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Serious dental problems: All I want for Christmas is a new set of teeth
Dental Blues
People everywhere have problems with their teeth. Broken teeth needing extraction, loose teeth, gum disease and teeth needing fillings all cause suffering and are some of the dental problems we can be faced with.
"All I want for Xmas is my two front teeth" goes the old song but in my case I think I could do with a whole new set but I am still hoping to keep as many as I can.
Photo of Bearded Bard with Father Xmas full beard
Expensive prices for dental treatment
Since I have been living on this island, and knowing the prices of dental treatment can be very expensive, I haven't been in four years and unfortunately my neglect has finally caught up with me and I have several loose molars from gum disease as well as a broken back tooth.There is also a loose crown and probably a cavity or two.
The back tooth broke many months back, funnily enough after I had been wishing I could get rid of all the amalgam fillings I have. There was one in the tooth and it came out along with a chunk of enamel and has left a jagged rim I can feel with my finger and a hole going into the root. No pain though.
I developed an abscess that made the gum swell and badly inflamed around the teeth next to it and I had that about three months back and couldn't eat on that side. I got it down with hydrogen peroxide and colloidal silver but the teeth are loose. I have a loose one in the front too that I also had an abscess on about three years ago. It was already a bit loose before I moved but now it is very mobile. Nothing wrong with the tooth, just that it wiggles about.
I have told friends about all the dental problems I have been having lately whilst upping my own dental care regimen, which BrainFire gave me a great suggestion for, which was to use tea tree oil. So now I was using colloidal silver, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil, Co-enzyme Q10 plus regular cleaning and flossing.
The big problem though, is that whilst these substances can keep the germs down and the inflammation at bay they cannot repair broken teeth, refill holes or scrape away the tartar and plaque that sticks on the teeth and makes pockets causing gum disease.
Another part of my problem I have is that while I am asleep I tend to snore and have my mouth open, which websites tell me encourages bacteria to develop in the mouth that gets dry. I have a deviated septum caused by being punched in the nose many years back and had considered, horrible as it sounded, having an operation to fix that. I saw a specialist back in Wales and was relieved when he told me that if they operated there was no guarantee it would stop me snoring and so I never had it done.
CJ Stone advised me well suggesting that at the very least I should get my teeth scaled and that would hopefully save them.
Everyone else I had spoken to said you really do need to go to a dentist, Steve, and finally I made an appointment with one who can speak English. There was no way I was going to attempt to sort my mouth out in Spanish.
In the meantime, of course I had been reseaching online and saw all the dire warnings about losing teeth as well as dangerous conditions that can ensue if the problems are not dealt with. Searching on "wisdom teeth" brings up no end of very scary stories with people experiencing real nightmares having them out. Whichever way I looked there was no potential good outcome and so it is still.
If I am going to lose any I knew that the replacements are all very expensive with dentures and bridges being the cheapest and implants, which all dentists here recommend, a completely crazy price that only rich people can afford.
My father has very kindly offered to help me with costs for dentures if I have to have them and other treatment but the idea of dentures is not one I was looking forward to. Researching online again I found no end of information about problems they can cause and knowing how badly I get along with glasses I am sure I will have problems with false teeth.
Having missing teeth though I read can cause speech problems and your face to change shape. Grim visions of not being able to speak or sing anymore coupled with an ugly appearance depressed me further. I decided to grow a full beard just in case and have done so as you can see.
Shane MacGowan & The Popes - Irish Rover
Shane MacGowan
I began thinking about how Shane MacGowan copes and why with all his money he doesn't get his teeth fixed. I spent time on YouTube trying to work out if having missing teeth spoiled his ability to sing and it doesn't. I also got to considering Van Gogh and how losing seven of his teeth added to his depression. I consoled myself with thinking that having a terrible mouth hasn't stopped Shane having a successful career and a girlfriend.
Some dentists here I was told offer a plan so you can pay in instalments from your bank but as there's hardly ever anything much in mine I couldn't see that working.
I have never got along well with much medical treatment of any kind and over the years I have become increasingly distrustful of medical treatments and prefer to look after myself and to use alternative remedies and therapies. It is obvious to me that dentistry is a business that is more concerned with making money than about people's health and it is only recently that some dentists have stopped doing amalgam fillings, which to my mind cannot be healthy containing mercury as they do. Not only that but most dentists still recommend fluoride which is a poison.
