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Biting the bullet
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11-06-2012 10:11PM#1I've been reading the forum for quite awhile, it's something that generally ends in tears from the mix of shame, humiliation and frustration that I've seen others also express. Hopefully I don't run (unintentionally) afoul of any rules. Obviously this is a registered for purpose account so if Mods want to verify I'm not a troll/shill I'm happy to indicate who I occasionally post as/who I really am. As I write this out it's more like a PI post than a dental issues, maybe sometime down the line it will benefit someone else.
Anyway, some of the usual stuff; my teeth were never great as a child and teenager (very weak). Had some work done and avoided dentists after that, largely out of fear. Roll on my twenties and I really stopped looking after myself, in fact causing plenty of harm through a combination of alcoholism and depression => neglect. In my thirties now I've gotten clear of alcohol and depression is well managed through ongoing medication for several years now. However, the shame's still there. A good part of that is now the self-image that serves as reminder as well as the dental pain which flares from time to time (plus infections that cause headaches, pain along my jaw, up along my face which I attribute to my desperate dental health). So here's the crux of the post (finally, says you): I've 'teeth' which have broken down to the gumline and others which are cracked/crumbling. It's a horrific sight. Reading here has me at a rough sizing of ~ 6 surgical extractions which would I think be candidates for implants (missing/broken teeth would be combinations of pre-molars and molars top & bottom, left & right - I did say horrific, right). There's plenty more in the way of issues but these are the major ones *to me*. So here's the question time (I understand some questions just won't be possible to answer with any specificity, to a certain extent I'm after a mixture of reassurance/comfort/something to plan with):
- I'm going to need recommendations for a sensitive dentist/practice. Like I said I'm ashamed and humiliated with the state of my mouth so I need friendly. (I'm not looking to travel abroad, while cost will be a factor I don't need any convincing that treatment from suitably qualified people here is what's right for me). I'm Dublin based these days. I'm happy to hear from the dentists who freely and helpfully give advice and encouragement here on the forum if any would consider me as a patient.
- I'm not going to be able to borrow money to cover treatment (credit history isn't up to it) so I'll be looking at a payment plan. Ignoring some possible minor assistance via health insurance and tax breaks I've taken single implant costs of €1800-€3000 as a ballpark and concluded I could cover that over a 6 month period. Views on that are welcome.
- Following on from that I understand healing and bone/gum formation (excuse the ignorance) for implants generally take around 3-4 months and dentists like you to finish paying on the last consultation of a treatment, can I 'play' with that so it fits with the schedule I mentioned.
- Can I realistically break treatment out over a period of time like that rather than having to take say 'upper left' in one hit i.e. multiple implants/or other treatment?
That's kind of it for now, thanks if you got this far
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DrillThrills wrote: »- I'm going to need recommendations for a sensitive dentist/practice. Like I said I'm ashamed and humiliated with the state of my mouth so I need friendly. (I'm not looking to travel abroad, while cost will be a factor I don't need any convincing that treatment from suitably qualified people here is what's right for me). I'm Dublin based these days. I'm happy to hear from the dentists who freely and helpfully give advice and encouragement here on the forum if any would consider me as a patient.
- I'm not going to be able to borrow money to cover treatment (credit history isn't up to it) so I'll be looking at a payment plan. Ignoring some possible minor assistance via health insurance and tax breaks I've taken single implant costs of €1800-€3000 as a ballpark and concluded I could cover that over a 6 month period. Views on that are welcome.
- Following on from that I understand healing and bone/gum formation (excuse the ignorance) for implants generally take around 3-4 months and dentists like you to finish paying on the last consultation of a treatment, can I 'play' with that so it fits with the schedule I mentioned.
- Can I realistically break treatment out over a period of time like that rather than having to take say 'upper left' in one hit i.e. multiple implants/or other treatment?
That's kind of it for now, thanks if you got this far
Hi there OP some responses...
1) I'd wager a princely sum your mouth wouldn't be the worst a dentist has seen. Also Fitzgeme posted last week chances are your mouth wouldnt be the worst he'd seen that day so try not to worry or feel shame if your teeth are in bad condition.
2) Some dentists will let you spread the cost over the treatment period but there will be milestones.
