I am depressed about my teeth and I’m only 23 years old. When I was growing up my parents didn’t really instill in me any kind of good dental hygiene habits. There was no pressure to brush or floss and we didn’t have dental insurance. So I never went to the dentist. In fact, the only time I remember going was to have my wisdom teeth removed.
So now I have really bad tooth decay on my front teeth and I was told it is unlikely that three of my back molars are not salvageable. One of the molars is no longer there and the other two are almost gone too. The dentist told me that I need surgery in order to remove one of them. Is there any way to save my healthy teeth because I really don’t want to get dentures when I’m so young. The other problem is that I am in debt with loans so I have no idea how I will be able to pay for this dental work even with my dental insurance.
My teeth are holding me back professionally and I am fed up with it. Do you know if there are any charitable programs or organizations that may be able to help me with payment. I’m sick of hiding my smile and feeling bad about myself because of it. Also, do you know if I can have a lot of work done during one surgery? I’d like to get as much taken care of at one time as possible.
– Katie from Nevada
Katie,
I would not recommend getting dentures at this time. Many dentists don’t fully explain what happens 10 to 20 years down the road. When you have no natural teeth left your body resorbs the bone and minerals that used to support your teeth which causes your jawbone to shrink. This process is called facial collapse. Then as time goes on you will become a dental cripple and you won’t even be able to wear a denture anymore because your bone will have receded so much. It will be painful, embarrassing, and you will likely have difficulty eating which may affect your overall physical health as well. When that happens, the only option that you will have left with is for a total (expensive) jaw reconstruction and dental implants.
There are programs and charities out there for individuals who require serious dental care. You may need to do some research and look into local dental schools, organizations, and societies.
If you have teeth that can’t be saved then you will need to have them extracted. But if you have teeth that have problems like large cavities or decay, there are temporary fillings made of glass ionomer that may be able to buy you several years. If you have missing or ugly front teeth than Snap-on Smile may work for you. This appliance snaps over your existing smile to improve the color and appearance of your teeth and it is affordable.
So there are other options than dentures. It may take some legwork on your part to answer your questions and find the right dentist to help, but it is possible.
I hope this answered your questions. Best of luck to you.
This post is sponsored by Baton Rouge dentist Sherwood Dental Care.
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