Unfortunately I have reached the point where as far as I can see I have no option but to consult conventional medicine and in particular a dental surgeon.
Anyway, yesterday I got up really early to get the buses to get me to the town I was going to in time for my appointment at 10 am. I was hoping the dentist would scale the teeth as CJ had suggested. I was hoping she would give me a list I could consider, and that at last I would have a professional opinion and the costs and some treatment.
I told the dentist that I don't have much money, which is why I have neglected my teeth and I realise that they are a mess but I need something done so can she give me the cheapest method for sorting my mouth out. The dentist had a look in my mouth and tapped on teeth asking if it hurt and it didn't but it would have not so long ago when my teeth and gums were inflamed, I admitted. She said she needed a full mouth X-ray and that would be €30.
I had that done but then she needed another four side views to see better how badly the teeth and roots were. I had to consent really although I also hate having dental or any sort of X-ray due to potential dangers from the radiation. Will you be charging me another 30 for each of these I asked and she said no, they would just charge me for one more.
Finally she showed me the main X-ray and said I would need extractions including back teeth plus root canal work but she thought she could save all the front ones. It was good and bad news and I told her I knew I was going to have to have some bad news whatever the outcome.
I was asked if I am allergic to penicillin and I said, no, and she wrote me a prescription for two drugs I had never heard of and said I must take these for a week before I come back to have the extractions done of which there are eight.
I said I have to travel for over an hour on the bus and then another before I get home so don't know how well I will feel and she said the extractions could be done in more than one visit, and we would have to see how we get along. She told me another member of the staff would give me a list with all the prices of recommended treatment.
I finally got the list and it said €320 for eight extractions, €200 for the tooth needing root canal treatment, €50 for a full cleaning and an additional recommended but not as high priority periodontal treament at €300. I was told by a friend I trust that these prices are very good indeed for the island.
So I left realising that although my New Year would start very painfully and with probable problems for a day or so after the extractions at last I would be getting my dental nightmare dealt with.
All I Want For Xmas Is My Two Front Teeth
Augmentine 875
I wondered what Augmentine 875 and Omeprazol were though so have done a lot of searching online and find that that the latter is to counteract bad affects of the first drug, and that gastric upset and diarrhoea can be expected. It turns out that far worse things can occur too including anxiety, strange feelings, vivid dreams, skin rashes, blood in your stools, tiredness and inability to sleep and many more disturbing symptoms.
On a site where people descibe their experience with the drug I read a "never again" and "not recommended" and plenty of alarming descriptions. Bearing in mind that I am prone to depression and anxiety anyway, plus that I have to work each day and that I have important visitors to see in January and will be giving a talk to a school, says to me not to take the muck. The prospect of being really ill due to the Augmentine coupled with the pain, swelling and bleeding from the extractions means I am likely to be in a terrible state in which I will not be able to cope and my situation will be much worse than it already is.
So now what? I have just sent an email to the dental surgery saying I will not take the prescribed drugs so can I have an alternative prescription please? At present I am seriously feeling like cancelling the appointment and will then be back to square one. Xmas and the New Year - not a good time for the dental nightmare blues!
UPDATE:
Eventually after giving me an antibiotic containing poisonous aspartame, which I refused she gave me a third prescription for Flagyl (Metronidazole) that I have had before and had requested. I went in for treatment and the dentist said she had been talking to a senior member of staff and he had looked at my X-rays and said I actually needed 14 extractions and dentures plus root canal work. She said I had to take another course of antibiotics. I said can you just scale my teeth because I don't want all that done? Eventually she agreed to this but I had to sign a waiver saying I refused the recommended treatment!
Information on Augmentine and Omeprazol
- http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=50720&name=AUGMENTIN%20%27%27875%27%27
People who have used Augmentine give their experiences with the drug - omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid) - drug class, medical uses, medication side effects, and drug interac
Describes the medication omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid ) a drug used for treating acid-induced inflammation and ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome. Article includes descriptions,
Comments
Hi Bard,
I can sure relate to your dilemma. For my whole life, I have taken care of my teeth with regular dental visits and brushing and flossing at home. Sadly, it now seems in retrospect, all was for naught.