So say you are getting an implant thats 3K (all in for the work)
You may pay a €150 consult fee, then say €500 and then on the day of the implant you pay the balance.0 -
That's quite possible, I think I'm at the point where this is the right next step for me in terms of putting things right for me. So that should get me over the shame inertia. For whatever reason the past few days have seen me adopt a 'time to do this' mentality. Hopefully it's not sunburn deliriumhelimachoptor wrote: »Hi there OP some responses...
1) I'd wager a princely sum your mouth wouldn't be the worst a dentist has seen. Also Fitzgeme posted last week chances are your mouth wouldnt be the worst he'd seen that day so try not to worry or feel shame if your teeth are in bad condition.
That makes sense. Hopefully I can make that work with the timelines I can build up some funding over. If that say 150 + 500 was Month 1 treatment, what (in very rough terms) would the time be to the day of the implant? Would I be looking 4-6 months? Or is it typically more front-loaded with the implant going in early, several months to heal and then finished?helimachoptor wrote: »2) Some dentists will let you spread the cost over the treatment period but there will be milestones.
So say you are getting an implant thats 3K (all in for the work)
You may pay a €150 consult fee, then say €500 and then on the day of the implant you pay the balance.
Thanks for your response, I appreciate it and the time all you folks put in on the forum - it helps immensely.0 -
DrillThrills wrote: »That's quite possible, I think I'm at the point where this is the right next step for me in terms of putting things right for me. So that should get me over the shame inertia. For whatever reason the past few days have seen me adopt a 'time to do this' mentality. Hopefully it's not sunburn delirium
That makes sense. Hopefully I can make that work with the timelines I can build up some funding over. If that say 150 + 500 was Month 1 treatment, what (in very rough terms) would the time be to the day of the implant? Would I be looking 4-6 months? Or is it typically more front-loaded with the implant going in early, several months to heal and then finished?
Thanks for your response, I appreciate it and the time all you folks put in on the forum - it helps immensely.
The longer you leave it the more "shame" you will feel.
Fitz can advise on timings but each case will be different but 4-6 months is a fair estimate (i think!). You will get the abutment inserted and that will need to heal, however most dentists would want a large payment at this point.
Now if you get a consult, the dentist may at that point be ready to schedule you to come back for the procedure, however if your teeth are as bad as you say he may want to sort those issues out first.
The first port of call is an appointment0 -
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DrillThrills wrote: »I've been reading the forum for quite awhile, it's something that generally ends in tears from the mix of shame, humiliation and frustration that I've seen others also express. Hopefully I don't run (unintentionally) afoul of any rules. Obviously this is a registered for purpose account so if Mods want to verify I'm not a troll/shill I'm happy to indicate who I occasionally post as/who I really am. As I write this out it's more like a PI post than a dental issues, maybe sometime down the line it will benefit someone else.
Anyway, some of the usual stuff; my teeth were never great as a child and teenager (very weak). Had some work done and avoided dentists after that, largely out of fear. Roll on my twenties and I really stopped looking after myself, in fact causing plenty of harm through a combination of alcoholism and depression => neglect. In my thirties now I've gotten clear of alcohol and depression is well managed through ongoing medication for several years now. However, the shame's still there. A good part of that is now the self-image that serves as reminder as well as the dental pain which flares from time to time (plus infections that cause headaches, pain along my jaw, up along my face which I attribute to my desperate dental health). So here's the crux of the post (finally, says you): I've 'teeth' which have broken down to the gumline and others which are cracked/crumbling. It's a horrific sight. Reading here has me at a rough sizing of ~ 6 surgical extractions which would I think be candidates for implants (missing/broken teeth would be combinations of pre-molars and molars top & bottom, left & right - I did say horrific, right). There's plenty more in the way of issues but these are the major ones *to me*. So here's the question time (I understand some questions just won't be possible to answer with any specificity, to a certain extent I'm after a mixture of reassurance/comfort/something to plan with):
- I'm going to need recommendations for a sensitive dentist/practice. Like I said I'm ashamed and humiliated with the state of my mouth so I need friendly. (I'm not looking to travel abroad, while cost will be a factor I don't need any convincing that treatment from suitably qualified people here is what's right for me). I'm Dublin based these days. I'm happy to hear from the dentists who freely and helpfully give advice and encouragement here on the forum if any would consider me as a patient.
