Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dental

It's like pulling teeth

Rocket26 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:12:57 -0800

How much does it cost to get wisdom teeth removed these days with no insurance? My brother who lives just north of the Bay area needs to get them removed. He got a quote for 3,000 dollars (!), which seems pretty high. I think he needs to get all four teeth removed. We live in North Carolina, so he could get them done here though over Christmas break or something. Does anybody know what the range is these days? 3Gs seems pretty high for some teeth no one will even miss.

Help. I'm a pansy.

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:04:31 -0800

This is so shameful. I haven't seen a dentist since 2005. I've always been terrified of the dentist, but now it's been more than four years. When I finally go again, it will be so much worse. My teeth hurt sometimes, so I probably have cavities. What if I need a root canal? And the scraping! I know this sounds stupid, but for me, the scraping is the worst part. It's the way it sounds and the way it feels. It's not just the stabbing my gums with metal hooks, which novocaine helps... nothing helps the scraping.

So I can't go on like this, things will just get worse and worse. I have to go. I tried googling to find a sedation dentist... I feel so paralyzed by anxiety. I got nowhere.

Here are my conisderations. MetaFilter, please help me get this done. You are far more rational than I am and I need someone's objective, unemotional guidance.

Nutshell:

I need to see a dentist. I need a cleaning and to figure out if I have cavities, and if I do, I need to have them treated. I don't know what else I might need.

I do not have dental insurance. I do not have any money. I'm living without a cushion right now. My parents said they would pay for a visit to the dentist as a birthday present, but there is a limit to what I can ask them to pay.

Because of the financial constraints, I feel like I have to get it right the first time. If I go to a dentist who does a bad job, I will be stuck with it. This contributes to my anxiety and paralysis.

Sedation dentistry seems perfect but incredibly expensive. Do I need to accept that this is not an option for me right now, or are there reasonably-priced sedation dentists who are also reliable and good?

I'm in NYC.

I don't want to go, but I should. Help me find a dentist and help me get over my fear.

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:39:03 -0800

I'm scared of going to the dentist. How do I find one that will understand and how do I prepare myself for going to my first appointment in years? Hi. I'm a 20-something woman who is coming to terms with the fact that I need to go to the dentist. It's been several years. I take very good care of my teeth, but I recognize that some problems may develop and that it would be better to prevent rather than fix. The problem is that I'm really scared.

My experience with dentists is not very good. I had a terrible experience with a dentist who lost his temper with me on my first visit as a 4 year old. He yelled at me and made me cry. After that, I went to a children's dentist and they also yelled at me, routinely left me alone in the chair for up to an hour at a time and did not seem to care about my comfort or pain levels. It seems every dentist I've had at some point ridiculed or yelled at me or caused me undue pain or neglect when it could have been prevented. I do not consider myself to be a coward and have been though surgery, routine doctor visits and many other procedures without any problems at all. It is just my extreme negative interactions with dentists that have caused me to stay away all these years.

So how do I find someone who cares? What is reasonable to ask about when you call to make an appointment? I don't feel I can outright ask, "Is Dr. Dentist a patient man/woman who will not yell at or mock me?" I live in a small town and I don't think there is sedation dentistry here. I do not know many people here to ask for recommendations. Is it reasonable to want to meet the dentist beforehand? What about the hygenists? I could have the best dentist in the world, but if his or her hygentist is not also compassionate, then what to do? They seem to spend the most time with patients on routine visits.

Assuming I find the best dentist ever, I also need help in learning how to prepare mentally. I have developed a score of phobias around the dentist. I have an extreme aversion to the grinding of teeth, which usually happens if they are moist and have toothpaste or some kind of cleaning agent on them. I dislike the vaccuum used to vaccuum out fluid and often wish that I were in control or could just spit and rinse it all out myself. I don't like being left alone in the chair. Finally, I also have an extremely powerful gag reflex that is easily triggered (probably why I hate that vaccuum thing).

So how do I cope with those things? Is there anything I can do to get over them or prevent them from happening? Is any dentist going to take those concerns seriously? If I had to rank them in terms of terror, I would put gagging as 1, grinding teeth as 2, vaccuum thing as 3 and being left alone as 4. I don't think I care as much about pain.

I recognize that I have a lot of issues, but would like to avoid therapy if at all possible. I did see this question (http://ask.metafilter.com/114191/How-can-I-find-a-dentist-who-is-good-with-terrified-patients) and it helped, but I have some specific issues I need to address and wanted to know about coping. Please help if you can.

