Dental Health

Well you may have to finance it. Talk to dentists, I told mine that I was dirt poor and paying cash, he charged me 1/4 of what he normally bills insurance...

Modified bass technique.

Floss, mouthwash, brush. Fluoridated toothpaste.

5-10 FULL seconds per tooth per side.

Don't consume ANYTHING for 30 minutes afterwards.

I actually visited a uni dentist back when I was on medicare. It was the only time I used that insurance too. Sadly they didn't really cover what I needed with that insurance though. I got some minor fillings done that weren't even visible to me, and thats about it. I had x-rays taken then too. This was a year ago now. I haven't qualified for that insurance since though now that I make more. I took what I could get then basically. I really liked the guy who was working on me, but hes graduated since and I was basically left without a real "plan" after that on where to go.

>If your teeth are rotting, getting a new brand of toothpaste won't fix that.
Yeah, I'm aware of that. But basically anything that will SLOW decay if possible, until I can get actual treatment.

>just snap off from its own decay?
This. I already had basically have a tooth in that spot, just lost the other half today. Really caught me off guard, which is what prompted me to make this thread again. I hadn't have any significant loss in quite some time.

>I had real shit teeth for a handful of years and it affected the real of my body's health to the point where I thought I had AIDS or even cancer.

Can you please elaborate on that? I'm honestly curious.

Its sad that it took me so long in life to really get in the habit of doing such a simple thing like caring for my teeth. But using something like music or a youtube video and just going while watching or listening has really helped me.

Did you have a visit planned in advance without insurance? I dont have a "relationship" with any dentist so I feel like it would be hard to do something like that, though maybe I'm over thinking it.

>Don't consume ANYTHING for 30 minutes afterwards.

This seems to be a common statement here. Something I also never considered to be honest except when going to bed.

That's for sure. Simple habits like this can really make a huge difference in the long run. Cheers user

>Can you please elaborate on that? I'm honestly curious.

Well maybe like 8 years ago I had a filling pop out of a tooth in the back of my mouth and I was like "oh I should probably get that fixed ASAP" and I ignored it like an asshole for 5 years because I guess I'm a little bit retarded.

I would like clean my tooth-hole with its own brush and always be like "no I'm totally going to the dentist tomorrow" and tomorrow never happened. I had a couple of instances where bits food like maybe a carrot or a nut would get firmly stuck in said tooth hole for like an hour while I tried to swish it out with hot water and poke at it with a toothpick. Another time I was eating McDs and clear felt a bit of tooth from another tooth just come loose but with no pain whatsoever.

Then one day I'm chewing on a piece of gum and heard a loud CRACK resonate through my fucking skull and also felt that crack through my entire body because it was a pretty bad pain - and the pain only got worse. The tooth had rotten so bad that it had cracked but was still hanging on. The pain was so bad I could sleep for three days until i crawled to my mommy like a toddler and ask for help.

I had that shitty tooth removed as well as my wisdom teeth which I didn't even know I had and which were also mostly rotting. I didn't get a replacement for that one tooth cause it's one tooth and it's in the back.

Anyways cause my bosy was constantly fighting this infection and decay in my tooth it fucked my my thyroid levels to the point where I was getting fat even though I was skinny all my life and my hair was flying out of my fucking head like I had just went swimming in the Chernobyl cooling towers. I was also constantly tired and always felt shitty, my eyes were always blood-shot and often had gunk in them. I fucked without a condom so I thought it was full-blown AIDS or some other funny disease. Got tested for everything but it was all negative.
>cont

when I got tested for sex diseases they also tested my blood for just about everything and saw that my thyroid levels were low, turns out it was caused by the tooth infection. 6 months later for another blood test and my levels were back to normal.

having rotting teeth can also really fuck up your heart and cardio vascular system like you're at a higher risk of getting aneurysms or heart attacks.

I think I have worse issues than that overall, but similar.
Its been a few years, but when I first felt that "crack" that you described was one of the only times I actually such an extreme amount of pain. I almost vomited. I had to power through work with it at the time because I was so ashamed too. I'm sure my co-workers knew something was wrong. I was moving insanely slow and barely spoke for the entire night. I actually asked if I could take a break because I wasn't feeling well and went to the nearest CVS to get something, anything to numb my mouth. It felt like that for a few days, but I've never felt a pain like that again. There was once or twice where I felt mild irritation, but it usually lasted a day at most. I'm honestly amazed I've never felt pain like that on a consistent basis.
That said I do worry about my health and the impact of my teeth on it. I rarely sleep, and but that is probably the only symptom I share with you and if I'm being honest I think thats my own doing rather than a health issue.. Maybe hair thinning, but I have fairly long hair for a guy, but I've never noticed like clumps of hair coming out, so maybe not.
I'm still really skinny despite eating like trash which I'm sure only exacerbates my tooth problem, but I'm trying to discipline myself on my diet next, which is proving to be the most difficult.