Apparently, my teeth need cleaning 3x a year due to tartar building up more quickly than it does on the general population. This is not something I did faithfully, and when I was in my 30s, I went for a cleaning, and the dentist said, do you know you have pyorrhea? I said what's that? He said gum disease, caused by the tartar getting under your gumline. It causes the gums to separate from the teeth. It is fixable, and I went and had it taken care of. The only thing was, my dentist said we'll do it in four visits, one quadrant per visit. At this stage of my life, I was almost over my fear of dentists, but when he explained that what they do is remove the loose gum so that the remaining gum can reattach itself to the teeth, I said oh no! If you can't do it all at once I'm not coming in. So, under my medical coverage I was able to have it done in one shot in the hospital. I woke up with cement all around the upper and lower teeth, and I could only drink liquids for a week or so. The good news was I lost 15 lbs LOL.
Proceed to my early 50s. I woke up one day to see a tooth had broken, not vertically, but horizontally. To make a long story short, this started happening on a fairly regular basis, and I had to face the fact I would be needing dentures. Through my early adulthood I had had many root canals, only to have those eventually deteriorate with resulting tooth extractions. By the time my teeth started breaking, I said enough is enough. I am not pouring more money into restorative work. Just go ahead and yank what has to come out. I now have only six of my own teeth and the rest are fake, uppper and lowers. It took me a long time to get used to them, and for the longest time I wouldn't eat with them. Finally, I thought, this is stupid. So, I forced myself to eat with them and it eventually became much easier.
You are right to be concerned with problems bad teeth can cause. A former co-worker developed cancer in his jaw, and he is not doing well. His dentist claimed it was caused by his lack of dental care, so I'm not sure how true that is.
The internet is a wonderful thing, but if you're prone to read into things, it can trick you into believing you have some rare disease. The same can be said for reading effects of medications. By law, as you well know, they have to state those, but the likelihood of it occurring are slim.
Whatever you decide, just know you aren't alone, and the end result is well worth the fear and cost. Good luck to you!
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Thanks for sharing, Trish!
Well, I have had my gums all cut so they could deep clean the roots years ago and it was horrible and I had stiches in them after two hour sessions in the dental hospital with several injections each time. That worked for a while but the problem came back and it's not for want of my spending time cleaning my teeth. The back ones are hard to reach properly anyway in my mouth and a dentist I had admitted that.
I am inclined to believe those reports of customer experiences with Augmentine. The majority are very bad and don't recommend it and I can't afford to risk it. Anxiety and depression are among side effects and I used to suffer badly from this years ago and have a tendency to these feelings anyway. I need to work most days too and would not be able to. As someone posted "only take this drug if you can stay in bed throughout the whole course," I cannot!
I have not been on any prescribed medicine from a doctor for over seven years although I have had Flagyl /Metronidazole antibiotics from my dentist in the UK but nothing like what they are wanting me to take here!
If she won't give me anything I can trust to take I will have to look elsewhere.
If you are worried about losing all your own teeth Steve, do what my ex did (as you know he was a singer), and get a cast done of your teeth whilst you still have them. Then, if you do lose them you can have dentures made to exactly the same shape as your original teeth were, which is least likely to effect your singing.
On the drugs issue, I suggest taking them anyway, as most side effects only affect a small percentage of the population, and the odds are you won't experience anything. Most websites will list examples of people who have had bad experiences, as after all, would you bother to post if you had taken these drugs with no side effects? One other pain killer that will help is 'oil of cloves' which is natural, but not sure if it will be as good as what your dentist is recommending, especially if currently you are not actually in pain.
You are a lucky man Steve, it is sooooooo cheap over there comparing to DC. It is just unbelievable, times cheaper...
As for the drugs - I am kind of surprised. I had a total five extractions in the last couple of years, and it never been accompanied by a week of some drug before. They gave me antibiotics to start taking the day before, to cover their asses in case they introduce an infection, but I just plain did not take the drugs, and all was fine. Just pain killers for a day or two afterwards...
