Help! What are my options?

Question

I have a lot of teeth that are rotting. I have been avoiding going to the dentist, although I know I need to. (Please do not tell me to go to the dentist) I am going to the dentist soon, but want to know what my options are before I go and the dentist tries to convince me to do something about it right then and there. I am only 25 and don't want most of my teeth removed! I know the damage root canals can cause. What else can I do and would those options be more expensive than a root canal or extraction? If you can give some advice, especially websites, I'd greatly appreciate it. Please no sarcastic remarks. Thanks.

Please check out these two websites someone posted on another Q- They explain why root canals are bad. Not to mention I've had one or two of them before and it made it 10x worse than it was to begin with.

http://biological-dentistry.com/custom2.html

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=107784

Answer 1

Just remember you can get a second opinion.

I am 22 and I hadnt been to the dentist since I was 16 or 17 and let me tell you when I was 21 I had to have a root canal. I had already had one when I was like 12 so I figured it would be fine and dandy like the last one... NOoooooo. The good news not all dentists are mean dentists Im a dental assistant and I have seen bad dentistry and good. I also have experienced both. Root canals arent always bad if they are done properly.

Now when you saw your teeth are rotting do you mean all of them breaking off or do you just think they are because I thought I was in horrible shape when I finally went to the dentist (a good one) I had 2 horrible dentists tell me I had servere gum disease I was freaking out then I worked for an awesome dentist who fixed me right up. There was no gum disease however I was on the verge and I was able to save my mouth. Needless to say I have one crown, 2 root canals, one inlay,one onlay and several fillings. But my teeth are ok and I floss at night and brush at least twice a day. Dont get down on yourself. Get into the dentist get his opinion DONT accept any work especially if you let him know you think you need a lot of work. If you tell them that some dentists may just charge you all kinds of work. So dont let on you think you have a lot of problems act kinda surprised and dont stick to the first opinion you get.

But like I said dont beat yourself up over anything. Try to keep up on your brushing and flossing.

You always want to keep your real teeth as long as you can if you can save them then do it. Because implants are thousands of dollars and pulling all your teeth leaves you with dentures and those are no fun it takes several visits to adjust them. I would try to apply for care credit www.carecredit.com its a healthcare credit card and if you can get it you can put all your dental work on that. And make payments. Just take care of the most important teeth the ones that need the most help first so they dont get worse.

Here is a site to check out too:

http://www.aboutcosmeticdentistry.com/procedures/index.html



About the sites you listed above: the consequences of letting your teeth go can be just as servere the bacteria your teeth can let out if they get real bad can get into your blood stream causing heart disease or stroke. You eat a pound of dirt before you die so save your teeth if you can.

Answer 2

I would make sure that you talk to your dentist about what's going on in your mouth before deciding on a treatment. When you do, make sure that the way they treat you and your teeth are in line with what your expectations are for treatment. I've had an aggressive dentist before and I did not like it at all and stopped going for a long time. Every time I'd go into there, they would find something wrong to fix and charge me and it made me feel bad because I know my teeth weren't really bad. Now I have a dentist that I like and she's very thoughtful and careful about pain control and is into saving teeth and not just making money.

Answer 3

Ok. One option is to do a root canal to remove the nerve and pulp. If the tooth is in really bad shape, a post can be ancored in the root and a cap or crown installed. That works out good but is expensive.

Another is to fill them if they aren't hurting you. If your teeth aren't hurting you, you may be able to have the cavity drilled out and just filled. IF they are hurting you you have two choices, pulled or a root canal. Root canals are NOT bad. I don't know what you have heard but they work fine for me.

Have the bad ones pulled and a bridge put in.

If the tooth isn't to far gone, it can be filed down to a "snag" sticking out and a crown put on it.

Remember: The best false teeth or not as good as the worst "natural teeth". Good luck. Pops

Answer 4

Babygirl, you only have two choices... and you've already mentioned both of them. Root canal, which are spendy, cause you'll end up needing crowns. Or get the teeth pulled. Hope you have some good dental insurance...

Answer 5

ROOT CANAL TO SAVE THE TEETH, THEN CROWNS, OR IF TEETH ARE REMOVED IMPLANTS.

YOU WAITED TOO LONG FOR TREATMENT AND UNFORTUNATELY IT WILL COST YOU AND ARM AND A LEG