YAY!

I havent been to the dentist since I got my braces off 20 years ago....except when I had a tooth pulled about 6 years ago...one of my wisdoms caused problems with that tooth and i was in A LOT of pain--faces swolled and everything. blah!

I do need to get my wisdoms out though bc they've been achey--they dont HURT, but some times there is just a dull ache in any one of them.

i'm such a baby though, i probly wont go til i HAVE to and by the I'll be super embarrassed about it.

I think if i had had dental insurance i probably would have gone more often.

daisy wrote:

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so glad you liked it!  and i'm really glad youre getting everything taken care of. it's so easy to put off the dentist.  wtg!

 

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All during the cleaning yesterday I kept thinking, "If Kelly can like, I can like it." over and over. And I prayed and I cursed in my head b/c it hurt.

Then when she was hanging out over my head and I could see the instrument when she was scraping away tartar and such I wanted to freak and run b/c it looked like some sort of torture device.

 

Over all, not so bad. Looking forward to the rest.

 

What really helps is since DH has lost his job we all qualified for Medicaid- us grown folks until he gets a new job so this is all done at no cost to us. At first I felt very bad about it but I thought that its not like I live off the system and do this all the time. Otherwise I'd never be able to afford this.

-- Edited by Jennie on Thursday 10th of December 2009 12:00:21 PM

I'm so jealous. I haven't been to the dentist since I was 10 and I can really feel it. I'm in pain when I eat most of the time now. But money and time to go are in short supply and will be for many years to come.

Juni wrote:

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LDSMOM wrote:

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I'm so jealous. I haven't been to the dentist since I was 10 and I can really feel it. I'm in pain when I eat most of the time now. But money and time to go are in short supply and will be for many years to come.

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I know it's easy for me to say this but you really should try and go before it gets so bad. I look at is as car maintenance - you try and do the cleanings and prevent damage before having to do a bunch of root canals and stuff like that. Especially if you are having pain when you eat you really should try to fit into the budget a visit to the dentist.

A lot of dentist here have deals where the first visit is a dollar and they do a cleaning and x-rays that kind of stuff. Might be worth it to check out.

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Yeah, I know (and it's already bad and has been for a few years), but it's not easy to find time during the day to go.  Especially, child-free day time.  That almost never happens.  As for money, it seems things come up the instant we get something saved.  Other things end up more critical so it's easy to put off.  At least having my teeth hurt is keeping me from the junk food somewhat.

LDSMOM wrote:

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I'm so jealous. I haven't been to the dentist since I was 10 and I can really feel it. I'm in pain when I eat most of the time now. But money and time to go are in short supply and will be for many years to come.

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Sorry to t/j. jennie. Alaina, I know it is hard to find someone to watch your children, but it is very important to get them looked at. It is not just the teeth. It can affect your heart and other things.

Do you have a dental school around? I know they do it for next to nothing. I take it you have no dental insurance? Have any of the kids ever been.

CoffeeQueen wrote:

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LDSMOM wrote:

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I'm so jealous. I haven't been to the dentist since I was 10 and I can really feel it. I'm in pain when I eat most of the time now. But money and time to go are in short supply and will be for many years to come.

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Sorry to t/j. jennie. Alaina, I know it is hard to find someone to watch your children, but it is very important to get them looked at. It is not just the teeth. It can affect your heart and other things.

Do you have a dental school around? I know they do it for next to nothing. I take it you have no dental insurance? Have any of the kids ever been.

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No, no dental school.  I took my kids to the clinic one time that's connected to the WIC office.  Three of the 5 refused to let them do anything.  The other two had good teeth then.

It's not just finding someone to watch my kids, it's also finding the time to go.  Usually I have an hour or so in the afternoons most days of the week when I can go run errands or have some time to go.  It's not nearly enough time for what I need done.  Summers are better because I don't have school things to do, but they're still very busy.

I do have dental insurance now, but no time to use it.  Also, for the 3 months or so around Christmas I have no money even for co-pays.  Everything has to wait until February at the earliest.  Even then, I have a million places where that money needs to go.  House repairs, car repairs, school supplies, etc.  In the meantime I hope and pray nothing goes horribly wrong because it would have to stay that way for a while or not get paid for.

 

Sara wrote:

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LDSMOM wrote:

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CoffeeQueen wrote:

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LDSMOM wrote:

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I'm so jealous. I haven't been to the dentist since I was 10 and I can really feel it. I'm in pain when I eat most of the time now. But money and time to go are in short supply and will be for many years to come.