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Cindy, thanks for the advice but to have that done is more money again I do not have. I am just going to have to accept that I am going to lose part of what I have had. I understand that the main teeth you need for speaking and singing clearly are the front ones and that's why I was checking out Shane MacGowan who manages to talk and sing with his upper front teeth missing as can be seen in the video. The good news as per the professional opinion by the dentist was that the front teeth were salvageable. Actually that does surprise me and makes me wonder about some of the others she wants to take out because the loosest tooth is in the front. So if that can be saved then why not others?
I am opposed to taking medical drugs and haven't taken any apart from a dental antibiotic in the UK in over 10 years. I don't need them and have found and proved I don't go down with illnesses that others get if I use alternative remedies. I did three years in college with no time off for sickness and there were no other students or lecturers that could say the same. The head of the media department noted that and started buying colloidal silver for himself. Even now I have managed four years without any dental painful problem I couldn't sort out with colloidal silver, hydrogen peroxide and now using tea tree oil as pointed out in my hub, which was suggested by BrainFire and she is right, it is marvellous stuff that she says saved her own. All those three act as multi-germ-killing antibiotics. But, and this is where I fail, they do not remove tartar on the teeth and they do not fill cavities or repair broken teeth. I need physical work in my mouth that I cannot do. I personally don't see why I have to take any antibiotic other than those I use and it has thrown me that I am expected to take a medical antibiotic for a week before. From what I can gather this is doctors and dentists current trend presumably as Misha points out to cover themselves, and of course because its more money for the drug companies and is part of the system.
There are loads of reports of terrible experiences with Augmentine if you click on the link I left. There are few good reports so I don't think its a biased site. There are plenty more sites about it and the side effects are listed and can include jaundice and hepatitis. I am already prone to depression and anxiety as you know. I cannot afford to risk taking this stuff that could mess up my already messed up life even more. I need to work so cannot take any time off. I cannot afford to risk my mental and physical health for the sake of taking some new drug that I don't believe is necessary and has many reports against it. Plus you have to take another drug with it which also can cause problems. For the last several years I have taken no drugs so why should I now have to take two?
And as Misha points out if he could have five extractions with no weekly course of antibiotics before then why can't I? I suppose I should have asked what the drugs were when I was there - the dentist did say it is very strong.
Misha, thanks for your feedback!
Sorry to hear about your teeth. I hope you can solve the problem soon and with the least pain. Take care and all my best wishes to you.
xx
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Thank you, Princessa!
I can't see any easy answer to this and for me the mental pain of worrying is probably a whole lot worse than the physical. In a way I'd rather they just said this will be painful and then its over rather than saying I have to take some scary drugs for a week before then endure the actual surgery and post-extraction recovery! As it is I have some important stuff lined up in January including giving a talk at a school and two famous authors coming to the island to investigate the pyramids with me and give a lecture plus my usual work to keep going throughout so all in all it's a terrible time for this, not that I can think of a good one!
Good luck Steve, I wish you well on this, and perhaps relying on your own immune system is the best course of action, as I have to admit I never have heard of taking a week's worth of drugs before a procedure, and I used to work at a dentists some years ago. Perhaps you could take a mould of your own teeth using something like dental putty that you may be able to buy on the Internet really cheaply, (just in case you need it in the future).
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Thanks Cindy! I am pretty sure I did see on a website that doctors and dentists use antibiotics this way as a precaution against infections. I have also read in the press here that Spanish medics tend to over prescribe antibiotics, presumably like the way that farmers and gardeners here think nothing of the overusage of pesticides and herbicides which I am very aware of! It's a case of when in Spain do as the Spanish do and normally I would go along with that but not when it comes to my body.
As for my immune system it is obviously good because I have not gone down with any illnesses apart from flu once since I have been here. I am certain that Augmentine would weaken my immune system that will be attempting to deal with healing the damage caused by the surgery whilst not having the usual amount of food to help it because I will have problems eating until the gums heal. As you know I eat a lot and a diet of soft food and liquids after a week of a horrible drug plus the shock to my body of the extractions I really don't think is a good idea for me at all.
