Help me please

[dreamie]

I am very interested in aquiring dentures...I have about 20 teeth left but I am only chewing on one tooth. I have diabetes and have a very limited funds. I have a cavity on just about every tooth. I went to a dentist to inquire about getting dentures. So when I got there, the dentist insisted that he could fix and salvage all my teeth. I am 31 years old and was told I was too young. He stated that it was unethical to pull my teeth and did not know a reputable dentist who would do the procedure. Yet, I pleaded with him that I did not have the finances to save my teeth. Dentures in my opinion, are my only option. Does this sound like a deception on his part? He stated that if anybody said they loved their dentures was lying...probably because their teeth are far worse than my own. I let him evaluate me and guess how much he tallies it would take to fix my teeth? 13,000 freakin dollars. After I informed him that I was struggling and he still insisted on fixing my teeth. Can I get some support here from you nice people? I am not sure if I should believe him. I feel so alone... I need help and I do not know what to believe. He said my weak teeth are way stronger than dentures would be. I know I need to go somewhere else but is he right? or up-saling me other services? If they are so bad, why do alot of people opt for them? Thank you for listening. I am in San Antonio Texas...so if anyone here has gotten services in my city please let me know. My parents were going to help me but 13000 seems too high when that is not what I want for myself? Thanks for reading!

[queysther]

Sorry to say this, but the only unethical thing is this dentist. He's obviously trying to scare you into opting for his proposed expensive treatment in order to pull money you don't have out of your pocket. Plus, his proposed treatment most likely won't last long, requiring your frequent returns and more expensive repairs... You get the picture.

Don't believe his lies about not finding any dentist willing to do this procedure. Not all are like him. Plus, at 31 you're by no means gonna be the youngest denture-wearer around. I would advise you to ditch this dentist ASAP and start looking around, you're bound to get lucky eventually.

Regards,

Q

[rachel]

hello..i was in your shoes as well, my teeth needed extensive work & w/o the deep pockets i needed my only option was dentures & iam only 33 yrs.old. i would try to find an affordable denture office in your area or you can look on line for one. they are reasonable in price & can do all the extraction & put in a temporary denture. untill your gums are fully healed you then will receive a permanent denture usually around the 6-9 mon mark.iam only 7 days into my new journey but well worht it i think lol!! like i said check out aff,dentures i had 11 extractions , novacaine , nitrious oxide &w/ the 2 dentures i explained above & only paid 2310.00 & that includes all the adjustments after.hope this help w/ your decision & best of luck to you !!keep us posted

[Susan]

Hi Dreamie,

to say that you are too young to get dentures is pure nonsense, there are many who got dentures much younger than you. My sister got full dentures at 23, me at 22 so I know.

Only point he was right is that teeth are better than dentures, but then having bad hurting teeth is no option either, you ruin your health with them. 13,000 $ for fixing ? thats a fortune and think a bit high !

I suggest you to consult at least another dentist to give a second opinion to you and talk about the possibilities he has for you. Dentures are great but remember that once your teeth are gone they do not regrow... specially lower full dentures can be tricky...

To get dentures, I think an office of Affordable Dentures should be in your area, there are some from Texas here who could tell you...or you can google for it !

Good luck !!!

Susan Arkansas

Me and my sister are both very happy with our dentures, no regret......

[eva]

Dear Dreamie,
In my opinion, teeth should be covered under medical instead of having its own seperate catagory. I am in the wrong profession. I would often joke to my dentists, hey, I am your free vacation to Tahiti! It really is no laughing matter. Our teeth are important and saving them is important but it is a difficult thing to do when an individual has many obstacles. It is heart breaking to read the stories of people who spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to save their teeth only to ultimatley have to have them removed (through no fault of their own). A dentist is a person who is in "business" I understand about "overhead" but do they have to go "overboard"? One of the main reasons why my teeth got the way they did was because of the cost, even with ins. the co-pays are high. Only the wealthy can afford a dentist unless you want to go into debt and even then there are no guarantees. That dentist in my opinion is a bully and trying to scare you. It's amazing how they just nonchalantley throw out numbers like you can pull the money out of your southern atm and hand it over. I guess they figure if they can scare you enough that you'll come up with the money so they can make their next benz payment. Either way, you may want to check out more dentists, when you call an office to inquire ask them how the dentists "bedside manners" are, theyre not all bad, you just have to do a little digging unfortunatley. Good Luck E.

