist through teen years
- Have not been to a dentist in 6 years and have not been to a dentist on a "Regular Basis" in 12 years.
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