BTW I have just found out that the email address I used was wrong because there was a double letter needed in it and its just bounced back. This has given me the opportunity to mail again to the correct address and I have specified and requested a drug I will take - metranidazole/Flagyl. I have had it before and yes, it leaves a metallic taste and a dry mouth and yes, I can't drink alcohol with it but I can cope with all that.
Hey Everybody! Happy Holidays From NY!
Ummmmm....I gave Birth to my Daughter (C-Section)...and took NO ANTIBIOTICS! I was walking out of the hospital in under 24 hrs.
Proir to my departure, they had me hooked up to an IV. I'm laying there, and a nurse walks in and presses a button on the IV Machine. I asked her, "What's that?" She said, "Morphine". I said, "I need a doctor in here immediately to remove this IV NOW!" She said, "I'm sorry you'll have to wait". I said, "Oh Really?...Rrrriiippppp! Out I ripped the IV, and flung it across the room, (by accident actually), and replied, "sorry but I don't want that in my body". I said, "How dare you press that button without asking me, I'm Breast Feeding!
I didn't take any pain killers at any time before, or after either. I didn't need them. I actually waited until I was 8.0 centimeters dilated before I left for the hospital. My husband was rebuilding a Motor for one of our trucks, while I was huffin, and puffing with contractions. It was quite hysterical. I was in labor from 5:30 am to 10:30 pm when he was done rebuiding the motor...lol...and off we went to have Baby! I was even telling him to slow down...lol
His father showed up mid day, and started freaking out that I was in labor! lol...I told him to relax, have a beer, i got it all under control. It was one of the funniest days of my life....and the best day too. My little Angel was born. :)
Yes, I survived many situations just taking my secret list of Vitamins/Herbs/Supplements...that I emailed Bard. I have not taken antibiotics since 1992. Nor will I ever start again.
Needless to say I wasn't a big hit at this hospital.
The Moral is: You can indeed survive without these horrendous toxic substances the medical industry is pushing. They DO NOT have your best interest at heart.
Beaming from NY :)
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Thank you, Dawn, for sharing this story and your advice! I have had problems with the medical people most of my life and I really object to how they treat you as being in the wrong if you don't just accept being told what to do or have something done to you. Whose bodies are they treating? Ours!
I had an argument with a nurse some years ago after I had gone for a blood test and she said "it says here that you are to have your tetanus booster." Well, I am not having it and was not told about this", I replied. "It is what I am supposed to do and what the doctor expects," the nurse said, and I had to say well, I refuse it! She looked annoyed that I had the nerve to act like this!
Like you I have stayed well clear of any of their toxic drugs and now as soon as I see a dentist the first things she wants me to do is take a substance that can cause bleeding in your stools, headache, tiredness, insomnia, depression, vivid dreams, jaundice and other horrible symptoms. This sort of treatment seems typical of the medical industry and in many cases ends up with the reality of we cured the disease but we lost the patient! Many people die because of drug treatments! It always feels like a battle between me and the medical practitioner and that is on top of the battle with whatever is wrong. As it stands at present the experience of going to a dentist has given me a big problem and source of worry before she even does anything and I am not in pain! The mental distress is far worse than the physical and I know the physical could be made bad by the drugs. My gut feeling is don't accept this. Having eight teeth out seems a lot too. Why can't she clean them properly before I go any further? When her assistant gave me the list explaining what they recommend at the top was extracting eight teeth. And before that take a week's course of that horrible antibiotic!
Hi Steve,
I'm so sorry to hear about your dental problems. I had to have a molar extracted this year. It had already been filled and refilled and the dentist said he might just as well take it out because there was hardly any tooth left anyway--it was all filling and that part was even in bad shape. So he took it out right there for $100 and that was that, but it made me feel terrible. It was way more upsetting than I expected. I told him the same thing you did--that I haven't seen a dentist in years because I just can't afford it, and he said that's all he hears lately. He said about all he ever does anymore are emergency extractions because no one has money.
I will tell you I felt 100% better after just a day or so, so it was worth it.
It's hard though to live in constant fear of something so basic. I hope you work it out and at least get the extractions done--well, all of it, really. You will feel so much better physically and emotionally.
Hey I love your photo with the white beard. Merry Christmas!
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Thank you, Pam and Lgali!