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Sorry to t/j. jennie. Alaina, I know it is hard to find someone to watch your children, but it is very important to get them looked at. It is not just the teeth. It can affect your heart and other things.

Do you have a dental school around? I know they do it for next to nothing. I take it you have no dental insurance? Have any of the kids ever been.

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No, no dental school.  I took my kids to the clinic one time that's connected to the WIC office.  Three of the 5 refused to let them do anything.  The other two had good teeth then.

It's not just finding someone to watch my kids, it's also finding the time to go.  Usually I have an hour or so in the afternoons most days of the week when I can go run errands or have some time to go.  It's not nearly enough time for what I need done.  Summers are better because I don't have school things to do, but they're still very busy.

I do have dental insurance now, but no time to use it.  Also, for the 3 months or so around Christmas I have no money even for co-pays.  Everything has to wait until February at the earliest.  Even then, I have a million places where that money needs to go.  House repairs, car repairs, school supplies, etc.  In the meantime I hope and pray nothing goes horribly wrong because it would have to stay that way for a while or not get paid for.

 

 

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as someone who has been paying for some things even with good dental insurance coverage for john all due to his mother not taking him to the dentist when he was young.

please, at least take your children!

there is a lot of anger with john due to now having to get all of this done and it was not his fault because as a child how can you make your mom do that. 

sorry, if that comes of mean, i really do not intend it that way.

 

 

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I agree with Sara.

I walked out of the dentist on Tuesday just so angry. I said to the assistant that I almost wish that I didn't have the Medicaid so I could bill this to my parents b/c if they had done their part and not hid behind excuse after excuse- and I know in your case it isn't excuses- then I wouldn't be in this situation- I have to have 12 fillings and my wisdom teeth pulled- one of which already is breaking apart b/c of decay. If they had been taken care of 10 years ago when they first started causing me problems it wouldn't be an issue now. Its going to take a very long time to get this right.
Not only that but it took over an hour to get the cleaning done and it hurt b/c there was twenty something years worth of tartar and plague build-up on my teeth. Yuck!
I feel Sara's husband's anguish!!


If there isn't a dental school nearby- is there a community college close by that has a dental hygienist program where you can get cleanings? Our's does them for $17! And the dentist I go to is Medicaid only and after January will start accepting private insurance and self-pay and all the self-pay will be at the Medicaid rates! So even after I lose my insurance I can still go every six months for my cleanings b/c I won't pay $100 every 6 months for a cleaning! Its worth it! I already feel so much better. And I understand the pain. I'm in pain now b/c of the wisdom teeth and I have been for over 2 weeks.

I understand the money angle, Alaina. It sucks. And I can't imagine with as many children as you have that you have much in the way of financial resources left. But do you qualify for any kind of assistance in that effect?

 

One more thing and then I will zip it.

some debt in life is worth it.

I am still paying off 2,000 from my last dental trip and it sucks, but such is life. to me it is worth it if you can only afford 5 bucks a month then so be it. This is one of the things were people are talking about wanting health care, but there is some self responsibility involved in this.

Sara wrote:

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LDSMOM wrote:

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No, no dental school.  I took my kids to the clinic one time that's connected to the WIC office.  Three of the 5 refused to let them do anything.  The other two had good teeth then.

It's not just finding someone to watch my kids, it's also finding the time to go.  Usually I have an hour or so in the afternoons most days of the week when I can go run errands or have some time to go.  It's not nearly enough time for what I need done.  Summers are better because I don't have school things to do, but they're still very busy.

I do have dental insurance now, but no time to use it.  Also, for the 3 months or so around Christmas I have no money even for co-pays.  Everything has to wait until February at the earliest.  Even then, I have a million places where that money needs to go.  House repairs, car repairs, school supplies, etc.  In the meantime I hope and pray nothing goes horribly wrong because it would have to stay that way for a while or not get paid for.

 

 

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as someone who has been paying for some things even with good dental insurance coverage for john all due to his mother not taking him to the dentist when he was young.

please, at least take your children!

there is a lot of anger with john due to now having to get all of this done and it was not his fault because as a child how can you make your mom do that. 

sorry, if that comes of mean, i really do not intend it that way.

 

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I understand your point of view.  I only went to the dentist twice when I was little so I have those same issues, but I'm not angry about it.  I know why my parents didn't take me.  They had even worse money issues than I do and even less time.