~~~all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth~~~
A good molar would suffice . . .
Lost the filling in a really bad back tooth . . .to say I have 'bad' teeth is a total understatement . . . now it's gettin' abcessed . . .UGH.
There is so little left of it, it will have to be removed by the oral surgeon . . . cost for this procedure: 1st visit & x-ray, a 2nd visit to actually get the tooth out, then a 3rd visit to remove stitches: a grand total of just under $500 . . .
I hope he needs a new sign . . .
By the way, when one tooth hurts why do ALL the teeth on that whole side hurt??
Posted by Jill Marie Welsh (Member # 1912) on :
I still owe my dentist $400 from a crown and 2 fillings 18 months ago. My total bill was $1200, and I've been paying in dibs and dabs ever since. By the time that gets paid, I'm sure another molar will crack. My teeth might look nice, but they are quite fragile. Not enuff milk as a kid and too much Pepsi. No more hard pretzels or French burnt peanuts for this gal. I do try to take care of my teeth tho. When mine abcessed, the upper tooth directly over it hurt? Love....Jill
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
You forgot the bill for the meds...antibiotic for the abcess, and the usual pain pills...could be m0re like $650. I also have been plagued with tooth problems all my life...I hate having to deal with it...good luck. You may be eating chicken soup instead of Christmas cookies this year !
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
I feel for ya. Like Jeff, I've suffered from teeth problems all my life. Had to get upper dentures a few years back. Still have some problems with the lowers.
One good thing about dentures though. I had one tooth come loose. Took the dentures and the tooth in a ziploc to the dentist. Twenty minutes later they were fixed, $45 and didn't hurt a bit Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
I just got recommendations for 3 crowns at my last cleaning (actually he told me this a year ago, but my wife had more urgent dental needs, so I said I'd wait on mine.
This time, when they asked if I would go ahead & schedule the appointment, I said sure.. but between, choosing gold, or porclean... or doing the 2 on one side first, or the 1 on the other side first... I said I needed to "sleep on it" to make a decision
that was 3 weeks ago
so thanks for reminding me. NOT!
[ December 15, 2005, 05:09 PM: Message edited by: Doug Allan ]
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
Sheila...it's called "referred pain."
quote: Sometimes pain felt in one area of the body does not accurately represent where the problem is, because the pain is referred there from another area. Pain can be referred because signals from several areas of the body often travel through the same nerve pathways going to the spinal cord and brain.
That sucks that you hurt and it's going to cost you money on top of it.
Feel better.
[ December 15, 2005, 05:13 PM: Message edited by: Kimberly Zanetti ]
Posted by jake snow (Member # 5889) on :
Sheila I feel your pain hun..well not your pain cause that would be kinda wierd. Been there Bla bla.....I got a good one in the back of the mouth that was supposed to be down last year at this time. Know I get to look forward to my SECOND root canel Posted by Steve Shortreed (Member # 436) on :
What exactly is a teeth problem?
Posted by Roy Frisby (Member # 736) on :
Gees , I would hate to meet that in the dark!
Posted by Ryan Long (Member # 5881) on :
LOL Steve...I have a set of those too. Always funny to pop 'em in when someone is least expecting it and have them turn around and see a grin like that.
On the dental procedure topic, I've been through it all. Had braces and a torturous nighttime headgear-type appliance in junior high to straighten my teeth and try to correct my underbite. The braces straightened my teeth up nicely but no matter how much I wore that awful headgear (actually a "reverse facial mask" or something), my underbite wouldn't do much. Plus, it gave me awful pain to wear, as it basically pulled my upper teeth all forward.
Fast forward to my 4th year in college. Braces were long gone, but I always hated my underbite. Did a lot of web research and found out about some surgeries that could help. Found a surgeon in the area and visited, ended up with braces again to prepare and planned a date for surgery.
The day came and under the knife I went. Had my lower jaw sawed and chiseled completely in two, then they removed some bone and put it in its new location (7mm back). All this was done from inside my mouth except for two tiny little incisions, one on each cheek. The reason for this little cut? So they could poke a screwdriver through it and screw in the 3 titanium screws per side that held my jaw in its new location while it healed. Those screws, if you're curious, cost $100. Each.
Stayed overnight in the hospital, next day the doc gave me a script for TWELVE Vicodin, told me not to chew for 7 weeks, and I hit the road.
Those pills obviously didn't last long, but luckily my dad is on many painkillers long-term following a bad car wreck and had plenty to spare.
When all was said and done I was left with a textbook-perfect bite. Only lost about 10 pounds because I drank so many Boost/Ensures (old people nutrition drinks) and shakes with Boost, milk, and ice cream. Lots of mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese (you don't HAVE to chew it), etc. Did it before I graduated college so I was covered under my mom's insurance policy. Total cost was over $20 grand but insurance paid 80%. It's considered a medical procedure and not a cosmetic one because it corrects bite/jaw function and took away the source of my TMJ symptoms.
Oh, and all this was less than a week before Christmas. Couldn't eat all that good food, only mashed potatoes Before and after X-rays...
[ December 15, 2005, 08:32 PM: Message edited by: Ryan Long ]
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
gee Ryan . . . & Steve . . . Somehow, I don't feel so bad anymore . . .
Posted by Ryan Long (Member # 5881) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sheila Ferrell: Somehow, I don't feel so bad anymore . . .
