I need help...

[beau99]

I'll start off by saying that I neglected taking care of myself for a few years, so I brought this all on myself.

Fast forward to now, my previous stupidity is taking its toll on me. My teeth are in terrible condition. I've had near-constant pain in my mouth since June as a result. I've come to realize I more than likely need these teeth extracted very soon, because they're probably infected. If that infection spreads to my brain (and it can happen, because it does), well... I don't want to think about it.

Sadly my status (unemployed and uninsured) adds to the problem, and my father's current income is nothing to write home about. We're trying to find some other options but until then, things aren't going too well.

[SP1]

Maybe ask around at church to see if one of the members is a dentist? You might get a sweet deal. Praying for you.

Don't forget clinics and such.

[AsianBlossom]

I'll be praying too.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Hey, just because we bring something on ourselves doesn't mean it's any less deserving of prayer. I'll be praying that a solution presents itself soon.

[Mave]

I had this awful teeth problem earlier this year and it costed a bomb to get rid of it (extracted, that is). It took a while to recover financially but I have no regrets. I'll take some debt over constant pain on a daily basis, which can render you almost unproductive.

I pray that you'll find a financial solution for this. When I was in the U.S. I had no help in dental problems so I know how it feels. Maybe, ask around church members or go for government-sponsored clinics? Eitherways, I hope you'll find help with dealing with the problem.

[beau99]

Well I haven't gone to church in years, so that's out of the question... otherwise I would.

We're applying to get some help from the state. I'll update you all on how that goes.

[Kamille]

I'm praying for you. Just concentrate on the kingdom of God first, which I know can be hard when you're in pain. God will take care of the rest.

[Sheenar]

There is the CareCredit program. It works like a credit card, but they give you a set period of time with no interest. You then make payments every month.

I used it when I had my knee surgery and then later for my dental work and wisdom teeth.

It takes a while to pay off, but it's a better deal than the office would give you. They'd want the whole thing at once. At least you can pay it off bit by bit this way.

Keep us updated!

[beau99]

UPDATE:

I got an examination and x-rays done yesterday for absolutely no cost (it's amazing what you can find when you call around). I have three left molars that are really bad and need to come out. I can't do anything for at least ten days though, so the infections can be at an absolute minimum (he gave me penicillin for that). I also got vicodin for the pain.

[Mithrandir]

SWEET! TEH ROXXORZ!!!

Ahem. Anyway...

That's great news!

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Well, that's one step, at least. What'll the actual tooth work cost?

[beau99]

I have no clue, actually.

[K. Ayato]

You can ask them if you can pay the bill in fractions. That's what my parents did when I needed my wisdom teeth removed.

And by the way, you might not need vicodin. 800mg of Motrin works just fine too .

[beau99]

And by the way, you might not need vicodin. 800mg of Motrin works just fine too .

Well it was prescribed, so I might as well use it. Though because it can be addictive, I'm trying to use as little as possible.

[Sheenar]

A good rule of thumb is to mostly use the Vicodin when you need to go to sleep so your mouth doesn't keep you awake. And then use it only when you're really hurting. Use something else (like Motrin) otherwise.

That's what I did when recovering from my knee surgery. Also, you probably won't need to take any for a couple of days after your procedure. The sedatives they give you make you pretty out of it --I couldn't feel a thing after my wisdom teeth were taken out. Apparently I kept pulling the IV out --so they had to stick me three times --I didn't even feel that --trust me, the first couple of days are no big deal. You just sleep a lot, change your dressings, say weird things b/c of the sedative, and eat really, really soft food.

Oh, and ice cream feels really, really good after a couple of days...

[beau99]

Update:

I have an appointment on the 12th to get my extractions done.

And this place uses general anesthesia for dental operations (evidentally most places only use local anesthesia), so more than likely they'll be extracting my teeth and I won't even know it. So until then, my worries are over.