>having rotting teeth can also really fuck up your heart and cardio vascular system like you're at a higher risk of getting aneurysms or heart attacks.
Now that may make sense.
When I went to the uni-dentist for what little work they did, when they took my blood pressure they said it was slightly high. Nothing terrifying or anything but for being as skinny as I am, it was unusual.
Though I just assumed it was because I honestly eat so terribly.

I'm in a similar situation OP. My parents never forced good dental hygiene on me, let me drink soda/juice, and never took me to a dentist. Just getting myself to brush my teeth at least once a day, seriously it's two minutes of my time, has been a massive struggle. I never make it more than a week. It doesn't happen anymore but just having toothpaste in my mouth used to bring me close to vomiting. I also never made enough money to buy insurance so I'm on medicaid and any dentists that take medicaid are all in the shitty dangerous parts of town and the only one that wasn't only took patients 18 and under. I looked up local dentists and found one that had a new patient coupon (exam, cleaning, and xrays for $60) and went to them just to kind of see where my teeth were at. I forgot to mention that this visit was brought on by the fact that the bottom of one of my teeth had broken off. The doctor prescribed me some toothpaste with extra fluoride which I had to pay for out of pocket because they weren't part of the medicaid network. He went over a plan of action with me. It was about $10,000 worth of work before insurance. I went and got Delta Dental. It's $30 some dollars for their best plan per month for a single person and I decided that I could spare that as long as I budget better.

I haven't gotten any of that done yet because I had to wait a year before Delta will cover any significant work. My last appointment was in January and apparently I have two cavities that have gotten a bit closer to my roots. They recommend I get those fixed as soon as possible. Both fillings would cost me $170 after insurance but if I wait too long those filling become root canals and at least double in price. I lost my full time job though and am back to part time retail so it's going to be slow going.

I'm in a similar position.

I hadn't really noticed it, but it's really affected my mood. I've developed a lot more addictive behaviors since then, which I'm assuming was just sort of my subconscious way of dealing with the pain. I've also got very little focus or patience for a lot of things. Going and thoroughly cleaning my teeth helps me feel better for a while, and so does drinking cold things.

I have to wonder how long this has been effecting me. I mean, I've been depressed since I was just a kid, but it's not usually THIS bad.

Set up an appointment with a dentist inmediately
Even if you can't afford to fix your entire mouth you can afford one fucking visit and even one single radiography to know what the problem is
I lost 8 teeth in the past ten years and I just figured last year it's because a genetic condition where I clnch my teeth all night
It could have been so fucking easily avoided if I asked a dentist instead of just assuming I was being punished for not taking good care of them, also my dad is a fucking retard he is in his 50s, has the exact same problem and he didn't know, he just loved his entire life with fucked up teeth, do you want to be like my dad? Do you want to be like me?
I'm swear to God next time I lose one I'm fixing it with a fucking bullet

OP here. Will that 30$ a month dental cover things like extractions, implants, and root canals? I can't imagine honestly not having something permanent to take the place of whatever I lose. I don't want a receding jawline or anything, as I'm actually somewhat proud of my facial structure. I also love languages and not being able to accurately articulate another langue kinda scares me.

Are you living on your own, with parents, or room mate?
If you're on your own right now, I really feel for you, but know that it'll be worth it if you really budget and save.
Honestly, using youtube has REALLY helped me with brushing my teeth. I know not everyone really gives a fuck about stuff like that like I do, but when I'm going to brush my teeth, I search around for an interesting video to watch. At least a few minutes in length, but longer is fine. I grab a glass of water, get my brush and sit down. Click play and start brushing. Brush, spit into an empty cup and rinse with that water. Pause, bathroom for mouthwash. Return and watch some more while using mouthwash.
It seems stupid, but having something interesting to occupy me really helped me perform whats honestly a basic human function. I would recommend trying it or something similar.

I had a similar situation with my parents. My dad used to REALLY push dental health, my mother never did. I didn't have the best relationship with my dad and honestly hated brushing my teeth as a kid. So a mix of lazyness and spite.
That said, I dont really want to blame him or them or anything. It was my own choice. And even though I was a kid, I knew what was happening, I was just too short sighted to really see how this could impact me in the future. If it wasn't immediately visible, I apparently didn't care. But now I have to live and try to deal with the consequences.