Throwaway e-mail address: askme.scaredofthedentist@gmail.com

TIA!

Da Vinci's, Lumineers or Composites? YANAD, I know. I'm almost Golem! :(

prodevel — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:38:36 -0800

My front teeth look like Golem, almost. Please help me choose between Da Vinci's, Lumineers and Composites. I've got a decent budget, but don't want to break the bank. I know YANAD. My front teeth are a bit ridiculous. First marred by trying to bite the cap off of a stuck pen years ago, which wasn't too bad.

Recently tho, while eating sunflower seeds, I've been committed to a Golem-type look which is really aggravating knowing I've taken decent care of my 'teef'

I'm very curious to know (specially seeing as how it seems to be a sore subject for many as there was only one hit) as to which methods have been successful for some.

I'm not in a rural area but I'm not as near a metropolis as I would like to be, either.

Oh and any recommendations for a new electric toothbrush are welcomed - I have a 3 yr old Oral B that needs replacing.

Thanks for your read! and in advance for your reply!

How to start marketing a dental office.

beingresourceful — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:52:45 -0800

How do I start marketing a dentist? How do I effectively start marketing a dentist?

She has been a dentist for thirty years (many of those years as a professor), and now she has started her own practice.

She can do cosmetic dentistry, but she really likes pediatric/adolescent dentistry. She is also excellent (and I think prefers to work) at what I could call "major" dentistry, requiring going under. Her practice is located inside a hospital -- definitely something most dentists don't offer. She seems to think cosmetic dentistry is over-saturated (but if your idea is good I can convince her otherwise). I think she really likes those dental-insured patients that need extensive work.

I haven't marketed dentists before. How do I get this lady new clients? I want her to make lots of money, so I can ask for and make lots of money. If it's not win-win, I'd rather not take the job.

Why do baby teeth come in in the order they do?

Bugbread — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:58:05 -0800

Why do baby teeth come in in the order they do? Since babies don't start out eating carrots or other particularly hard foods, but do need to mash softer foods, it seems like it would be more advantageous for the molars to come in first. Also, it would cause less discomfort to the mother during breast feeding. So why does it start with the incisors and end with the molars?

What to do in the 2 weeks before the root canal?

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:10:54 -0800

Big throbbing hole in my tooth. Two weeks until the root canal. No instructions on what to do in the meantime. I flossed out a very large filling the other week. I went to my local clinic on an emergency basis when I started feeling pain, and they said I'd have to schedule a root canal elsewhere. I've got an appointment...and it's in two weeks.

The initial consultation was done at a overburdened clinic for people on state medical/dental benefits, so no followup care/info is available there (I didn't even have anyone to explain to me what needed to happen next, beyond getting the actual referral--total time with dentist was 2 minutes, and I was lucky to get that....non-emergency appointments have a 6 month waiting list at this point).

I don't know what I should/shouldn't be eating, drinking, or doing to minimize the chances that the tooth will crack open, the decay will worsen, the pain will go from nagging to unbearable before the appt, etc. I don't even know if 2 weeks is a normal wait time for a root canal (not that I can afford to go anywhere else--the specialist I'll be seeing is one of the only ones in the state who accepts Medicaid).

I have the temporary filling cement you can buy at the drug store, but I don't even think that's a good idea.

Please help!

:( my mouth feels sad!

mittenbex — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:10:57 -0800

Give me your secret home remedies for toothaches and canker sores. I've been having all sorts of dental work done. And my teeth are feeling agrivated. I'm in the process of getting the rest of them all fixed up.

How do I soothe them in the meantime? I've been using ice packs, heat packs, using the pressure points on your hands, advil, tylenol and then the numbing stuff.

Does anyone have any secret family remedies for how to dull a toothache?

ADDITIONAL QUESTION.

As a result of all the poking and prodding I've been doing in my mouth... I've gotten a canker sore. Now, I've gotten them before. But this one is going on a week old and it's the biggest one I've ever had before and it seems to almost be getting worse than better. I've been treating it with mouth rinses, salt-water rinses and gly-oxide.

Any tips for THOSE suckers?

Do I really need to brush my teeth again after a little bit of Scotch?

zachawry — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:17:47 -0800

I like to sip a little bit of Scotch before going to bed, spending a few quiet minutes with a single malt, my browser, and some good music. I usually do this after brushing my teeth, and I really, really dislike going back to brush my teeth again before going to bed (it totally kills the pleasant pre-sleep buzz). I'm not sure how much sugar is in Scotch, but is this practice likely to lead to cavities over the long term?

