Hello there, a bit about myself/mouth first. I live in British Columbia
on Vancouver Island.  I have had "bad teeth" basically my entire life,
I am now 44. I have never had access to any kind of dental plan so have
been neglectfull of any kind of regular check ups. I am down to 11
teeth in my mouth a couple of them have been canalled and then never
had been crowned. In the meantime, time itself has started wearing thin
on the few teeth that have been canalled and crowned and the crowns are
starting to crack and fall off. Needless to say this is the most
unappealing looking thing ever. I have never smiled properly. (I did in
my grade 8 school pic and then had nothing but grief from other kids as
to my rotten teeth. )
I have been fighting an abcess since Christmas on one tooth, the
adjoining tooth... the crown fell off and now I am dealing with ultra
pain there also. My left side of my face is swollen like a squirrel and
I am in continuous pain. Over the past couple of weeks I had what
started as a sore throat (had it checked for strep) and has slowly
crept up my face into the one molar left there on the top and the
broken root canal on the bottom. I am in agony, now. I went to the
doctor yesterday to get started on a round of some sort of penicillin
(not sure of the kind, I dropped the 'script off and will pick it up
this morning) and FINALLY, some T3's.
There are two main reasons for "letting things go" this long, first and
foremost is my absolute terror of the dentist. (sorry!) and the second
is funding. I am a single parent collecting unemployment at the moment
and even coughing up the money for these meds today is going to be
dicey. I have taken care of my kids teeth (now almost all grown and
with rather lovley white teeth I must say!) and had no choice but to
leave mine be. (the terror is beyond a joke, I make appointments,
cancel them, make them, cancel them...I have even made deals with the
girls at the appointment desks to "refuse" to cancel for me. If they
refuse, I usually manage to get myself in there. I am physically ill
when I get there and usually use Ativan before I leave home and then
one more while there.
I guess the reason for this post is two or threefold. I have looked
around the net incessantly for information as to how ill I can actually
get while fighting these abcesses. I pay little heed, sometimes, but
worry myself into a frenzy at others.
So here are my questions,
1. Exactly what am I doing to myself by not taking care of these?
2. Are there any dentists in Canada that could/would fix this disaster
for a payment plan?
3. How about someone wanting to help out? Take pictures, before and
after while I try and make it look like I am having an ok time under
the knife? Take a payment plan that would be very small indeed?
(yes that sounds ludicrous)
I am at my wits end. I am exhausted from being in this kind of pain ALL
the time and just need some help!
Thanking you in advance for even reading this, perhaps just venting
will make some difference.
hell