I don't know fully how bad yours are, but just from the price point alone, I'd imagine something similar to mine. I never got a price estimate though.

>I lost 8 teeth in the past ten years
Wow man. I can't even imagine.
Its one of my major life goals this year to have major headway on my road to better dental health. I'll include you as part of my reason and motivation for doing so.

I wouldn't assume its all because of that, but I'm sure on some level it has been impacting you.

I've recently tried to turn my addictive behaviors into at least somewhat positives. Like using videos and stuff online while brush.

I hope you get some things sorted out man, hopefully this thread helps us both.

step one is admiting its your fault and step two is knowing you can do something about it
you want to know the best part?
i had two canals made by an absolute retard who fucked them up and then they had to remove then which is pulling the whole thing out
so technically i lost 10

>i had two canals made by an absolute retard who fucked them up and then they had to remove them.
This thought actually terrifies me. Especially considering uni-dentists are my first option right now because of price. A friend of mine had a similar situation. His teeth arent really bad or anything, but ended up having a tooth pulled needlessly because of it. I'm already worried of what they'd have to pull if everything progress smoothly and as perfectly as possible.

And yes, I fully recognize that its my fault. I fucking hate it, but thats the way it is. I just try to hide it from people the best I can. As far as I know, no one has noticed. Even my gf hasn't though Ive heavily neglected intimate kissing for a very long time now for that reason. I think it bothers her, but everything else is fine for us, so I just think she assumes I don't enjoy that much.

Has missing these impacted you socially, or your ability to eat by chance?

This is what I get but I live in Illinois. It might be different for wherever you live. I don't know if that's good but it seemed like the best option for the price out of the insurance I shopped for. Fortunately and unfortunately I live with my parents but most of my paycheck goes towards my student loans. I also pay for the food/toiletries/household supplies, help with the bills when I can, and whatever animal care I can for their pets. And I stress their pets because of my mother. It's always about more what she wants and less about whats best for the family. When I had to move back in with them I payed to get their male cats neutered so I could put a stop to the baby making. At that time they were sitting on 5 cats and she brought home 4 more over the next few years.

My teeth are tricky because as bad as they are I've probably had one tooth ache my entire life so it's easy to forget there was ever a problem. My teeth give me no trouble whatsoever. Not even that one that fell out. I don't know if I've just been lucky so far or what. I had a bit of trouble when one of my wisdom teeth moved and it kept rubbing up against my cheek tissue. I couldn't eat for three days but it sorted itself out. My initial care plan had the gum treatment, fillings, crowns, I think he wanted to pull a couple of them in addition to my wisdom teeth and said something about straightening. Some of them are a little crooked.

Besides getting insurance some dentists might offer a a care plan. It will reduce prices a little bit, not as good as insurance though, and you could also try to apply for care credit which is a kind of credit financing you can use to help pay for dental/veterinary costs/some other things to that I forget about.

Attached: delta.png (840x920, 65K)

Damn, I never see implants on nearly any insurance plan and I can't fathom dentures at my age, even a partial.

Otherwise though, that plan seems very good. I would really take advantage of that if I were you. How far into your first year are you before you can start getting major work done?

Sorry about the home life man. That really makes things rough. What would happen if you just quit paying for things that werent yours, like pets? I understand some living expenses must be made even when living with parents, but still that seems odd.

Speaking of, my student loans will be paid off in two months. I never finish but what I borrowed is almost paid back. Once I have that I'll most likely take the monthly payments I was making to that and just move it right over to a good dental plan.

im lucky in that i know how to cook so even if i was missing every single one i would still be able to eat delicious food
as in socially maybe but then again there are so many things impacting me socially i wouldnt be able to tell

I'm a massive introvert and have become much more so in recent months. I never used to be though. I think in part my dental health is why.

I pay for the pets because otherwise they wouldn't get anything but food/litter. We have two dogs as well. They have to have flea/tick preventatives because otherwise they bring fleas into the house and the cats get them. Buying flea shit for two animals is a lot less costly than 10. Knock off stuff you can get for less at places like Walmart but there are pretty bad stories of animals having bad reactions to them. They also have to have heartworm preventatives, which means they have to go the the vet once a year to get a test done because you can't get heartworm preventatives without a prescription. I usually get flea stuff every three months but the Heartgard is every six months. The dogs also have to be kept up on vaccinations since theyre exposed to the outside world. My last vet visit cost me $290 and that included the big dog's heatworm test, Heartgard for both dogs, and the exam/treatment I had to get a cat who was having some problems. Luckily my mother up and fucked off with some strange man last year so there will be no more cats brought into this house.

