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I suppose the most interesting goal, to me, is getting my teeth fixed. I didn't take care of them all through my twenties and it's had serious repercussions on

I suppose the most interesting goal, to me, is getting my teeth fixed. I didn't take care of them all through my twenties and it's had serious repercussions on my social and professional life as well as taking a drastic toll on my confidence. Roadblocks and/or bottlenecks are easy: finances. Dental work isn't cheap, especially when you're looking at as much work as I need done. The "fear" of the dentist was also an initial roadblock, but not only is it far less worse than I imagined/remembered, I also happen to have "the hots" for my female dentist so it makes going far easier.

vgurgov 16y ago
i'd suggest to go to other country with cheaper but high-quality med services. dentist are super overpriced in US so many ppl do that. And you can combine that trip with vacation at this country. )))
abstractbill 16y ago
I had awful dental hygiene up until my mid-20s. A big step for me was finding a dentist I trusted, and just doing what he told me - letting go of the fear that he was going to completely drain me financially. It wasn't cheap, but eventually all the required work was done, and I formed new habits that have meant no no work has been needed for several years now. One of the most important things I did was get invisalign (braces). My teeth were really hard to keep clean before - flossing was almost impossible in some places due to the way my teeth were overlapping. Now they're straight it's really quite easy.
- WesleyJohnson 16y ago
  I'm with you there. The dentist I have now I really feel like I can trust and she's given me a care plan that isn't just the highest priced option, but all my options. She recently went in to do a root canal and found out I didn't need one when she could've just as easily done it and charged me for it. But I do agree, I think once I've gotten the work done, taking caring of them should be easier.
thaumaturgy 16y ago
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/related/ch1qn/ive_had_all_my_teeth_replaced_in_costa_rica_ama/ http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/related/ch1qn/ive_had_all_my_te...
- WesleyJohnson 16y ago
  Excellent read, I appreicate the link. Thankfully, I haven't waited so long to go the dentist that I need implants or dentures. They're saving everything via root canals, crowns and fillings. I do have two missing teeth which really aren't visible when smiling that I may eventually get implants for, but for now it's not severe or costly enough that I would really entertain going out of the country to have it done.
  - garply 16y ago
    My dentist has told me that in the long run an implant is cheaper than a root canal, as most root canals will eventually fail and need the implant anyway (I have an implant because I was just genetically missing a tooth and I absolutely love it - I'm a bit jealous of the guy with nothing but implants, I've thought to myself many times how great it would be to do just that, but I didn't know it was a realistic option).
gcheong 16y ago
You might try this to help improve and maintain your teeth and gum health (in addition to regular flossing and the steps your dentist recommends of course ): http://www.30smile.com/ http://www.30smile.com/ I know it looks hokey and informercially, and I was very skeptical but my father (a retired orthodontist and now an investor in the company) was insistent I try it so I said I would give it a try and see what happens at my next checkup which was a couple months away. At my next checkup my dental hygienist was really impressed with my gum health, something she never mentioned before and I didn't mention anything about the tooth brush. Same thing with my wife at her last checkup and I've heard similar from other siblings. It takes some getting used to as your gums will likely bleed some in the beginning but I think it's worth it as you don't worry about trying to hit all the spots. One other thing I've noticed since my last cleaning is that I haven't seen a buildup of calculus in certain areas that I usually got before even though I would try hard to brush and floss those areas.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]

vgurgov 16y ago

i'd suggest to go to other country with cheaper but high-quality med services. dentist are super overpriced in US so many ppl do that. And you can combine that trip with vacation at this country. )))

abstractbill 16y ago

I had awful dental hygiene up until my mid-20s. A big step for me was finding a dentist I trusted, and just doing what he told me - letting go of the fear that he was going to completely drain me financially. It wasn't cheap, but eventually all the required work was done, and I formed new habits that have meant no no work has been needed for several years now. One of the most important things I did was get invisalign (braces). My teeth were really hard to keep clean before - flossing was almost impossible in some places due to the way my teeth were overlapping. Now they're straight it's really quite easy.

WesleyJohnson 16y ago
I'm with you there. The dentist I have now I really feel like I can trust and she's given me a care plan that isn't just the highest priced option, but all my options. She recently went in to do a root canal and found out I didn't need one when she could've just as easily done it and charged me for it. But I do agree, I think once I've gotten the work done, taking caring of them should be easier.

thaumaturgy 16y ago

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/related/ch1qn/ive_had_all_my_teeth_replaced_in_costa_rica_ama/ http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/related/ch1qn/ive_had_all_my_te...

WesleyJohnson 16y ago
Excellent read, I appreicate the link. Thankfully, I haven't waited so long to go the dentist that I need implants or dentures. They're saving everything via root canals, crowns and fillings. I do have two missing teeth which really aren't visible when smiling that I may eventually get implants for, but for now it's not severe or costly enough that I would really entertain going out of the country to have it done.
- garply 16y ago
  My dentist has told me that in the long run an implant is cheaper than a root canal, as most root canals will eventually fail and need the implant anyway (I have an implant because I was just genetically missing a tooth and I absolutely love it - I'm a bit jealous of the guy with nothing but implants, I've thought to myself many times how great it would be to do just that, but I didn't know it was a realistic option).

gcheong 16y ago

You might try this to help improve and maintain your teeth and gum health (in addition to regular flossing and the steps your dentist recommends of course ): http://www.30smile.com/ http://www.30smile.com/ I know it looks hokey and informercially, and I was very skeptical but my father (a retired orthodontist and now an investor in the company) was insistent I try it so I said I would give it a try and see what happens at my next checkup which was a couple months away. At my next checkup my dental hygienist was really impressed with my gum health, something she never mentioned before and I didn't mention anything about the tooth brush. Same thing with my wife at her last checkup and I've heard similar from other siblings. It takes some getting used to as your gums will likely bleed some in the beginning but I think it's worth it as you don't worry about trying to hit all the spots. One other thing I've noticed since my last cleaning is that I haven't seen a buildup of calculus in certain areas that I usually got before even though I would try hard to brush and floss those areas.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]