I'm bleeding!

crazylegs — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:59:07 -0800

how much bleeding is normal after a wisdom tooth extraction? I just had a wisdom tooth removed this morning. There isn't much pain, for which I'm grateful, but I appear to be bleeding like a stuck pig. The tooth was taken out 6 hours ago. How long is this supposed to go on? I keep putting gauze pads against the hole left by the tooth and they keep coming out completely soaked in blood. Is this normal? Anything I can do to keep my blood inside of me?

Removing plaque without a visit to The Chair

caveat — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:59:12 -0800

My question is two fold: is there a product on the market that can remove or at least loosen hardened plaque on the teeth? And, is there any actual damage being done to my teeth by just leaving the plaque there? I have plaque build-up on the back of a few of my bottom teeth. Nothing is visible from the front. Last time I went to the dentist he told me I had to schedule a deep cleaning to get it off. That was, um... some time ago.

I brush regularly, floss and sometimes use mouthwash. I didn't take great care of my teeth in my school days but they are pretty healthy now, aside form this.

I am both broke and terrified of the dentist, due to my apparent tolerance to Novocaine (when I get work done, I have to get shots in the nerve. This really, really hurts. BAD.) and the general unpleasantness of it all, so I'm trying to avoid going in.

Destined for problem teeth?

mittenbex — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:14:23 -0800

What will REALLY happen when I get pregnant if I have poor oral health? I keep reading about how you need to get all your dental work taken care of before you get pregnant or during your first trimester (or whatever the designated window is).
The fact of the matter is I have awful quality (but great cosmetically) teeth. It's always been this way. As a child, I did regular cleanings and had cavities taken care of as needed. I definitely didn't keep up with brushing and flossing as much as I should've but what adolescent does?

But from high school on I was great about brushing (still not awesome about flossing) and I still repeatedly would get cavity after cavity. I've had a root canal experience go completely awful with an infection and I then had all four wisdoms yanked and experienced terrible dry socket which -- seriously, WORST pain of my life.
Now I'm 25. I have no insurance but I sucked it up and paid out of pocket for a cleaning and exam last summer. I still have cavities to be taken care of but didn't have the money to at the time. I realize I should've just gotten them fixed and gotten put on a payment plan BUT I didn't, and whatever. I gotta get them done.
Last week I had two old fillings break so I've been puttering around for a week with holes in two of my back teeth, frantically brushing constantly and rinsing. I'm going tonight to have them looked at to see what my options are.

I'm just wondering, or more I guess ... I'm petrified that I'm going to get pregnant a few years from now and my teeth, no matter their condition, are going to like rot away. My grandmother told me after she had her kids her teeth just basically went to shit and she ended up needing a bunch extracted and eventually she had dentures. I realize this was like 50 years ago so we've come along way with dental care.

Any dentists or people with first hand experience?
When I find out tonight what the situation is -- do I have to get everything taken care of and fixed up to avoid a monstrosity of the teeth when I eventually get pregnant?

Any women have stories about dental stuff and pregnancy?

Thanks!

Dental Insurance Waiting Period Details

stewiethegreat — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:14:54 -0800

Another Dental Insurance Question: My Delta Dental starts on Sept. 1st, but they won't cover fillings until Mar. 1. What happens if I have a filling done before Mar. 1? Obviously, they're not going to cover it, but would I still be able to get Delta's negotiated rate with my dentist? Would Delta pay the dentist and then invoice me to reimburse them? Would I be making life unreasonably difficult for my dentist if I did it this way?

Thanks!

Wheelchair-friendly dentists in DC area

LobsterMitten — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:05:21 -0800

Wheelchair-friendly dentist in the Washington DC area (Montgomery County MD if possible)? A dear friend of mine is in his 70s and uses a power wheelchair. He has some arm strength, but he has no leg muscles and has a big belly, so he's easily thrown off balance when transferring from the wheelchair to the dentist chair. Recently he had a really bad fall when the dental assistant tried misguidedly to "help" him transfer -- she basically shoved him off balance and he fell full force. No apology from her or the dentist, who he's been seeing for 35 years.

He's looking for a different dentist's office where they may be more aware of wheelchair issues. I don't know if there are special arrangements where he could stay in his chair? Or just any office where they are more with-it about this.

