Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Can anyone recommend a solution to a dental problem?

About 8 years ago, I had a dentist drill into my mouth before the novocaine kicked in. Since then I have been terrified of the dentist. I need: 5-6 broken teeth in the back fixed / removed, I need 2 dental implants (or whatever) to plug in 2 teeth missing in the back of my visible smile. Cost is a big issue, and I have 2 things to help me. 1. insurance and 2. an FSA (flexible spending account) which is money taken out of my check each week which is put into an account that you can use for medical expenses as you wish (even cosmetic surgery.) I can use $3000 a year. I am wondering about dental colleges- do they do dental work at a discount? What about dentists that cater to people who freak out? Could I just start over w/ dentures? I am new to Columbus and am so confused where to start. Are there medical counselors? The dentist who drilled into my mouth w/out novocaine is being sued by about 40 people for mistreatment and will lose his license, I'm sure. I'm not in the lawsuit.
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You mentioned Columbus.. If you mean Columbus in Ohio, you are in luck because the Ohio State University dental school is in Columbus. And yes, dental schools provide dental care at reduced fees, about half that of a regular dentist. It's a great place for cowards to go to, because the dental students know they are being graded for how well they interact with patients so they will be exceedingly gentle with you. Give the dental school a call and see if they are taking patients, and good luck. EDITED TO ADD: Unlike what the below poster thinks, a dental student has no incentive to "find more work than is really there"-- they don't earn any money for doing the procedures. In fact they are more conservative than private-practice dentists and don't tend to push a patient to pay for elective work.
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