- I'm not going to be able to borrow money to cover treatment (credit history isn't up to it) so I'll be looking at a payment plan. Ignoring some possible minor assistance via health insurance and tax breaks I've taken single implant costs of €1800-€3000 as a ballpark and concluded I could cover that over a 6 month period. Views on that are welcome.
- Following on from that I understand healing and bone/gum formation (excuse the ignorance) for implants generally take around 3-4 months and dentists like you to finish paying on the last consultation of a treatment, can I 'play' with that so it fits with the schedule I mentioned.
- Can I realistically break treatment out over a period of time like that rather than having to take say 'upper left' in one hit i.e. multiple implants/or other treatment?
That's kind of it for now, thanks if you got this far
Got a price in Carlow for €650 for titanium implant plus €350 for the crown €1000.00 all in and the clinic is highly recommended also they were lovely people to deal with. It's never as bad as you think .0 -
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helimachoptor wrote: »That is ridiculously cheap ( and not in a good way)
Its not, the dentists are hungarian the clinic is a year old and has a two week wait list. The guys were doing lots of tourism dentistry in Hungary so came to open <no names>got countless referrals before making an appointment. Pretty sure there is one in Wexford too check it out online.
They also have plans for a GP surgery in the same building and a beauticians.
I mentioned how cheap it was and the point blank answer was Irish dentists are too expensive.
Listen OP check one of them out, an initial consultation with xray cost just fifty euro and at the very least you will know what needs to be done.
Best of luck either way 0 -
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I appreciate your suggestion, I'm going to be quite conservative with this and so I'll be looking to longer established practices. Thanks for replying.Michael Weston wrote: »Its not, the dentists are hungarian the clinic is a year old and has a two week wait list. The guys were doing lots of tourism dentistry in Hungary so came to open <no names>got countless referrals before making an appointment. Pretty sure there is one in Wexford too check it out online.
They also have plans for a GP surgery in the same building and a beauticians.
I mentioned how cheap it was and the point blank answer was Irish dentists are too expensive.
Listen OP check one of them out, an initial consultation with xray cost just fifty euro and at the very least you will know what needs to be done.
Best of luck either way0 -
I couldn't look at another prosthodontisthelimachoptor wrote: »Op have a look up prosthodontists I'm somewhat overwhelmed with the list of dentists around; trying to check what they're qualified to do, what published fees include ("fully restored" and terms like that are still confusing) and so on and looking out for some of the things like before and afters with gums fully visible and well focussed (I think that's one of the suggested ways of evaluating) 0 -
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DrillThrills wrote: »I couldn't look at another prosthodontist I'm somewhat overwhelmed with the list of dentists around; trying to check what they're qualified to do, what published fees include ("fully restored" and terms like that are still confusing) and so on and looking out for some of the things like before and afters with gums fully visible and well focussed (I think that's one of the suggested ways of evaluating)
Sound like your doing to right things, use your common sense and you will find somebody good. To the guy with the 1000euro implant, the two week waiting list is because the dentist only comes once a week
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I was debating dropping you a PM to see if you could drop by this threadAda Fresh Poet wrote: »DrillThrills wrote: »I couldn't look at another prosthodontist I'm somewhat overwhelmed with the list of dentists around; trying to check what they're qualified to do, what published fees include ("fully restored" and terms like that are still confusing) and so on and looking out for some of the things like before and afters with gums fully visible and well focussed (I think that's one of the suggested ways of evaluating)
Sound like your doing to right things, use your common sense and you will find somebody good. To the guy with the 1000euro implant, the two week waiting list is because the dentist only comes once a week. I would appreciate if you could PM some recommendations (while it won't be lovely cash up front, my preference would be to be paying a 'boards dentist' - given the level of help provided on here) - I don't have a general dentist to get started with who could then refer me on for the specialist work. Ideally if I could deal with one dentist I'd find it easier. (feel free to recommend yourself if you want to btw) 0 -
Thanks for thatI was you nearly 4 years ago. Dreading going as I felt the dentist would never have seen a mouth like mine before. I am 4 years on after biting that bullet and will always have to have ongoing treatment but I was at dentist today to see hygienist and after having them cleaned dentist took a look at an ongoing problem I was having and a plan of action has been taken and I have no fear of what lies ahead.