Paying up front?

corey flood — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:22:57 -0800

Is this a universal billing policy for dental work that I should have known about? Last week I went to the dentist for the first time in 15 years and need to have some fairly minor work done. Fine, no problem. I made an appointment for yesterday but ended up having to cancel unexpectedly on short notice. I'm now told that because the dentist lost two hours of work that he'd set aside for me, I now need to pre-pay for my services and then have the insurance reimburse me.

And I totally get that. He's got a business to run. But nobody mentioned anything about this or about cancellation policies up front. Is this just a standard operating procedure that anyone would assume if they were in the loop? (The last time I was pursuing dental care, my mom was handling the administrative end of things.) This practice has been exceptionally kind and helpful, so I don't want to give them a hard time, but am I wrong in thinking that I should have been told about their policies before making an appointment?

One Dental Issue, Two Solutions - Apicoectomy Redux or Extract/Implant (with picture!)

soulbarn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:36:07 -0800

(Technical material ahead!) Differing advice from dental specialists for an urgent procedure. Situation: Failed apicoectomy (10+ yrs) that has developed an active and gross fistula. My current endodontist wants to do a repeat procedure, adding bone graft. Says there's a good chance of saving tooth, for "at least five to ten years." (Direct quote. If the tooth is cracked - xrays can't tell - it might require extraction.) At same time, I'm having an implant (unrelated, different doc.) The implant guy thought that, given that this was a repeat procedure, I was likely to lose the tooth in question, and sooner rather than later, and that I should just do the extraction and begin the implant right away.

To some extent, each guy is playing to his speciality, I know, and I trust that both are good dentists in that regard.

Some possible criteria:

- Money matters. Both procedures are expensive (about the same, ultimately) and I'd don't want to pay twice.
- I know saving a tooth is important, but it seems like I'm going to lose it anyway. I'm 47. Given the time-span estimate by the endodontist, am I really "saving" anything?

For those so inclined, here's the xray of the tooth.

Chip off the ol' molar

Riki tiki — Thu, 21 May 2009 21:00:53 -0800

How worried should I be about my chipped tooth? So I found this previous question, which is almost tailor-made to my situation as of tonight. I'll be following the "don't sweat it, maybe get some over-the-counter temporary filling" advice from that thread, so I'm less panicked about that than I was earlier tonight.

However, I am concerned about why it chipped. There was no impact, no particularly hard food that caused it. I was just flossing back there, felt a little snag and assumed it was a piece of food, and came back instead with two prongs of my top right molar. I have no pain or anything like that and my teeth look more or less fine, but is it possible that the looks are deceiving and my teeth are about to fall out en masse due to some unnoticed systemic decay?

I exaggerate a bit, but I am troubled. I'm currently without dental insurance, haven't been to a dentist in two+ years, and not in an awesome financial position to have to take on a bunch of medical bills.

Do I need to bite the bullet (not literally) and make an appointment even if it means my credit cards will have to wait a while longer to be paid off? Or is this something I can put a band-aid on (not literally) and postpone until I hopefully find a job with dental benefits in the nearish future?

Like I Need Another Hole In My Head.

The Whelk — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:01:15 -0800

No Insurance-Filter: I suspect I need some minor dental work done, where can I get it done cheaply and quickly in NYC? Caveat: No Insurance, but some savings. I've heard horror stories about NYU Dental school, but I've gone to Dental Schools for cleanings and minor work all through childhood without a problem (No Cavities! ever!), is it really that bad?

Anyone know a decent dentist in the metro area or know where I can find one?

Emergency whitening

Maximian — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:42:14 -0800

Is there any way I can get my teeth significantly whiter within 10 days? An event at which I'm going to have a lot of photos taken looms. I had intended to go see a dentist about whitening, but I've been very busy in the last few months and never got around to it. Now, suddenly, I have only 10 days left.

I tried whitening strips last year on a whim, but they don't fit my mouth at all. I've seen whitening kiosks in certain malls; do they work? Any other ideas I'm overlooking? I haven't actually called any dentists, since I don't have a dentist right now, and everything I've heard about dentistry in this country seems to imply that one always has to wait weeks for an appointment.

Speaking English causes bad teeth? Combined with chewing gum, leads to more kids having to wear dental braces? Help me research this one; would like stats and links...

querty — Mon, 11 May 2009 02:11:40 -0800

Speaking English causes bad teeth? Combined with chewing gum, leads to more kids having to wear dental braces? Help me research this one; would like stats and links... (Just a theory) So many words in the English language require you to use your tongue to pronounce a word; most used being the word "the". During pronunciation of these words, your tongue hits the upper portion of your teeth. And I speculate that after thousands and thousands of times with your tongue hitting the upper row of teeth, it would push it out, causing malocclusion. Combine that with chewing bubble gum (blowing bubbles) and other bad habits (teeth grinding), many kids end up having to wear dental braces.

