I HATE going to the dentist. I’ve had nothing but bad experiences over the years. So I put off going unless I absolutely need it.
I’ve had a problem tooth for several years. It’s my back left molar on the bottom. Cavity. Filling. Crown. Absess. Root Canal. Crown pops off. I swallow it. And NO, as many have asked, I did NOT look for it afterward. That thing was NOT going back into my mouth after passing through my intestinal tract if you get what I mean. So I procrastinate a little more, and then the filling comes out after eating a Milk Dud. Damn it! Of course I had no insurance at the time AND I was pregnant.
Now, not only am I not prego, I finally have insurance. Yay! I went in this morning, and my nasty mouth needs 11 fillings PLUS a new crown for said tooth. ELEVEN FILLINGS??!! I must say that I do indeed brush everyday, so I guess 6+ years of not going to the dentist has taken it’s toll. They want to charge me $2300 (that is with my insurance ‘discount’) for new porcelain fillings. What’s up with that? I don’t want all silver, but that is what the insurance will cover. Grrr.
I left without making an appointment because not only to I have to ponder which avenue to take, I also need to find someone to watch the kids so I can actually sit for several hours of pain and agony while they fix my teeth.
My Life in a Nutshell 
Ouch. Okay, I’ll say it again. I know we are lucky to live in a country with great doctors, etc, BUT, sheesh, the cost of this stuff is really getting crazy. Good luck! (Thanks for the well wishes.)
Double the good wishes from me. Dental matters and large expenses stress me out, so this is a definite double whammy.
That stinks, I’m so sorry!
I’ve had issues in the past couple of years too with the dentist. I didn’t go for 3 years and I’ve never been an excellent flosser.. so now I have gum problems and have to have antibiotic shots into the “deep pockets’ of the gums.. all because of laziness. Ugh.. it’s a hard lesson.. expensive too.
please, go to the dentist and fill the cavities! heed my warning! endure the pain and stress and financial burden if only to avoid: EVIL ROOT CANALS.
once, i let one teeny weeny cavity go by the wayside, and a year later required a visit to a root canal specialist who grinned with glee as i writhed in agony, the putrid aroma of (my!) burning flesh flooding my nostrils as he took care of business in my mouth. never again will i ignore a tiny cavity.
This will not comfort you. My worst dentist story actually deserves about 1000 words…here is the Readers Digest version…
1. Dentist office talks me into a “routine” cleaning.
2. New hygenist. 2nd day on the job.
3. Twelve hours later I wake up in the bed choking on something.
4. I cough up something into my hand the size of a large cherry tomato and run to turn on the light to see what I was missing from my body and now was in my hands.
When I turned on the light, there was blood everywhere. On the walls from where I tuned on the switch, on my clothes and all over my hands. I ran to the sink screaming like a little girl.
After my wife calmed me down, she straightened it all out. Since she was a woman, she knew exactly what a blood clot looked like and explained to me that i hadn’t just coughed up my spleen.
The issue turned out to be that the new hygenist left a scraped off piece of plaque and left it under my gum. It had bled druing the night, clotted and fell down my throat.
WOW! Sorry so long! I had erased that from my mind until reading this blog!
Ugh, I know how you feel! I. HATE. DENTISTS. You’re getting me worried; I haven’t seen one since I moved to CA in 2003. My excuse is that I don’t know any dentists, but with all the chocolate I’ve been eating, I better stop procrastinating, too!
Yikes! best of luck, that is no fun at all – wish I was closer, I’d offer to do a play date so you at least wouldn’t have to worry about the kiddos.
I haven’t been to a dentist in… 3 years, maybe? I’m scared! After reading this, I’m thinking maybe its time I suck it up and go, though. Although, I don’t know… some of these other comments are just making me even more afraid! Perhaps I’ll wait another year…
To all of you who are procrastinators like me… GO TO THE DENTIST NOW!
Electrician: Eww! That would have freaked me out too!
Goofy: Thanks… I think you should move closer, because not only could we have a playdate, but we could go to Disneyland together!
Curly: I’ve done the root canal thing after having a tooth abscess. OUCH! Besides my kidney stone episodes, that was the worst pain experienced in my life. I actually welcomed the root canal just to stop the excruciating pain.
Check the provider link on my site and see if yours (or one you would consider using) is listed… if so, you can get a great dental plan (NOT insurance!) That could save 20-80% of those costs!!! Feel free to throw any questions my way! I’ve found that the dental plan is the most popular of all the health plans because so many people have little or no dental coverage and it gets so darn expensive! For the details and provider list check out http://www.mybenefitsplus.com/JErvin … Good Luck! Dental work isn’t any fun and unfortunately I can’t offer any help with the daycare side! Lol. I’m taking Kenzie tomorrow to have her two front teeth pulled because her grown up teeth decided to come in way early! She is only five! Sheesh!
They don’t use amalgam anymore – you don’t really WANT them to use it – all that mercury in your mouth would surely make you quite ill. Sometimes it is hard to get the work done, but it is definitely worth it in the end… Hang in there!