Need Dental Implants, Root Canals, Dental Crowns

I am a 38 year old wife and mother of 3 children. My family has struggled financially for so many years now, and to avoid having to pay out money, I had to let my dental care go.

I have tried to take care of my teeth and had root canals, and fillings, but have not been able to get dental crowns, so those teeth have started to crumble and break away from the temporary filling that was placed in the tooth area. When some of my 15 year old dental crowns were removed, it was discovered that the remaining tooth structure needed to be extracted.

Currently, on the right side of my mouth, 2 teeth were extracted - one on the bottom and one on the top; I had two root canals fused together when the double crown was removed and one of those teeth has a hole where the temporary filling fell out; I have a tooth on the upper right side near the front of the mouth, that has split and a piece broke off. I have been trying to fill both these teeth with the fillings you can buy at Walmart, but right now, I think the tooth is becoming infected. The gum is sore and the tooth sits at the gum line. If I try packing the tooth with the temporary filling some must be getting under the gum and causing this pain I am experiencing.

On my right side, the only side I can chew on, a tooth that had a root canal procedure just cracked around the temporary filling. The filling is loose so I have to be extremely careful not to chew something hard or too chewy with the fear that filling will fall out and then I'm left with yet another whole in a tooth.

I just do not have the money to have my teeth fixed. Even with the insurance we have, my out of pocket expense is just ridiculous. I can eat soft foods, but I have to do my best to get what gets stuck in the wholes in my teeth. I want to be able to eat and chew a burger, piece of chicken, even a nice salad with out the fear that I might break a tooth.

I have asked dentists in the past about payment plans - making reasonable payments, but none have agreed. We don't have a savings account, we live paycheck to paycheck. I make certain that my kids regularly brush their teeth and have dental checkups. About 2yrs ago I lost my father in law to endocarditis - brought on with a gum infection. This scares me soo bad because I believe I have some sort of infection in my mouth. I have checked into the Dental school near us but, it is too much money that I don't have to get my teeth fixed - much less for just one tooth! I am miserable living with my mouth in this condition, and afraid I will die with them like this or pretty much worse.

Michele McDermott
Baltimore, MD - Essex