i am new to this site. i found it last week when i was suffering from an abcess and looking for alternate means of relief. i am in need of major dental work ( 1extraction , 2 root canal, 4 fillings and alot of bonding). my problem is that i have limited funds and no dental insurance. i am afraid of the dentist but i am more afraid of losing my teeth.i live in maryland and i am wondering if anyone knows of creative ideas for getting this work done.im 30 yrs old and deathly afraid of losing my teeth. any suggestions would be great. thanks

Join the club. I have health insurance but $1500 doesn't cover much (one root canal and maybe a filling?)

But I need full mouth reconstruction and most dentists I've seen want me to "just" pull them all out (they say it so arbitrarily like it's no big deal).

Good luck.

Have you looked into any dental schools? The work takes longer to complete, but can be a lot cheaper.

Prices can vary from dentist to dentist, and it is often worth the minor expense of a second opinion rather than to spend money on unneeded dental work.

There are dentists who will work with payments when you don't have insurance. There are also financing companies that will finance dental work.

Don't feel too bad about the lack of insurance. They are so good at limiting what they pay for a denying claims that you are often just as well of without it.

The "Dental Fee Plan" is a program designed to allow monthly payments on the treatment you need. We have a lot of patients in our office who have used this, and they have nothing but good things to say.

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[This message has been edited by Well-come (edited 02-19-2003).]

Hi Nic http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wave.gif

Someone already suggested checking into dental schools. I personally have had work done at the Dental School at West Virginia University in Morgantown. They did excellent work for a fraction of the cost of "regular" dentists. Plus you are assured of them using up-to-date techniques and materials. I was lucky enough to be assigned the top student in the school and the work he did 20 years ago is still in place and giving me no trouble. Can't say that about any other dental work I've had done! http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

If you lived in western MD instead of eastern MD then WVU Dental School would be a good option for you. But you live too far so I recommend you check your area for dental schools.

Good luck and God bless http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/angel.gif

Kim

[This message has been edited by kvanrijn (edited 02-22-2003).]

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[This message has been edited by Well-come (edited 02-25-2003).]