Dental Work

The piece of gum that was between my two front teeth was too big and was making my teeth look really small, so I had local surgery where I had to get that part removed.  The worst part was the shot at the beginning.  I also hate being numb and feeing the pressure.

I have lost ove half my teeth due to a connective tissue disease and would LOVE to have implants (part of the disease robs your teeth of enamel and another part causes periodontal disease among other things like joints which just pop out and surgery rarely keeps them in place) BUT due to the cost I am forced to live with the few teeh I have left of have dentures. I had much rather have implants but until the cost goes down there is no way!

I have had every dental experience there is to have. But I went to a dentist (should say was recommended) last year to have all my caps and bridges redone about a twenty thousand dollar job. To make a very long story short he butchered me, sexually harassed me, dropped needles in my chest and filed all my teeth down to the point ofun repair. This story would take days to complete about how bad this guy was. I could not stop going as I had prepaid most of it and he refused to give the money back. In the end I am now toothless on the bottom from all of them breaking off being filed down to nothing, and I can't find a lawyer to take the case because they say that dental malpractice is very cheap and if there is no permanent nerve damage then there will be no compensation. Needless to say my money is gone and now I sit with no bottom teeth and the top bridge is now cracking and has only been on a year..... I later found out that he had done this to two other women....BEWARE of DENTISTS, make absolutely sure who you are going to and check all of their credentials carefully, I wish I would have .:( Oh and stay away from Dentists in the area of University and Sheridan St., east side.

When I was 12 I fell off a run away horse and landed on my chin on concrete.  I broke 13 permant teeth.  3 years and $20,000 (37 years ago) later I had teeth again.  They even went as far as to pull out one tooth because the root canal didn't take they cut the end off and put it back in.  It stayed in for about three months.  It slipped out while eating mashed potatoes.  I was told I would have to have them redone at 35.  I am now 49.  I can't afford it and was told even dentures would cost me over $2,000.  I am lucky enough to have health insurance but it doesn't cover teeth.  How can my health care provider think I am healthy when I have a mouth full of broken rotted teeth and swallow most of my food whole? Oh to eat a steak again or nuts.  I love nuts.  I'll be on baby food by the time I am 55

I have not had major dental work done but would like to question the author of this article.  If the implants were not in the jaw bone what is the cheek bone?  Cheeks are soft tissue.  There is no bone there.  Of course the implants were done in the jaw bone. 

Congratulations to James Cosmos for having this work done.

As a response to the posted answer about poor dentistry, I would suggest calling the Board of Dentistry in your state and asking for the Ethics committee to report abuse.  It is a good idea when spending a lot of money on your teeth, like anything else, to get several or at least a couple of opinions.  Unfortunately there are poor clinicians practiicing dentistry.

I had to get dentures when I was 19 years old.  I've had 3 or 4 sets over the years, but each succeeding set fit less and less well.  Finally I heard about implants, but thought I couldn't afford it.  $10,000 and up just didn't fit in my budget...then, I learned that a dentist here locally could put in the implants, so I checked it out.  Eureka! ! ! !  I had 4 of the little rods implanted in my lower jaw bone and the existing dentures fitted to fit down on the rods...no problems at all eating now...thank God....of course, the procedure wasn't all that pleasant, but now that they have healed and I'm eating well, I'm glad I had it done...

I am 57 and have never had major dental work.  I have all my own teeth and have had only 1 cavity my whole life.  Good genes is all I can guess.  My two sons have never had a cavity and most of my siblings are the same way.  The smokers in our family have had some dental problems, however. 

I didn't go to a dentist until I was 15 - my parents had 5 kids and couldn't afford to take us.  My dad had great teeth but lost them all to gum disease.  My dentist told me to floss only the teeth I wanted to keep & I took him at his word!!  I floss twice a day & cannot understand people who don't - ugh!

I have had thousands and thousands of dollars worth of work on my molars. Fillings started at age 8 or 9, then re-fillings, then re-fillings again. Then crowns because only the shell of the tooth was left. Then had to get root canals because the nerves went bad. Then the "tooth" that was left had to be pulled because it cracked under the surface, forcind me to get implants (which are about 4,000 and at least 10 months of surgery and bone structure surgery and finally the implant. Thank God I have not had any trouble with my front teeth, top or bottom, it's all the molars. No one can tell how much work I have done because the fronts are the originals. I could kill my Mom for not making me brush three times a day when I was little. I remember going for weeks not brushing, just because I was a brat, then going to the dentist and having to schedule appointments for 8 or 9 cavities. No one will EVER convince me to have the front ones done - it is not worth the worry, pain or expense "just to look good". I have a niece that is 20 and she has never had anything else done but cleanings. She doesn't even know what it's like to even have a small cavity - that's how much things have changed in the past 40 years!!!