When my mom was in her late twenties, her dentist recommended that she have all of her teeth removed except for 8 teeth in the lower front. She had this done because her teeth were abscessed and generally unhealthy, with many cavities, extreme sensitivity and pain. I remember her saying it was the best thing she could have done. She couldn't chew her food with her own teeth, and she felt so much better with her plastics.
When my dad was 40, his dentist recommended the same. His teeth were abscessed also, and very unhealthy. I asked him recently about it, and he also said it was the best thing he could have done. His teeth were falling apart, as did his father's, and there was no saving them.
I am missing ten teeth - four extractions for braces, four wisdom teeth extractions, and two extractions because of abscesses when I had no money for root canals. I have five more root canals, and two additional teeth in my mouth that are abscessed as we speak - root canals waiting to happen - which means at this very moment in time, seven of the teeth currently in my mouth are dead or dying.
Yesterday, I made an emergency trip to the dentist because one of my crowns came loose. Ah, if only it was that easy. It turned out it wasn't the crown - it was the entire top of the tooth, crown, post and all. My tooth disintegrated under the crown. She repaired it the best she could, and said unfortunately, the next step is extraction. There is nothing more that can be done to save it. $1800 down the drain.
I have begun to question why I do not just have the remaining teeth I have pulled, seven of which are dead anyway, be rid of the constant cavities (which even form in the dead teeth), extreme sensitivity, and pain. I would leave enough of my teeth intact on the bottom to anchor a partial, and get a nice pretty set of plastics for the uppers.
My dad said he got tired of throwing good money after bad, and I know what he means. I have sunk thousands of dollars into saving my teeth, and they fall apart anyway.
Of course, I have no dental insurance, so all of this repair comes straight out of the grocery money.
I just don't know what to do...