My first year starts pretty soon. Early April I remember because they told me that delta wouldn't cover the gum treatment until I hit my first year even though they would cover the fillings because it had been more than six months. I had thought it was March and they told me it was actually April. They want to do gum treatments first to help prevent infection because there will likely be bleeding with the fillings and whatever else they want to do. I haven't even payed of the interest on my loans yet. I just filed for an income based repayment because there was no way I was going to be able to make the payments on what I'm making now. I had an interview at target a couple weeks ago and if I had gotten that job I would have been better off but they said they'd call me at the end of the month(March) and they haven't yet so I'm assuming they don't want me.

I guess I'm somewhat blessed in my situation, because aside from plaque build up and decay, my dental visits told me nothing of any major gum issues.
Obviously not perfect but nothing regular dental care couldnt help fix.
When I lost the one today, I brushed right after just out of nervous habit and my gums in that area did bleed pretty bad. First time I'd seen that in a while and I kinda freaked, but there was no pain. Hopefully it doesn't happen when I brush again tonight.

I try to brush when I can. My gums only bleed if go a really long time without brushing and even then it usually doesn't happen the next time. Dentists say I have gingivitis though. We might have both been somewhat blessed because my mouth could be so much worse.

how far are you from Mexico? you could probably get the teeth pulled and replaced for a few hundred there and the dentists are as good as in the us , I live an hour from the border and lots of people go to Mexico to get dental work done. even if you live on the other side of the country it might be cheaper to get a plane ticket there and take a vacation at the same time.

also there are a lot of dentists that will accept monthly payments, call around explain your situation and ask

Very very far.
Im way north. I also would be weary of that, but then again I'm not familiar with stuff like crossing boarders for that.
Unless Canada offers similar things I doubt thats easier said than done for me.

I'll be sure to ask around for monthly payments though. Didn't think that was an option.

Silver diammine fluoride as a stop-gap until you can seriously address it. SDF won’t solve your problem, but it’s cheap and can arrest decay until you can get real help.

How does this work?
Is it over the counter?
I've seen that recommended once before.
Would it cause any issues once I actually get to the dentist?

dentist (SOON tm) here. you gotta get rid of those rotten teeth. post a pic if you want, im curious.

this. but brush->floss->mouthwash
Fluoridated toothpaste helps but is not necessary.

>Don't consume ANYTHING for 30 minutes afterwards.
what is this meme? i mean if you are going to eat 30 min later why would you brush your teeth?
also if you eat/drink lot of carbs (candy or soda) you have to wait 40 minutes before brushing your teeth. see stephan curve

I'll think about it, but honestly I'm really ashamed of them and kinda don't want to.

I do eat a lot of carbs. I've cut back on the Candy. I do drink a lot of Soda, but an equal amount if not more water than anything else.
That said, trying to cut back the soda as well.
I've never heard of waiting though before brushing after eating carbs though. Will definitely look into it though.

Any thoughts / opinions on the silver diamine fluoride thing?

Honestly just looking at my teeth again today makes me want to go to sleep to try and forget it. Maybe tomorrow if the threads still up after work.
Seeing the tooth behind the one I lost and realizing its actually cracked open, when I thought that one was for the most part fine has got me really depressed.

no need to be ashamed man, all i would see is a mouth. i didnt even finished the career and i almost saw everything, people with ALL their teeth rotten? yup.

you can still eat candy and drink soda but you have to brush your mouth perfectly. get some disclosing tablets, watch where the plaque is and then brush your teeth like you normally would and see where you are failing. try to do an O'Leary index by yourself (gogole it, shits easy)
but of course, sugar is shit so if you stop consuming it better for you.

>Any thoughts / opinions on the silver diamine fluoride thing?
thats just a preventive measure, slows or stops the cavitation process. doesnt repair whats damaged. only works before the cavity is formed.

you gotta address the issue, its only going to get worse over time.
i just wanted the pic to see how bad was the situation

Im in the same situation although I think your a worse position thought in terms of your teeth, I really want to whiten my teeth up and get them fixed in the right spots but everything is so fucking expensive

> doesnt repair whats damaged. only works before the cavity is formed.
Yeah. I know as I said though, the back lower half of my mouth is fucked. Like back 3 teeth on both left and right side. Like missing tooth fucked right now. I'm just trying to "slow decay" until I can get major work done.

I think I'm doing alright on reducing my sugars. Ive been slowly cutting back. I have a hard time going cold turkey because I love sweets, but definitely reducing it.

silver diamine fluoride will do jack shit for you on those teeth if they are already rotten. only way to "stop" the damage is to get em out.

Oh they definitely are. I just have no way to have the rot immediately removed.