Help - Dental Health Message Board

kimberlee3022 · 08-19-2006, 11:49 PM

I need help. I lost 200+lbs and I did not have good dental care as a child, I have in the past 10 years taken care of my teeth with dentists, But now I am disabled and can not afford to pay, I have looked around and not been able to find anyone that will help, I have tried using the medicade card, but found that the dentists were not very nice or very caring, I am also a human raw nerve when it comes to dentists, I want so much to look my best, I was well over 400 lbs and I lost over 200 lbs and I have a 12 yr old and a 3 yr old, I want to feel good about ME, The dentist that I was using used to allow payments and I always paid him off, But he no longer allows that, He said that to many other people were not paying.
I have already lost 9 teeth, all in the back, and now I have one that needs to come out, it is broken to the gum, another that needs filling and another that may need to come out it was built up and now it split where it was built and all I could do was superglue it back, until I can get some help and this one is right next to the front tooth, I can not eat anything that has form, it hurts to much, for me in a way it is a good thing, but one can handle mushy food for only so long. I can not go out with people seeing me this way, I was always hiding behind the doors, I want to be out in front, But I just can not seem to win, I need freedom, to come out and it always seems something blocks me.
Is there any place that can help me, I am tired of being in hiding, I want to shed this cocoon and be free to be me. Please
Thank you
Kimberlee

Thelma-Louise · 08-20-2006, 07:28 PM

Are there any dental schools or universities in your area? They tend to be more affordable. Also, not sure if this would help given your financial situation, but Capital One offers a 12 month 0% financing on health & dental payments.

hypatia · 08-20-2006, 08:02 PM

You deserve a medal for losing all that weight, Kimberlee! If you can find a dentist that will accept Medicaid, I wouldn't care what he/she thought. They are obligated to provide the best care possible. In some areas, dentists donate time for those unable to pay. You might check with your local Health Department or Social Services to see if they have suggestions.

There was a time when I couldn't afford dental care either, so I know where you're coming from.

gossamerfairy · 08-22-2006, 08:25 AM

During the past two weeks, I have had all four wisdom teeth out and a root canal (temp. crown put on). Now, I have insurance, but I was supposed to wait until my 12-month waiting period for major work was up in March 2007. But there was no way for me to wait, because all of my wisdom teeth had been decaying and they had started to hurt so bad I couldn't stand it. And the cavity I had that needed a root canal and cap, my dentist told me I couldn't wait on it, as it would have been so decayed that they could not save it. So needless to say, all this has been very expensive. BUT my dentist has this plan called CareCredit through GE Money Bank. It's a credit card for dental work (12 months no interest). You have to be pre-approved through the dentist; and I was approved for a few thousand (enough to cover my painful problems). It's just like having the work done and paying for it later. I may be paying it off for the rest of my life (I'm 23, and not at a good job at the moment), but at least I'm not in pain and I have no rotten teeth in my mouth anymore. Maybe you could call around and see if any of the dentists in your area does this type of thing for their patients. Had I not known about it, I would have to be in pain for another 6 months and possibly snaggletoothed by the time my insurance would have covered the work.