Also, I believe that most Asian languages have shorter characters, pronunciations, and come in short bursts which requires less of the tongue hitting your teeth. Hence Asian people having trouble learning English; skipping all the tail sounds, trying to speak English Asian-burst-style-really-fast. Russell Peters said it best: "When Chinese people speak English, they sound like they are chopping vegetables."

That said, how can I find stats for something like: percentage of population under 18 who wear dental braces, London (English speaking) vs. Beijing (Mandarin speaking)? Or the same stat but for London vs. Singapore (because of their chewing gum ban)?

Again, it's just a theory. Wikipedia doesn't have much on the cause of malocclusion, so anybody familiar with this dental stuff, your opinions, links, and other theories are welcome.

Papa Needs a Brand New Crown

theefixedstars — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:39:16 -0800

Dental filter: I just visited a dentist who told me that I chipped one of my molars and that I'd need a crown for it. He said that since I'm not really having pain associated with it (it's a little sensitive, but that's it) I don't need to have a root canal. Is getting a crown instead of a root canal wise? He said that it's possible I may need to get a root canal down the line, but after looking at my x-ray and talking to me about pain, that it wasn't necessary at this point. He said if I had come in complaining about pain that he would have recommended the root canal first. Of course, now the affected molar is piping up with a song that sounds suspiciously like pain.

I don't have dental insurance, and while paying for crown and root canal (both ~ $1,200 each) over an extended period would be possible, it would also be painful (I'm moving in a month and a half to a place where I currently have no prospect of getting a job with any dental benefits).

Is this a common procedure, the crown without the canal? I know you are not dentists, not my dentist, etc., but I'm searching for similar stories and helpful wisdom. I thank you, my molar thanks you, my softly aching jaw thanks you.

Wet face, dry lips: Bite guards == sexy.

burntflowers — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:58:57 -0800

Adjusting to sleeping with a bite guard. Tips? My new dentist is awesome and figured out that I've been clenching my teeth in my sleep. I didn't realize I was doing that, but once he mentioned it, it became obvious to me that I was.

So I agreed to get fitted for a custom bite guard to wear at night.

Last night was my first night wearing the bite guard. It wasn't terribly uncomfortable, and I managed to fall asleep fairly quickly.

The guard is a custom-molded acrylic doodad that attaches to my bottom front teeth. It's a little over an inch wide, but the front of the guard sticks out enough that I ended up sleeping with my mouth open all night.

This morning, my lips were really, really dry. And last night, I woke up multiple times with drool running down my face.

I'll happily choose dry lips and a wet face over bone loss and morning headaches. I'd like to know if this get better over time or if there's anything I can do to reduce the dry lips & drooling, especially from folks who've gone through this process themselves.

Holy Rotten Baby Teeth, Batman

swilkerson — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:50:39 -0800

My three year old just had his filling break off (or fall out) his front tooth a mere seven days after having a dental procedure. Needless to say, it looks AWFUL. Is there some dental technique I should ask my dentist about to get something that will provide a more permanent(ish) solution until his adult teeth come in? Lots more below. We had been giving our son on-demand Milk + Carnation Instant Breakfast as a weight-gainer of sort since he was about 18 months old -- on our doctor's recommendation. Apparently all of the sugar hit his front teeth constantly because he was taking it through the sippy cup resulting in - yep, a handful of cavities on the front teeth and incisors. The pediatric dentist said he needed fillings, and he ended up undergoing a fairly length dental procedure that involved sedatives, nitrous, and being strapped to a papoose (and heartbreaking crying and screaming). We were not told that there were any restrictions on regular eating habits or that the fix had been anything less than successful.

Four months later, when my son was eating carrot sticks, I was horrified to find that one of the fillings had broken out, leaving two huge holes in the front tooth and incisor (the filling had been between the two teeth, and apparently they did a fair amount of drilling to make a place for it, as the cavity itself was very small from all outward appearances when we took him in initially). We took him back to the dentist again and went through the whole ordeal of sedatives/papoose/etc again. This time, he also got a root canal, a new filling, and a crown. The dentist (a different dentist from the first go-round) told me that he shouldn't eat whole apples/carrots/other hard foods that put a lot of pressure on the front teeth and indicated that there was a good chance that the filling could break out again, because it was hard for a filling to bond to the smooth surface of the front teeth.

