DENTAL

Carmen Miranda
on 1/10/14 5:09 am - downey, CA

I NEED ADVISE PLEASE.  I HAD MY SURGERY IN 2006.  I HAVE GAINED ABOUT 20 POUNDS, HOWEVER, I AM WORKING ON GETTING ON TRACK.  I DO NEED HELP PLEASE.  I HAVE SERIOUS DENTAL ISSUES AND NO DENTAL INSURANCE OR THE ABILITY TO OBTAIN CREDIT.  IT IS PROBABLY ABOUT 20K IN DENTAL WORK.  ALL MY TEETH HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS, BROKEN APART, DECAYED, ETC.  DOES ANYONE KNOW OR CAN ANYONE SHED SOME LIGHT ON HOW I CAN HAVE THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED?  ALL SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME PLEASE.  THANK YOU. 

poet_kelly
on 1/10/14 6:09 am - OH

There may be a dental clinic near you that operates on a sliding scale.  There was one in the town where I used to live.  How much they charged was based on  your income and if your income was low enough, everything would be free.  Try calling the nearest United Way and asking them if they can tell you about dental clinics like that in your area.

Some dentists might make payment arrangements with you although they'd probably want some money up front.  I recently has to have a tooth pulled and get a bridge, and altogether it ended up costing me about $2500.  My dentist allowed me to pay half up front and the other half a month later.  Which was still a lot of money.  I had to borrow a couple hundred bucks from a friend to come up with the second half for the dentist.

Also, are you not getting enough calcium?  Or is your vitamin D really low?  Why are you having so much trouble with tooth decay?

View more of my photos at ObesityHelp.com          Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR.  If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor.  Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me.  If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her.    Check out my blog.

 

rocky513
on 1/10/14 7:21 am - WI

Is there a dental school near you?  My sister signed up for a program allowing dental students to work on her. They were under constant supervision of a teacher.  She paid $10.00 per visit...plus the cost of materials.  It was VERY reasonable.  She had to be examined first and then she had to sign a contract stating that she would show up for every appointment.  I guess they get a lot of people that are not considerate enough to call and reschedule if they can't make the appointment. She had her entire mouth fixed for about $400.  It would have cost her thousands of dollars.  It might take some time to get into a program like that.  I think my sister waited about 6 months.  

HW 270 SW 236 GW 160 CW 145 (15 pounds below goal!)

VBG Aug. 7, 1986, Revised to RNY Nov. 18, 2010

SkinnyScientist
on 1/11/14 8:00 am

I did that in grad school. The work by the students was VERY GOOD because they wanted to pass with good marks AND were supervised.  Seriously, the "real dentist" never left my side and had his head in there just as much as the student.

RNY Surgery: 12/31/2013; 

Current weight (2/27/2015) 139lbs, ~14% body fat

Three pounds below Goal!!! Yay !  

Sparklekitty, Science-Loving Derby Hag
on 1/10/14 7:23 am
RNY on 08/05/19

Do you live near a university with a school of dentistry? They usually need patients for the students to work on and can do complicated work at a very reduced fee. (My aunt got several implants done this way.) The oversight is quite good as they're all supervised by doctors with advanced degrees.

Sparklekitty / Julie / Nerdy Little Secret (#42)
Roller derby - cycling - triathlon
VSG 2013, RNY conversion 2019 due to GERD. Trendweight here!

Valerie G.
on 1/10/14 8:48 am - Northwest Mountains, GA

Well you're not going to reverse the damage to your teeth, but the symptoms point to severe malnutrition.  I would start with some bloodwork and see where you stand today, then work on a plan to get yourself healthy again.  Steps following will be losing hair, horrible fatigue, and eventually, your body starts to harvest your own organs.  This is serious.   You need to work on the inside-out before you worry so much about your teeth.

Valerie
DS 2005

There is room on this earth for all of God's creatures..
next to the mashed potatoes

DietPrincess
on 1/10/14 9:37 am

Have you considered dentures?  You can get a denture for $200 at some dental offices.  It is not good for your heart to have bad teeth.  Maybe you can look into it?

    

RNY  2/27/2014

            
Victoria215
on 1/10/14 10:07 am

You have every right to be worried since poor oral health can greatly impact a person's systemic health. Are you able to qualify for Medicaid? Look into local hospitals that might have dental clinics as they sometimes have mercy funds available. Also local universities that may have dental clinics like others have mentioned. You may want to contact your local health department for listings of clinics that could possibly work with you. Lastly, look into an organization called Mission of Mercy which offers free dental care. They usually host a yearly clinic throughout the United States in each state. AI understand your pain, I am an oral health educator and a registered dental hygienist and I know how hard it is for people to get care. Good luck and keep us posted.

    
Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version

on 1/10/14 10:20 am - OH

If your teeth a in such poor condition, you might want to consider what a friend of mine did after having quite a number of teeth damaged after an accident: have all of your teeth extracted and get dentures.  That will cost FAR less than $20K.

As others have said, though, you need to make sure that vitamin deficiencies are identified and addressed (unless your teeth are just in such poor condition because of failure to maintain proper oral hygiene.)

Lora

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

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