Who like the Dentist? Cure for pain is get a estimate of cost.

[Rob45]

Hi, You wouldn't believe what stops pain when I went to the Dentist. I had been having bad pains in my teeth till I saw the estimate for the dental work. He wanted 8,000 dollars which made my pain go away. I had another dentist that wanted 30,000 dollars to fix 20 teeth. Which instead some where pulled because I went to oral surgeon and he said the teeth cann't be fixed because of the damage of past filling. All I can say give me dentures any day over pain with real teeth. When I was in my teens I had 20 of my teeth filled with fillings.

Rob

 

[MikePA]

When you were in your teens, did you go to the dentist regularly?

Do you see a dentist regularly as an adult?

Fillings don't damage teeth, they repair existing and prevent further damage.

And 'dentures can hurt, too', actually they can cause pain in the gums.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

20 fillings as a teen? WOW! I'm 60 and just got my 3rd filling EVER. Sounds to me like the problem is your teeth and not the dentist or dental repairs done previously. Not intended as an insult. Certain people just have more issues with their teeth.

Both my parents grew up dirt poor and had no dental care until it was too late. Both had full dentures by age 45. Both complained CONSTANTLY about the hardships of wearing dentures. Both would have given their right arms to have had "real teeth" again from all they told me.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I didn't go to the dentist for a while because I couldn't afford to. Once I finally could afford insurance I went and found out that my teeth were in decent shape but I had a lot of bone loss at the gum line (I can't remember the actual wording). Anyway, I need to have my teeth professionally cleaned every 3 months to help minimize further bone loss.

One thing that should never be neglected is your teeth but I understand how easy it is to push things back because of the cost of some of these visits. I wish you the best with your teeth problems but I would rather keep my real teeth for as long as possible.

 

[Rob45]

One reason for bad teeth when I was a kid was I was born with soft teeth the dentist said and both parents of mine had dentures in their 40's. I had regularly went to the dentist more as a kid then now. I know three people that have no teeth at all and it's because of never going to the dentist. One was only in his early 30's with no teeth only dentures now. Give me dentures over pain anyday. Dentures have come alone way with making them flex like rubber or plastic instead of hard easy to break type. My cousin had all his teeth pulled so he could have this new type of dentures and he had them done in his 40's. He can afford fixing his real teeth but he said it's a waste of money.


Rob

 

[MikePA]

He can afford fixing his real teeth but he said it's a waste of money.

Wow. In your cousin's situation, I guess it was. However, that's hardly typical and it's way far away from being good advice. Frankly, I'm surprised he could find a reputable dentist to perform such a procedure, unless your cousin had let his teeth get so far gone there wasn't a choice.

BTW, people do not have hard and soft teeth. That's just another old wives tale. Except for some rare hereditary tooth enamel conditions, there is no such thing as "soft teeth". Bacteria digest small bits of food that are on and between teeth. This digestion creates acid. Acid eats enamel and if it goes on long enough a cavity appears. Hence the advice dentists have been giving forever. Brush, floss and checkups twice a year.

To not get regular checkups then complain about dental problems is like not maintaining your tractor then complaining when it breaks down.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

To not get regular checkups then complain about dental problems is like not maintaining your tractor then complaining when it breaks down.

Thats one way to keep this related to tractors

 

[Mith]

I had my 2 front teeth smashed out probably 5 years ago (which BTW was very painful). Got 2 nice fake ones there now. They look real, and arent cheap. Something that the dentist stressed repeatedly is that they havent yet made anything as good as real teeth, and these arent nearly as strong.
Trust me, you want your real teeth!

 

[Rob45]

My cousin is 3/4 american indian and he's 60 years old. When people reach a old age it's a big waste of money to have 1200.00 for each tooth to have root canals done he said.

Rob.

 

[Bird]

Dentists' prices vary considerably, as with many other things. I have the most crooked teeth in my family, and when I was 17, I went to see an orthodontist about braces. My parents would have managed to pay for it, but when I found out that it would amount to over 2 months salary, I declined. In the first place, I figured it was just too expensive and in the second place, I had at least a dozen fillings, so I figured I'd probably have false teeth before I got very old. Well, you know how those things go. Each of my two younger brothers went into the Air Force right out of high school for 4 years and before that 4 years was up and they were 22 years old, they both had false teeth. I'm 67 and still have my natural teeth.

My wife had had root canals on her upper front teeth before I met her (before she was 21), but in 1969, she had to have those 4 teeth pulled and a bridge made. The first dentist wanted over $700 (which was more than a month's salary for me back then, and we had no dental insurance), but friends told us of a dentist that he had gone to high school with, and sure enough, he said he'd do a job he thought she'd like for less than $200 (not a discount; just his regular price). That bridge was good until she had a new one made in 2004; 35 years later. Of course, in 2004 we had dental insurance, and our co-pay was $600.

And Rob, I'm like your cousin. If mine get bad, I'll just have them pulled.