Pam, I already feel terrible thinking about it! I can't find any good solution to this and think it will take me a long while to getting used to being without 8 of my chewing teeth. I was talking to a friend at Myspace who tells me he had all his out and then had dentures which he couldn't eat with so he took them out when eating but found he is able to cope with most foods with just his gums. The dentures looked good though until he lost them having left them in his car that got impounded by police. And I thought I was having a bad time!
And somehow I have to get through several important things in January including giving a talk to a class of schoolchildren.
Right now I can eat normally and have no pain which makes it all seem even crazier!
Your friend and his impounded car reminded me of something awful that actually happened to one of my ex-husbands.
This was before I ever met him. He'd been drinking and had passed out in someone's yard, so he went home and fell asleep in his own bed, but when he finally slept it off, he realized his teeth were missing (he had dentures). So, even though he was horribly embarrassed, he retracted his steps, searching the street and asking at each house if they'd found a set of dentures in their yard. It was mortifying, and no one had found any dentures.
He went home very depressed that he now had no teeth and no money for new ones and all over a night of too much partying. Went into the bathroom, sat down, and there were his teeth, sitting on the sink. lol!
Good luck to you Steve. It's hell getting old, but it still beats the alternative!
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Thanks for sharing that story, Pam!
Also, sorry to hear about your dental problems. I guess you know you have a lot of company in the same boat. Dentists here quoted my husband and I both about $10,000 to $15,000 to restore our teeth. Even if we had it, we can't see paying that kind of money at our ages (59 and 66). Trouble is that dental problems are directly linked to other health problems, like heart disease and cancer. We're considering going on a dental vacation in India where we've heard they do excellent work, for far less including the travel than we can get it done in the states.
One note, the precautionary pre-dental work antibiotics are no longer given everywhere in the states, like they used to. If you are basically healthy, your own immune system is thought to be enough.
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Yes, the prices are insane and far out of the reach of countless people!
As for the dangers of other diseases I am not convinced this isn't just another way of scaring us to pay up! I don't trust the medical industry at all!
Thanks for the info about the pre-dental work antibiotics NOT being used everywhere - so why here? And why me? I don't go down with colds and flu etc so my health is good apart from my teeth.
I'M A LITTLE LATE...bUT WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED :D
YA KNOW SOME PARTS OF YOUR HUb REMINDED ME OF HOW MY FIANCE AND I MET. IT WAS ONLINE, bUT THATS NOT THE IMPORTANT PART. HE RIDES bMX [bIKES YA KNOW] AND THE VERY NEXT DAY AFTER I MET HIM IN PERSON HE FELL FACE FIRST INTO THE GROUND AND KNOCKED OUT HIS THREE FRONT TEETH. ITS bEEN ALMOST TEN MONTHS SINCE WE'VE bEEN TOGETHER AND HE'S FINALLY GETTING PERMANENT TEETH PUT IN WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH. HE'S HAD IN A SLIPPER AS THEY CALL IT, HIS FAKE TEETH HE CAN TAKE OUT HA HA. HE WENT THROUGH A LOT OF DEPRESSION AND DENTIS WORK POOR THING, AND HE'S STILL NOT DONE!
I HATE THE DENTIST.
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I told the dentist I wasn't agreeing to having the recommended extractions, dentures and additional antibiotics but I wanted my teeth scaled. She did this and made a very good job of it but I had to sign a waiver to say I refused recommended treatment.
I am battling onward with my loose teeth and so far it's going OK although I know there is a hole in one of the wisdom teeth and it is sensitive so I will have to go back to get that filled. My argument is if I am not in pain and can eat OK why have a lot of work done that will be painful after plus the possibility that I won't get on well with dentures and pay an awful lot of money for it?
Sorry to hear about your fiance!
Dental problems really can cause more problems. My parents always pushed good dental hygeine on my sisters and me when we were children, and I know why now, having seen my father go through multiple extractions and problems. When he was young, people just didn't get their wisdom teeth out unless it was causing considerable pain. When my dentist said I needed mine out, even though they only occasionally caused pain, and I had no dental insurance due to a hiccup in the plan at my mum's place of work, my father put up the money for me to have it done, and this was about the same time he had to pay for my younger sister to have hers removed in hospital. I had them out in two visits to the dentist office. A month later my father, 60 years old at the time, was told what he had always expected: His wisdom teeth, that he "Didn't need removed," had rotted under the gumline and spread infection to the surrounding teeth, necessitating removal of nearly all his back teeth.