Good luck to you and as others have said (they know better than I) get a good dentist on recommendation and just go do it. You'll feel great after. Just pick up the phone and good luck. I see you were treated in Castlerea so I'm out of luck for a recommendation there 0 -
Ada Fresh Poet wrote: »DrillThrills wrote: »I couldn't look at another prosthodontist I'm somewhat overwhelmed with the list of dentists around; trying to check what they're qualified to do, what published fees include ("fully restored" and terms like that are still confusing) and so on and looking out for some of the things like before and afters with gums fully visible and well focussed (I think that's one of the suggested ways of evaluating)
Sound like your doing to right things, use your common sense and you will find somebody good. To the guy with the 1000euro implant, the two week waiting list is because the dentist only comes once a week.
Really ? Without even knowing the dentists name or surgery you know this ? My first appointment was a Monday, had a friend going on the Wednesday and the Mrs went on the Friday. But it must have been people playing dress up or something. The surgery is open six days a week only closing Saturday and there's plans to open that day in the coming months.0 -
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Hi,
I realise reopening such an old thread may run afoul of guidelines but thought I would revisit - reading the stories of others helped me a lot. I self-referred to a prosthodontist in February this year (here in Dublin) after initially getting some PMs when I first posted this. This was prompted by an existing crown coming loose and circumstances being right to face up to the 'time to do this' prospect. Around the time I initially posted this I went through a rough patch as they say and lost my nerve to carry it through, the whole fear of the state of my mouth built up again.
Anyway, I'm happy to say that things have been going really well. First visit brought quite an 'oh ****' moment as the appointment kicked off with a full X-ray - all laid bare before getting comfortable (to an extent). Fortunately the doctor is incredibly nice and perfectly fitted the non-judgemental person I hoped for. Significant decay, impacted wisdom tooth with infection and quite a number of retained roots - which I've decided is a much nicer way to say broken and f'd up teeth . He outlined his approach (a treatment plan came in the post shortly after) which is currently in the first phase: stabilisation; basically deal with the above and improve my oral health. This involved lots of extractions, removing decay and fillings on a quadrant basis. We'll review the options for dealing with the missing teeth after stabilisation. More options than I expected and I'm quite relieved that my fears of having to get it all fixed within a short space of time were the fruit of self-diagnosing.
An oral surgeon took on all the extractions in one session under IV sedation. This really was a great way to do it and recovery was far easier than I expected: Not a significant amount of pain although my cheek was quite swollen for a couple of days after - I suspect I managed to bite my cheek at some point during or shortly after surgery. More unsightly than painful. Painless has been the theme of the overall treatment. Some sensitivity but
Since the gums healed up it's been filling fun, some larger than others. The prosthodontist has been doing these and puts huge effort in. Hadn't expected or appreciated the level of art/craftsmanship that so many dentists put into their work but the results are excellent.
As I talked about in my original post, depression has been a big impact on my life and while I've now found the treatment that works well for me (and led to the circumstances of actually committing this time) I've been surprised by the extent to which this treatment has also brought me on. I had figured the level I'd reached in the past year with the anti-depressant change about 18 months ago was kind of it but getting started on the dental treatment has lifted me up further again.
I realise I am fortunate that the current treatment is affordable for me and that I've found a clinic which has the people who understand their patients and have the talent to do excellent work. I would say to anyone in similar situations that I know fear is huge but my experience has been of relief and a lot of benefit to my health. The random headaches around my temples and pain along the nerves of my jaw and ear have stopped. I still need to get my discipline sorted on oral health, habits take time to change.0 -
So you are suggesting that removing decayed teeth have a anti depressive effect? :} well it might be, to be honest as there is a lot of blood going through the face and nerves and if they are damaged then the infection and bacteria spreads all around the system... 0
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No, sorry if what I posted mislead. What I was getting at was the emotional benefit I've received on top of the physical health improvement. While I've 'coped' with the issue and been aware that it was a source of unhappiness I'm surprised how much of an unburdening it is to be dealing with it. There are probably links between oral health and impacts on the brain but that's an area I'm ignorant of (might go off on a read)So you are suggesting that removing decayed teeth have a anti depressive effect? :} well it might be, to be honest as there is a lot of blood going through the face and nerves and if they are damaged then the infection and bacteria spreads all around the system...0 -
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