Well, here goes and please bear with me. About 10 years ago I had some cosmetic dental work done and obviously I had to pay out of pocket. My teeth looked so much better and I felt good about myself.
Then the problems arose. When my parents and siblings saw my dental improvements, they verbally/mentally attacked me for having work done that wasn't covered by insurance. They have a mantra, that only procedures covered fully by insurance can be done. Weird and dysfunctional, yet true. Then my husband jumped on the bandwagon and sided with them. I paid for braces which I badly needed and had chipped teeth repaired, that's all!
Well, as a result of all this abuse, I just quit going to the dentist. Not a good decision, but the dysfunction and verbal bullying was just too much for me. Now my front teeth are wearing away (dentin is showing and discolored). I have many cavities and my overbite is bad. I don't think I can go through family bullying again, but need help paying for all the work that really needs to be done. I feel so bad about myself. I'm stuck.
Anybody have an idea if there's a good dentist/insurance underwriter that could help me? Please only sincere help. Thanks so much. I don't smile much anymore.
By Tara Lee
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I feel for you I am going through the same thing as for as my teeth I have had cancer and several surgeries and I have a incurable bladder disease so I am on disability with a very limited income. I have the gum disease periodontal disease and I have already had 2 teeth to just break off and I still have the roots. All my teeth are extremely loose.
I have done some research to find someway I can get some help trying to get this major and life threatening problem taken care of because if you cannot eat and get a infection it is then very serious.
I 1st looked on the internet and found some different areas where you can go and pay based on your income the requested $45.00 to do a oral exam and xrays and then they let you know what you qualify for but I have not had the $45.00 to make a appointment. Here is the website http://www.freemedicalcamps.com there was about 5 different locations within a hour driving distance from me. But I am not sure if they all work the same one told me being I had 2 broke off roots I would have to have a surgeon to remove those 2 at the price of $225.00 per root and I would have to have this done before I could ever get dentures and that I might want to check into a insurance to help me pay there is some kind of dental insurance that helps you pay along as you go kinda like a credit type thing but I do not know anything about this.
Also I called my local senior center even though I am only 50 to see if they might could refer me to someone or give me some information. They did tell me there was a program that if you had certain health problems they help up to $500.00 you have to fill out paper work and it has to go before a board and you have to have a dentist to give you a detailed report to what needs done and the expected cost. And they only meet every 4 months and of course they are others ahead of you. And the qualifications are strict but it might be worth calling around and check into in your area.
My teeth just need to all be pulled on top so insurance might not be the best method for me I am not sure I can wait before more of my teeth break off and then that would mean a surgeon would have to do the work costing several more hundreds of dollars. What I really need is to just get all the one's on top pulled at one time would be the ideal thing but I don't have the money to do that and 1 at a time will cost $75.00 to $125.00 per tooth.
The lady that I talked to about the last program I mentioned was very nice and very helpful as for as willing to help me anyway she could as for as me filling out the paper work or answering any questions. And she sent me the application over the computer to my email. She also advised me of some other churches, local organization that helps in the event one won't help the other might.
So if I was you I would try these things I mentioned by looking on the internet by searching under google help paying for dental work. Look on the website I gave you and calling any and all numbers in your area of any kind of on council on aging,dentist and ask for referrals tell them what you are looking for and just don't give up and keep calling and somewhere there should be something.
I just started this last month so I have not found out at this point what I am going to be able to get done but I do have about 4 different options and hopefully one of them will help me get the serious problem taken care of.
I wish you lots of luck and just keeping on trying it can get discouraging but you cannot live a healthy life without teeth. If I can be of any help please just post and I will reply. Have a good day and a good Thanksgiving. God takes care of his children.
I know if you live in Texas, and this is probably the case in every state, you can call any dental college & they can help you-the price is around $50 for a complete evaluation & the dental work is discounted at least 1/3 of average dental offices. Some County Health Departments also provide care.
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