I would recomend that you take a regular penicillin, if you can get it, to kill any infection you have and then have the extractions done as you can afford them. It is better in the long run. If you can't get penicillin readily, or can't afford it, then I suggest using garlic oil, as it is a natural antibiotic. I've been using it for recurring ear infections, and my ears are slowly getting better. (I have no health care right now and am allergic to penicillin, and I won't take the over-powered "penicillin alternatives" without medical supervision simply because they can be dangerous if you take too much, and cause drug-resistant bacteria if you take too little...too much risk at the best of times)
...Is there something wrong when a nursing student doesn't even trust the "remedies" that modern medicine pushes towards us on a daily basis?
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I will probably have to have a similar horrible experience to your father. It is all my back teeth that are in a bad way. I have had one out so far. If I have them all out I won't be able to chew properly and I really don't think I would get on well with dentures. So I am delaying having them as long as possible.
The dentist doesn't prescribe penicillin with which I am fine. She prescribes 'over-powered "penicillin alternatives"' and one of those had aspartame in it so I refused it. I am not at all surprised that you don't trust modern medicine - neither do I!
Sorry to hear about your pearlies mate. Here's hoping you find a solution soon.
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Thank you, Lou! It appears this is going to be an ongoing problem I am faced with and I may have to accept the hideous prescription of having most of them out and then having to learn to cope with dentures, which knowing my body will be a problem in itself. In the same way I hate glasses and have always hated glasses but cannot see without them. If I have them out then I wonder how I am to eat while the gums heal. The place where I had one removed in July is still sore. It has given me something else to wonder about - how do other people cope with all this common but horrible problem? And as I have asked in another hub on the subject:If there is no conspiracy why are dentists poisoning us? I don't want fluoride in virtually all dental products available and in the tap water. It weakens teeth not the reverse! I don't want poisonous antibiotics with awful side FX, I don't want ones with toxic aspartame in them, I don't want mercury-laden amalgam and finally, I don't want Perioaid mouthwash containing the toxins acesulfame, hydrogenated castor oil, saccharin and propylene glycol in it that the dentist wants me to use!
My poor friends in Mexico have huge smiles, and no teeth! They just pulled em out as they went bad, one by one. The local free dentist has givent them dentures but they never wear them, except to weddings and funerals (about one a week). Evidently, their gums have hardened enough to grind up tacos. We get so trapped in this vanity shit here. Now people in Britain have "poor man's teeth" While all the yankee Doodles have grins like Liberace's piano keyboard. It's a problem I know, (I have 9 left and am defending them unto death). Don't worry, bard, and grow the moustache a bit longer.
Bob
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Thanks for posting, Bob!
As far as I can see there is plenty of fear-mongering online and elsewhere about the consequences of not having teeth and how the face can collapse, you will be unable to speak, eat etc, whilst if you leave decayed teeth in you can die! The dentist wants to take another 13 out. I have had a second molar removed and have a big gap there now. The others she wants to take out are loose or have cavities I am told are too deep for fillings. Two of the bad teeth are crowns and I am told they were not done properly. I am sure if I asked the dentist who did them he would say otherwise!
I cannot see me getting on well with dentures and at present I am battling on with my bad teeth and good ones.
Still looking for that elusive break I need to look good and won't with no teeth so I suppose dentures will be inevitable one day but I know I won't like them!
oh you poor thing , please read my hub, i went through having just as many extractions this year and if only you could persuade them to allow you to have it done via general anesthetic you would be so glad you did. I am in the UK and fortunatley I get NHS treatment , this didnt cost me anything and now for the first time in YEARS I am without pain. The real issue with bad teeth is you more or less always have an underlying infection, for me it was an abcess that eventually poisoned my blood and travelled to my heart, I was really poorly , enough for my fear of the dentist to at least play second place.
I wish you luck whatever you decide to have or not have done xxx
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Thanks for posting, Xonica! I am fine now although have some loose teeth. The loose ones don't get any worse and are OK to bite with. I had two at the back pulled and have no problems with infection or pain since then.
