I was anorexic when I was younger, and on top of that, Pregnant w/1st child. All my body's nutrients came from my teeth. Therefore, I do not smile. I have no insurance and cannot afford all the work that needs to be done. My credit is totally ruined as well. It's gonna take several thousand dollars to have my teeth looking better. I have constant absesses, and stay in pain. All my teeth have cavities that need to be filled or root canal work that needs to be done. I cant even smile b/c I look like I haven't brushed my teeth in years. Does anyone know how I can get this done at little or no cost? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanx

I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that you can go through dental schools and have the students work on your teeth for a fraction of the cost. I would assume this is under supervision by a certified dentist. It may be worth looking into. Best of luck.

I had a friend who did that.. he had to travel about an hour and a half to the school but got his dental work done at a good price.

you should definitly look into the dental school thing. its kind of a pain in the *** but its a lot cheaper than going to a dentist office. are you in school? if you are you could try to take out a student loan and use that, althought it will still have to be paid back. you could also try and set up a payment plan with the dentist so that you can pay so much a month. I got a bridge and I ended up having to put 1300 down and then pay 215 a month for 6 months. I had to charge the 1300 though, and i see that is not an option for you. sometimes being in debt for a while is worth getting your teeth fixed. if your life is unhappy and your smile is very unattractive then you might have to owe money for a little bit, but in the end it will be worth it. good luck!

Hi! this is to clarify your thought that all nutrients for the baby came thru teeth is a myth. body does not lose nutreints through teeth.

what if there are no dental schools in your area. I heard somewhere that businesses or some kind of group or organiztions will give you the money as "charity" in order to keep there business in a certain tax bracket. Have you heard anything about that?

If that fails than I would suggest either trying..

1) Community Dental Clinic - they are cheaper than private practice dentists.
2) Social Services - They should be able to direct you towards someone who meets your needs and finanical situation. (I was given a ton of referrals through them)
3) Charties - Look in phone book yellow pages under social -- there should be some #'s for you to call.

Trust I am in same boat with you I however do have a University Dental Clinic - the waiting list is obsurd. To even get an appointment to with them to estimate what needs to be done is 3 months out. I will be making more calls as a back up.

I know for a fact that dental schools are cheaper. I live in NJ near Rutgers University of Medicine and Denistry and I looked into them for an implant. I haven't had the work done yet but they were half the price

i checked around and the only dental school around is one for children 0-12. I will check out the yellow pages though. I am assuming that the work through dental clinics and schools are just as good as a private dentist? I mean, as far as wanting to make sure their work looks good and you are not in pain or anything. I guess i watch too much tv and see all these horror stories about how no pain meds were given and they got all these silver crowns on their front teeth. Thanks for the input though. I'll keep looking

It is so sad that only in America we have to deal with these issuses. I have written to congress myself about this situation before. Something has to be done. Dental should not be a luxary for the rich. I myself am in the same situation. As a child i never seen a dentist because my mother was single raising 6 children by herself and now i am paying the piper. I just recently cashed in my 401k in order to pay for everything that i need. which includes an extraction, bridge, 2 root canals, crowns, and fillings. I am 35 and no longer have a 401k, but i could not live with the pain anymore. I have just finished my degree and want a good job. It is impossible to get a good job w/ missing teeth no matter what your degree is. The dental bill was over 5,000.00$. We need to let our congress know that maybe some of our taxes should go towards medical and dental for adults, or maybe to a do what some of our sister countries do for there ppl and make it more affordable or even free.

see msterios619 post about needeing help-lots of good info there! Huh, msterio, ha ha! Already been around the block, huh?? ha ha!