[Chris]

Getting dentures is a personal decision, one that needs to be made with the support of a caring dentist. It sounds like your dentists is looking for a meal ticket. So many are like that. I've had my dentures 8 years, got them at 30, and they've been terrific. I was scared going into all this but they have exceeded my expectations. All the issues that I had to deal with when I was in your situation are long gone. Enough about me.

Of course, everyone is different. I've seen/heard from a lot of successful denture patients. But there are those who have a terrible time with them. I might be a combination of, anatomy, will and determination, the actual lab/dentist, and other factors. Still, many do just great and find a new freedom and success they didn't' have before. Good luck in your decision, whatever that may be.

[Joan Stephens]

Here in PA you can go to Univ. of PA Dental School. Are there any dental schools near you? They'd give you a thorough evaluation and perform the procedures for a minimum amount.

[Lori Leverton]

My dentist told me he once had a young man come in with his first cavity and insisted on pulling them all. He didn't want to ever have to bother with his teeth again. My dentist advised against it, but did it. He believes it is what the person wants that is important. I could have saved mine at great cost, but I chose to spend the 1500 to fix them permanently. HAHA. I do love my denture and my teeth weren't that bad. I had 3 root canals and 2 crowns on upper. When they needed more I was not ready to do more. I chose to get rid of them instead of pouring more money down the drain. I am at 2 months and can eat anything I want to without fear of a tooth cracking. THey almost feel like a part of me now as i never take them out except to clean. I was up to 4 ears of corn and last night I ate 6! You go back and tell your dentist I love my denture. You can't chew as hard as with regular teeth, but no more toothaches. If you are determined you want dentures, do what I did and just go to one of the one day denture places there. I made my appointment and notified my dentist I had done it. He doesn't pull teeth anyway and he told me I was making the best decision I could have made. I was in at 8 to take an impression and basck at 1 to pull teeth and put in new denture and out at 1:30. No problem.

[bridget jones]

I think anyone who has one cavity and wants dentures may be a little unstable to say the least and the dentist even more so for doing that!! One cavity is nothing in comparison to what people do to save their teeth. I have literally spent thousands and if there was anyway they could have been saved the cost would have been woth it. The cost of keeping your own teeth-----priceless!!

Lori Leverton said:

My dentist told me he once had a young man come in with his first cavity and insisted on pulling them all. He didn't want to ever have to bother with his teeth again. My dentist advised against it, but did it. He believes it is what the person wants that is important. I could have saved mine at great cost, but I chose to spend the 1500 to fix them permanently. HAHA. I do love my denture and my teeth weren't that bad. I had 3 root canals and 2 crowns on upper. When they needed more I was not ready to do more. I chose to get rid of them instead of pouring more money down the drain. I am at 2 months and can eat anything I want to without fear of a tooth cracking. THey almost feel like a part of me now as i never take them out except to clean. I was up to 4 ears of corn and last night I ate 6! You go back and tell your dentist I love my denture. You can't chew as hard as with regular teeth, but no more toothaches. If you are determined you want dentures, do what I did and just go to one of the one day denture places there. I made my appointment and notified my dentist I had done it. He doesn't pull teeth anyway and he told me I was making the best decision I could have made. I was in at 8 to take an impression and basck at 1 to pull teeth and put in new denture and out at 1:30. No problem.

[ramp rat "RR"]

That dentist is nothing but a crook in white coat! I can tell you that another similar dentist gave me a $24,000 dollar quote to fix my crummy infected teeth! There isn't even no telling that it won't be a waste of money in the future! I have been frustrated for years trying to cope with pain and these monster prices to just feel good. I am a bit angry at how the many thousands of people are takin in by these sharp dentist using scare tactics. How many do actually pay to get what they think will be a solution only to be ripped off? You are the captain of your body and you need to research and seek the right solution for you. Dentures are my only realistic route to fix the problem. Be careful if you seek implants with dentures options as well. There are some so called expert implant dentist that price you up to 50,000 for a nonsense amount of implants placed in your mouth just to dig into your pockets. Being that we had periodontal problems we are prone to more bacteria and have to take care of dental implants as teeth. The more in your mouth the more chances your end up with infections. I won't settle on anything as concrete from any dentist as i already don't trust them. I wish you luck.

[Jennifer]

(((((((dreamie)))))))))

I hope you get another opinion.