I thought I wasn't worried about it, but when I laid awake for hours and hours last night, my stomach churning, thinking about, it occurred to me: Hey, you're worried about this.
The biggest worry is the cost. Six grand BARE MINIMUM. Who has that kind of change to toss around?
Another: bone grafts. That's a scary one. Did you hear about the funeral homes that were illegally harvesting tissue (like bone for grafts) from the dead--especially the dead who died of cancer or communicable diseases--like HIV??? Well, guess what--some of that stuff happened right here in my home town.
Hey, I'm a mystery writer. I think the worst about everything, so naturally I don't have a lot of confidence about where this graft is going to come from, no matter what they tell me. (Oh, they might use synthetic bone (anyone ever heard of that?) or bovine. (Mooooooo!))
A friend of mine had a bone graft that--OOPS--didn't take. One tooth ended up costing him over FIVE THOUSAND dollars.
(My insurance isn't going to cover much of this procedure, either.)
I have to admit, after over 30 years of dental mishaps, I'm not the trusting young girl I once was. In fact, it seems to me that the last four dentists I've worked with have done nothing but rip out and replace the work the previous dentist did, all at tremendous cost. Some of the work has been really good. Some not.
I'm not sure why I'm going to go to this consultation. I've pretty much made up my mind that implants are not going to happen. (And it's going to cost me just to show up.) I want to believe that if I spent that kind of money, that everything would be good, great, wonderful, and I'll never have a problem with those "teeth" again. My own dental history tells me this just is not true.
What are your dental experiences?
I've had a couple of dental experiences that didn't go as plan such as the dentist pulling the wrong tooth and the one that stuck novacaine in my tongue.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Monday.
After hearing those two stories, I don't think so, Dru.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I have a friend whose dentist dropped a dental mirror (with the long handle) down her throat. She had a real fun time in the Emergency Room while they worked to get that out. NOT!
I have a friend with a full mouth of dental implants. It's all good until one breaks or something. Make sure you dentist doesn't have a 'special unique' way of doing the work - cause if he drops dead, you then have to find a dentist that can figure out his 'special' way of doing things (this happened to my friend).
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Hey, kiddo, I (kinda) feel your pain. I've got a spot where a tooth had to be removed (like almost 20 years ago). My dentist now, has been trying for nearly 12 years to have me get an implant. Well, I LIVED in the city where that maniac dentist lived, conceived, and implemented that horrible scheme w/the illegal organ/bone harvesting. After following the newspaper reports for months, etc., (and having to inform my OWN dentist about that grisly scheme), I've politely brushed off his yearly suggestion that I do something about that open space. It's not bothering me, I can eat my food without difficulty, and the space doesn't interfere with my smile. So -- who cares! (Besides, I'm with you ... that's a @#$ huge amount of money to spend.)
ReplyDeleteI'd say, unless you have a REAL problem, are reduced to eating pablum, or refuse to smile when you're happy -- fugetaboutit!
Thank you, Laurie--I needed some kind of confirmation from someone I trust!!! I think I can be perfectly happy with a partial plate, and I've been working on saving these teeth for 30 plus years (remember back in 1976 how I was on painkillers and zonked from that root canal that went horribly wrong? We're talking the same tooth--and its next door neighbor.) I had that crown replaced three times until it broke for all and good, and ended up getting a bridge (which lasted about 6 years). I'm tired of pouring money into it.
ReplyDeleteI have spoken.