Re: Humiliation with Dentistry & Seeking help.

From: Adenosine (adeno_at_nospam4u.org)
Date: 10/15/04 

Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 17:00:47 GMT

First off, let me say: I am not a dentist! Take my advice with a grain
of salt.

Losing your teeth at such an early age seems like a tradegy to me. Do
you know if you have any dental schools around where you live? I know
some people on the internet who have gone to dental schools to get the
work they needed done, and they got it done at a very reduced cost.

As far as the creation of the dentures go, I understand that the
process is that first the teeth are extracted then an immediate
denture made. Then, after the gums have healed a bit, you go back in
to make a more final version of the denture. I'm not sure about the
timeline, but AFAIK at no time will you be without something that
looks like teeth.

Cost varies greatly. Some dentists get 10k for their dentures. I know
there is a denture clinic around where I live that will do a set for
about 500 bux.

As far as other people -- why tell them anything about your teeth!? If
you get them fixed, and they look good, it's not their business how
you've had your teeth fixed! Why should it matter if you have a full
upper and lower denture, or if you placed 28 implants with single
crowns? What matters is how YOU feel about whatever has been done to
restore the functionality and beauty of your teeth.

Hope this helps,
Adenosine

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 16:40:08 GMT, Witheld <Witheld@yahoo.com> wrote:

>Well, since this is the first post, I think it's necessary for me to
>post information from the past, so here's all that I can say. This blog
>will be dedicated to me telling you guys about how my lack of dental
>hygeine has led to a bad case of depression, lack of confidence, and
>even a bitterness towards society for my own mistakes. Before I get
>started though, I want to say that i'm not blaming this on anybody but
>myself. Both of my parents have had severe dental problems, and I just
>inherited them.
>
>It all started when I was in 4th grade. My parents decided to get me
>braces for an overbite I had. It was rather significant, but at that
>point in my life it didn't bother me at all. I had to wear braces for
>three years, and then another year with rubber bands in to correct the
>jaw misalignment. Other than the overbite, there were no major problems
>with my teeth. I don't see why I had to wear them for 3 years prior,
>but whatever. I drank a LOT of soda & candy while I had braces, but no
>more than any other person in the respected grades. Doing so caused
>"calcium scars", where teeth turn a pale white, while other parts are a
>different shade of white. Again, this wasn't nearly as bad as some
>might make it sound, really. I was capable of living with that, but it
>was still rather shameful.
>
>I didn't take proper care of my teeth from the day I was born until today...
>
>Now, I have a tooth abscess. Yesterday, my face was just a little
>swollen. Nothing too bad, so at school (i'm not a senior, just for the
>record) I blamed it on me bumping my face in the middle of the night.
>Today, my face is so swollen that my left eye is half closed. I didn't
>sleep very much at all. I finally fell asleep at 11:00pm, and was awake
>at 12:00am (midnight) with a severe pain in my mouth. I came out to
>talk to my parents at 5:00am with a face that was violently swollen, and
>they had no clue what was wrong. Previously they had asked me how my
>teeth were, and since I wouldn't show them, they had no clue. I would
>just say "oh just my front tooth is chipped from my brother and I
>wrestling." How far from the truth is that. Currently, I have 9 teeth
>that are broken off half way up the tooth, 1 that is broken off at the
>gum (this is the one with the abscess), and a front tooth that is loose,
>and if I wiggle it too hard it will break off.
>
>Last night, I told my girlfriend about what was wrong. I described how
>self conscious I am of them and she actually started crying, telling me
>that she wishes she could help. It's incredibly humiliating to smile,
>which I don't do anymore. If at any point in time I have showed my
>teeth to someone, it was almost immediately followed by an excuse to get
>out of any social situations. When i'm talking to girls, if i'm
>smiling, I have to wait until I can go back to a straight face to talk
>again, just so my teeth don't show. When I look at them in the mirror,
>I get physically ill.
>
>I'm sure most of you readers are saying "why didn't you tell someone?"
>-- I ask myself that same question. If it were as easy as it sounds, it
>probably would have been done. However, something so simple as taking
>care of my own teeth is not a major problem. Matter of fact,
>contradictory what I previously said, I have brushed my teeth 3 times a
>day 7 days a week, used a pre-rinse, antiseptic, and fluoride for over a
>year now.
>
>The daily self-inflicted mental pain that I have had is something that
>nobody should ever have to go through. A couple years ago, I was
>interested in this girl who was a model. We clicked personality wise.
>She went to New York City for a modeling audition, and sent me a coupon
>for a free teeth whitening session. I stopped talking to her
>afterwards. I constantly cover my lips while talking, making me look
>like I have bird lips. So humiliating.
>
>Today (Friday), I have an appointment at my doctor's, and i'm hoping
>he'll give me some antibiotics to help get rid of the abscess. Monday,
>I go to a dentist. I'm honestly hoping he'll pull all of my teeth and
>give me dentures.
>
>For anybody who's reading this, please tel me a few things
>
>a) How long does it take for dentures to be made?
>b) How much do they cost
>c) How do YOU think I should approach going back to school? Should I
>just tell people that they put caps on my teeth, or what? I don't want
>to come straight out and say I have dentures, as that's humiliating to
>me, being that i'm 17.
>
>Please, give me feedback. Finally, if there are any actual dentists
>reading this, and you would be willing to help me, please give me an
>E-Mail As Soon As Possible. I live near Geneva, New York. My E-Mail is
>matt@pleaseeat.us

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