I’m lucky I have never needed any dental work hope I never will.

Not until recently, and it’s because my dentist screwed up a bond and now I continue to have trouble with it. I’ve had it since 6th grade, repaired one time when I was in my late 30’s and it was fine. Repared again 3 years ago (I am 46 now) and I haven’t had my bite correct since. So pissed off!

When I was in my early twenties my sister in law recommended her dentist to me. I was very naïve back then and believed I could trust my doctors. As a result, even though I had never had a cavity before and I didn’t again until 15 years later, he told me I had some “small cavities” in 4 back molars, and showed me the x-rays. Then he proceeded to hollow out those 4 teeth. He filled them with enormous fillings. As they aged and degraded those teeth broke and required root canals and caps which went horribly wrong and I have had extensive, expensive and traumatic dental work on those teeth ever since.

It’s been a nightmare.

Gee, dentists can sometimes do more harm than good when they mess!

Yes. After all these years, I know the drill.

Pachy, I’d denture to say “tusk, tusk” at that pun ;-)

And god yes, my aging teeth are beginning to annoy me; though my dentist’s children’s college funds are faring well.

Lately yeah, but then I am pretty slack about flossing and that is my fault, since the last root canal was due to not flossing.
I do brush twice a day though.

Every six months.

I’m obsessive about my teeth. I get xrays every year and go for cleanings every three months. My dental coverage only pays for two cleaning a year so I pay out of my pocket for all the other cleanings. My insurance company pays for the xray that I get once a year.

yep, when it comes to my teeth I do cleaning, whiting treatments, flossing and whatever it takes. The one thing that ages a person is bad teeth. After your eyes the next thing people notice is your teeth.

I wish I could. Dentists are too expensive without insurance. Good luck finding an employer that offers it.

@jonsblond Dental insurance sucks. If you have never had it it you might not know. I think about ditching mine every year, but my husband continues to buy it. A cleaning every year is plenty for most people who generally have healthy teeth and xrays done once every 2–3 years is plenty also for the average person with a healthy mouth. A cleaning costs $60—$120 depending where you live and dental insurance is usually $120—$160 a year. Having the insurance does give you some coverage for things outside of cleanings, but it is rather limited. Same with eye insurance, I often drop it, but my husband likes having it. We go back and forth some years having coverage and others letting it go. I didn’t start checking my eyes regularly until my late 30’s, and that’s when I started getting eye coverage for some years, but I think it is a big racket. We know the eye glass business is definitely a huge racket. The gouging is incredible.

@JLeslie It’s quite inexpensive if you buy your frames and lenses online. There are lots of companies to choose from too.

@snowberry I’ll look at that. I think eye insurance has raised the price of glasses horribly! Every time I go to the optometrist the last 7 years they say, the perscription you need is exactly the same, your insurance covers you for glasses and try to push me into a new pair. It pisses me off. My glasses are perfect in other words, but since there is insurance coverage the doctor wants to make a sale. It hurts all of us, because insurance prices go up and for people who can’t afford insurance glasses are so expensive. You already know how disgusted I am by the system.

@JLeslie Shop around. If you’re looking for specialty lenses, some places have more options than others.

I’ll just pay the ridiculous price probably. I’ll need new glasses this time. First time in over ten years.

What @BeenThereSaidThat said. Except you do not need yearly X-rays unless there’s a problem and then only one periapical of said problem. And maybe one bite wing.