Iam a 42 year old man who is basicaly holding back every time I smile,why? beacause iv let my teeth go so far I think my only option is getting them all extracted and getting false teeth .The reason is pure and utter fear I live in scotland so I get free dental treatment but over the years my teath have gotten worse and worse ,I do brush my teeth at least 3 times a day ,im a smoker though so discoloration is a big problam and Iv lost a couple over the last few years basicaly just falling out Im guessing gum disease of some kind ,one of the mentioned teeth is one of my front ones so smiling is starting not to be an option .If they could just do a MR T from the A Team ,just get me knocked out and into that dentist chair get all the work done Id be a happy smiling person again.
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I am sorry to hear it, Scooby07! I hope you can find an answer to your problems.
I have one lose tooth.What i really need help on is how to get out my tooth. Its lose but not buging and im tired any ides!!!!
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I take it you don't want to go to the dentist, and I can't say I blame you? It will fall out eventually if it is very loose I would think. Or you may be able to save it. I have had teeth that were loose tighten up in the gums. I have some loose ones too but they function still so I leave them alone.
THANK YOU FOR SOME TIPS BARD OF ELY SORRY IM WRITING IN CAP BUT I'VE BEEN WIGGLING IT AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER EVEN IN CHILDERNS CHURCH TODAY. I THINK IT'S GOING TO FALL OUT BUT IT AINT.THEN MY UNCLE WAS GOING TO PULL IT BUT I THINK ITS GOING TO HURT BUT HE HAS DONE IT BEFORE BUT I DONT KNOW IT GETS TO ME.BUT I TRIED GUM IT PULLED OUT MY OTHER LOOSE TOOTH LAST YEAR IN DECEMBER. THIS TOOTH IM TALKING ABOUT KNOW IS STICKING OUT LIKE A DIVING BORAD AND I FEEL LIKE A NEEDLE IS IN MY MOUTH. SO IM FINSHED BUT YOU ARE A VERY NICE PERSON FOR HELPING OUT THESE PEOPLES QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS YOU SHOULD BE A CONCLER SO ABOUT THAT SPELLING IM ONLY IN ELEMENTRY SCHOOL.THATS WHAT I THINK YOU SHOULD DO. YOUR A HELPFUL PERSON AND I THINK YOUR PARENTS ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIPS YOU GAVE ME.i HOPE THOSE TIPS OR ANSWER YOU GIVE WILL BE HELPFUL TO OTHER PEOPLE. YOU ARE A VERY NICE PERSON.
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Thank you for the compliments and good luck with your tooth problem!
I see you changed your picture cooool. Thank keep giving out helpful information. Also my tooth still has not moved yet . This is what the dentist said " just keep wiggling it it be out in 2 or1 week. IT'S PAASED THAT.My uncle came up her to pull out mt tooth but im not ready for him to yet. Before i go did you tell your parents what i suggest you doing and tell them they rasied a helpful a genourus person. Sorry about my spellin Elemetary kid.Thank you BARD OF ELY AND HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT NAME. IT'S VERY UNQIUE. ME AND MY SPELLIN. THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH!!! oh AND CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME MORE TIPS =D OH IF THEY INVOLE EATING FRUIT IM ALLEGIC TO APPLES. IF YOU SAY NUTS IM ALLEGRIC TO WALNUTS.BYE
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First of all thank you for your complimentary comments! I can't tell my mother anything because she died many years ago but my father is still alive and 92. I didn't come up with the name Bard of Ely. Big Issue magazine called me it when I was living in an estate called Ely and writing for the mag back in 1998. I hope your tooth comes out soon!
Im so sorry. THank you for lettin me know um what name would you come up with if the magizine didnt call you.Hope you have a safe fun and happy life.I also hope that you will get a reward for helping people it will be a sign from god doing good deeds.well my uncles here buuut i still not ready for him to pull it.I ALSO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I HOPE GIVE YOU GOOD LUCK AND SECRET REWARDS.=======DDDDDDDDDD
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Thank you! If I hadn't been called Bard of Ely I would just use my real name Steve Andrews!
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