Seven days later, we're back to a broken filling and a huge hole. We've been very diligent about not letting him bite into hard things with his front teeth (or at all, for that matter). Is there really no good way to fix baby teeth in the front?

(FYI - I'm waiting for a call back from the dentist now ... as it's a Saturday, all I could do was call his answering service)

PS - I'm not interested in "they're just baby teeth; ride it out" types of advice. Kids can be cruel, and I'm not sending my kid to preschool with a rotten broken tooth right in the front. You can disagree with that decision, but I'm not looking for advice on it.

My teeth just took over my life.

springbound — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:35:04 -0800

ThinningToothEnamelFilter: So my latest trip to the dentist (three weeks ago) was a bit of a nightmare, in which I was told the enamel on my teeth is "very thin". Looking for advice on anything I can do to keep what's left, and (dubious) whether there's any way to get it back, as well as what I can expect from here on just generally. A few questions inside for those who have experienced the same thing, or others who genuinely know anything about the problem. 1. From most of what I've read, it's impossible to get back enamel that's gone. I've come across the odd website created by people I suppose are probably quacks, telling me this isn't the case if I take their super special blend of exclusive herbs and spices or whatever; that's bullcrap, right? Or can anyone tell me is there anything I can do to make it, uh, come back?

2. I read something about synthetic enamel having been developed by dentists in Japan but it not having been released. The article I found online was dated a few years ago, though. Does anyone know anything about this?

3. I'd like to keep what enamel I have left by paying attention to the acidity of the foods I eat, but lists I come across starkly contradict one another. The list my dentist gave me said that cauliflower and broccoli and mushrooms are "very high" in acid, for example, but other lists I've seen online indicate that these are fine. What gives? How do I know what I need to avoid if I can't find two lists that agree with one another? Basically I trust my dentist, but the list she gave me doesn't contain *everything* that I'd like to eat, so I need some way of working out if I need to be finding substitutes for stuff, and it's alarming and confusing to come across things online indicating quite the opposite to what she's said.

4. Is there anything else I could be doing that you've had success with? Any other advice? Stories? Anecdotes on what to expect? How they fix this if it degenerates further? Are my options for dealing with this the same everywhere in the world? Are my odds such that I should be getting me some private health insurance right about now? Anything else you can offer?

I'm 30 years old, for what it's worth. Female. Vegetarian. Living in a city that has fluoride in its water, but only as of early this year.

What I'm doing at present:

* Giving up all soft drinks, entirely. (I was having 1-3 a day before this, for much of my adult life.)
* Limiting my eating as best I can to three meals a day (eliminating all the snacking I've always done in between) so my poor abused enamel gets a chance to reharden (remineralise?) between meals. If I want a chocolate now, I eat it at the end of a meal and not between meals. Mostly cutting out the snacks entirely though.
* Rinsing my mouth with water at the end of every meal.
* Drinking more water generally to get more saliva happening in my mouth. (I've always been bad with drinking enough water.)
* Becoming a gum addict for the same reason. (But not chewing 'til 30-60 minutes after I eat, so that no enamel gets polished off by my chewing!)
* Brushing twice a day, gently (apparently I've been brushing too enthusiastically all along), with Sensodyne, and not 'til 30-60 mins after I've eaten. Flossing once a day.
* Using Tooth Mousse morning and night.

Please ask about anything else that might be relevant. Thanks!

Kitty teeth

greta simone — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:40:54 -0800

Cat filter: Do I really need to get her teeth cleaned? I just got back from my yearly vet check-up, and they recommended a teeth cleaning for my cat, stating that she has some gum disease. They showed me what indeed looked a little nasty, and then told me that a cleaning would cost from $250-350. I am very broke, getting ready to finish grad school, look for employment, and move to a large city. I cannot feasibly afford this, and probably won't be able to for quite some time.

I spoke with my mother shortly thereafter, and she said that I didn't need to get a cleaning, with her rationale being "they are animals. Their teeth get dirty. The cleaning is a vet racket". Now, I tend to be one of those cat-mamas that leans toward over-care and protection of my dear feline.

My questions are these: Have you, Mr. or Ms. Cat owner, gotten this recommendation from a vet and not gone ahead with the cleaning? Did you have negative consequences because of your decision? Is this neglect if I don't do it? Should I just bite the bullet and put this expense on my credit card?

Any and all experiences are welcome.

Thanks.