...Mission Accomplished! Posted by Kathy Joiner (Member # 1814) on :
Sorry about the pain in your mouth & pocketbook! Hope you feel better soon.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
1981, went to a dentist. he did the complete exam, came back to me and said we can fix all them upper teeth with..da da da da. and it will cost you $1200. i asked hin how long that $1200 worth of work would last ...he said maybe 5 years. i had $100 in my pocket and had 9-10 in the upper part of my mouth..i said PULL EM ALL!!!! didnt tell the dentist i hada freind who made dentures. a week befor the dentist appointment i had an impression taken. the next day after i had all the extraction, i went and picked up my upper plate with porcilin teeth for $225. best thing i ever did. couple years later i had the all of the bottoms pulled except 2, one i tooth and the one next to it had a partial made for $150 and iam still wearin both!!!! ive lost the 2 real teeth and now have a hole where they were. had to grind off the stainless steel hook that held the bottom plate to the real teeth. best thing i ever done....was told in 1965 by a military dentist that i would not have a tooth in my head by the time i was 30...i lost my last tooth at 58..i saved it!!!!!!!!!! hehehehehehehe iam about due for a new set.....
Posted by Carl Wood (Member # 1223) on :
Sheila - that sounds about right on price - only because the Oral Surgeon is involved -I would make sure he or she is Board Certified in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery afore I let 'em go to cuttin in my mouth - that's whut your'e paying for. . . I know it still suks to be hit with unexpected expenses this time of year; had to drop $640 last week myself for a clutch job for work truck - that really hurt as I thought it was just leaking a littly fluid from the line (a $40 repair) Good news is I almost got the Orthodontist paid off for my oldest daughters braces - yea, I did sell him a new storefront sign it was a small one (abought 18x44)white vinyl on black .080 Aluminum& only bropught about $230 as I recall - barely a dent against whut he charged for her braces! When Meliss got a peek at the bill she remarked - dad, I wanna be a Dentist when I grow up!!!!
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
Hey OP, Here's a story my dad often told when the subject of teeth came up:
While in the Airforce, Stationed in Greece, my dad had ALL his teeth pulled at one time. He was told to come back in a few weeks after his mouth healed, to get the impression for his new set of teeth. He went back to the dentist within a few days, much sooner than the appointment. The dentist was absolutely amazed at how good his gums looked after having so many teeth pulled and asked him how in the world had he healed so fast.
Dad had healed his mouth quickly by spending a few days off at the beach, lounging around in, and continously rinsing his mouth with the VERY salty ocean! (Much more salty than the Gulf)
He then got his new teeth which he used for the next 50 years. The plates were made of solid silver. I'm not sure what the teeth are made of . . . but I still have 'em if you want me to go look . . . . .
lolol . . . .
One more teefy story:
One of my dad's brothers was a logger in Mississippi, around Columbia. He was wenching one of the huge chains around the load, when something broke loose. It shot upward, popping him in the mouth, driving 4 or 5 of his front teeth into his nostrils . . . You'd never know it to look at him, that his teeth were one imbedded in his nose like that . . . except when he smiles . . . he has no front teeth . . .
So... all you . . . yankees . . . who make fun of teef'less rednecks . . . you ort to know, they prolly had'a loggin' accident, an' it AIN'T funny . . . .
lolololol
I'm off to the dentist. they are seein' me at 8am!!
PS: Carl, Dr.Henry is one of the best oral suregons in world. He has cut out 3 or 4 teeth for me. I was surprised when the nurse looked up my records . . . I have'nt been there since 1983!!
Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
Well I had my first tooth removed by an oral surgeon two months ago. It was a back molar that I'd already invested $2k in over the years on root canals. This time I cracked the root and the tooth had to be extracted. The plus side is that the Dr. will put you under which is something I always enjoy. As far as the pain there wasnt all that much after taking the pain killers. Twelve years ago I broke my back and that was some serious pain. Makes the oral surgery look like a walk in the park.
I think I spent about $650.00 on mine with the drugs included. Its driving me nuts having a tooth missing and now the best price I can find for an implant is about $3k. So it looks like I wont be getting any toys for Christmas this year.
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Those prices seem awfully high. Our dentist did root canal surgery on me about five years ago, and I had an absess there too, for just under $300, and four? visits altogether. He charges about $75 to pull a tooth, and I've had a few of them done, as that was the cheapest option considering some had broken off at gum level, thanks to an incompetent govt dentist in the 1980s drilling most of my teeth away from both sides to put some fillings in...
We do have medical insurance, so a tooth extraction costs me about $17 or so of that $75. You're in, anaesthetised, & tooth out & you're out in about 12 minutes & he's the most painless I've ever found (and no, he's never wanted a sign, he's trying to retire but his patients wpn't let him!)
Hope all goes well, Sheila!
Posted by Bobbie Rochow (Member # 3341) on :
I have had a partial for years, & once while I was catching papers off a printing press, & chewing licorice, 2 of my teeth popped off the plate! yep, laid them behind me on a bench & kept on catching them papers!
Posted by Donald Thompson (Member # 3726) on :
I wish I knew how to post pictures. My five year old daughter lost both of her front teeth about two weeks ago. She is the cutest thing with that big gap in the front of her face.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[I Don t Know]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Bash]](graemlins/bash.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
He has cut out 3 or 4 teeth for me.