Taylor's Journal.

[MissTaylorP]

I've decided that since I'm going in for my first dentist appointment on Monday that I should go ahead and start my journal.

My current situation:
I'm a 24 year old married woman who is in school to become an elementary school teacher. My husband is a Graduate student and we (hubby, step-kids, and dogs) are about to embark on a big cross-country move in August.

Growing up, I always had soft teeth. I brushed, flossed, and mouth-washed daily and still ended up with 5-10 cavities per dentist visit every 6 months. That pretty much put the fear of god in me. Then, as a teenager, I wore braces for 4 1.5 years. At 18, I got the braces removed and haven't returned to the dentist since.

6 years later, I'm now facing the situation of if I don't go now, things are going to get A LOT worse. I've put off telling my husband and my family of my problems for over a year now, but these problems are becoming visible. It's time to face the truth that I need A: Need dental help and B: Need the support of my husband.

My teeth:
As of right now (January 16, 2016), I've got visible cavities on my molars, 2 cavities on the gum-line of my top 2 front teeth, and a cavity between two teeth on my front bottom teeth. These are only the problems that I can physically see myself. My breath is constantly stinky but I have zero pain.

D-Day:
After FINALLY telling my husband yesterday of my problems, he gave me his support. I called immediately and scheduled an appointment with a dentist who my friend (who also had horrible dentist fears) recommended to me. My appointment is scheduled for Monday January 18th at 4PM. This visit will consist of x-rays, an examination, and a plan of what's to come/what needs to be done.

I'm terrified.

But I also know it's time for me to have that smile I've wanted for years. What I wouldn't do for my husband to say, "Honey, you're smile is perfect!"

I'll post "before" pictures in my next post.

 

[MissTaylorP]

Well tomorrow is the day. I'm nervous as hell even though I know the aren't going to do any procedures but merely just look at my teeth and go over the plan.

I'll be honest and say that I've tried to talk myself out of going multiple times. But I also know that this problem will keep getting worse if I don't just bite the bullet and go. My biggest concern right now is cost. Pain, I'll get over. It'll suck, but I'll deal with it. But cost? I'm worried...

While I know I've got multiple problems, it's my front teeth that I want to get fixed first. And then everything else, I'll request to gradually work at.

My husband and I were talking this morning and he's still being super supportive, which I'm happy about. He said, "You have 8 months before we move so that's 8 months to get your smile in tip-top shape!"

LETS DO THIS!

 

[ladysarahjane]

Good luck! I finally made an appointment with a dentist (which is Wednesday). I also work in education so having a horrible smile makes it tough. I have several teeth (most in the back) that are severely decayed. The cost of all the work scares me senseless.

 

[MissTaylorP]

Thank you! I've put this appointment off for two years. I'm so nervous to the point I feel sick. But at the same time, I know that tomorrow will be the first step of having that smile I've so badly wanted for years.

Good luck to you!

 

[MissTaylorP]

D-DAY! aka My first dentist appointment in 6 years day....

I'm not going to lie, I've been up since 5 having anxiety attacks and trying to keep myself from throwing up. But at the same time, I'm excited to finally get the ball rolling.

My friend who referred me to this particular dentist has been SUPER positive about not only the actual dentist, but the entire staff. That puts me at a little ease.

I keep saying the cost is what I'm worried most about, but I also think it's realizing my problems are a lot worse than initially expected. If that's the case, what will my husband think? How will I pay for it all? How bad will the pain be?

7.5 hours before I have to be there. I'm not sure I can do this.

 

[ladysarahjane]

Good luck! You can do this. Let us know how it goes.

 

[MissTaylorP]

Well, I'm home. I'm not exactly sure what to think of my appointment... I guess it went better than it could've been.

So the 'cavities' I thought I had at the top of my gum-lines are actually NOT cavities but more of a bacteria buildup. They will clean all of that up next Monday.

Then, the following appointment, I will get a cavity filled.

The pretty bad news? I need three crowns. Luckily no root canals but crowns are super pricey and I hear pretty painful. They are going to do the two bottoms first that are side-by-side and then do the one I need on the top last.

Roughly the cost is right around 5K give or take.

Ugh.

 

[ladysarahjane]

That's actually not that bad. (I'm estimating about $15K to $20K for my mouth, so we'll see). If I leave my appointment on Wednesday with only $5K in dental work, I would be ecstatic!

Crowns don't hurt, at least mine didn't. (I currently have four). They are uncomfortable at first, but that should go away after about 24 hours or so.

 

[MissTaylorP]

I'm terrible. I still haven't been back since my initial appointment which is extremely stupid on my part as I'm now fearful I'm going to need root canals. My mouth is finally to the point where it's getting painful, especially the upper and lower portion of the right side of my mouth. I can see the cavities and one looks like it's going to split the tooth at some point soon.

My issue right now is that we just don't have the money. What am I supposed to do? My husband has been on the job hunt since August and with 100K of student loan debt, we are running on empty.

I'm honestly to the point now where I don't care about the pain of the visit. I just want my teeth fixed. Well I DO care about the pain, but I just want my teeth to look pretty, to feel and be healthy. I just want this crap done and over with. But with no money, what am I supposed to do?