Posted by writeradmin
I just finished several rounds of radiation and chemotherapy and my teeth are a mess as a result. I went to see my dentist and the list of work he said I needed is overwhelming. I left the office crying. Paying for my cancer treatment was hard enough. Now I don’t know how I am going to afford to take care of my teeth. Should I just give up and have them removed, then get dentures? My dentist said that is the only alternative to doing the work he suggested.
Abigail
Dear Abigail,
I am so sorry for all you have been through and continue to face. One thing I can tell is you are a fighter. Though, I am sure your dentist has the best of intentions and is just trying to keep your teeth healthy, he could have been a bit more sensitive. He also could have been a bit more accomodating with your situation.
There are ways to stage your treatments to make the cost more manageable. Your dentist should have at least made an effort to do so. I would start by asking a couple of things.
First, have him list out the needed procedures from most urgent to least. This way you can tackle the most important things first. Second, ask him if he will allow you to pay out the treatments. Given your circumstances, I would hope he’d be willing to do that. If he is inflexible, than this will not be the best dentist for you, at least at this stage of your life.
There are affordable dentists out there who would be willing to work with you. They also strive to keep their fees reasonable at the same time. Try your dentist first. If he won’t work with you, don’t get discouraged. Just find someone who will.
I would consider extracting all your teeth and getting dentures as an absolute last resort if the teeth cannot be saved. There are consequences to dentures that can impact your quality of life.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. John Theriot.