[BeyondtheRainbow]

I just got home from the dentist with appointments for $1200 of dental work to be done in the next few months. 6 major fillings. I just had several other big fillings done a few months ago. Every time I go to the dentist they find more work that has to be done. Not usually $1200 worth, but I am constantly paying dental bills. And I have no idea how I'll come up with the payments for $1200 worth of dental work. I have a feeling I'll have to space it out more but it has to be done in the next 6 months so that it is done before my next check-up adds more to the list.

This is all from my meds. I had hoped it would be better since I no longer have dry mouth so badly (Clozaril causes excess saliva) but apparently not.

I'll admit to not being fabulous with dental care while I was so sick for so long. And I didn't do a good job at all using the extra flouride treatment I am supposed to use because it easily gags me. I'm using it now but it hasn't had time to work.

I am so frustrated. I just want money to be NOT stressful and stupid dental bills just ruined that for the next many months. I was actually doing ok until this.

so sad...

[Skeezyks]

Hello BeyondtheRainbow: I'm sorry you are facing these expensive dental procedures. I'm no longer on med's of any kind. And one of the reasons for this (among others) is fear of what the med's might do to my teeth.

Growing up, I wasn't taught good dental care. By the time I reached my early twenties my teeth started breaking one after another. Some of them were pulled. (Nowadays they wouldn't be. But back then, I guess there weren't the options there are today. Or at least they weren't offered to me.)

Each time I would have one pulled, I would freak out! Eventually it occurred to me that if I took better care of my teeth, perhaps I wouldn't keep having so much difficulty. And, over the years, I've become quite compulsive about it. So the teeth I have left are in good shape. Yet I still carry the fear around. Anyway, I send you my best wishes with the hope that you will be able to put all of these bills behind you.

[Travelinglady]

So sorry, beyondtherainbow. Have you considered checking to see if another good dentist isn't so expensive?

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Oh, that's part of my problem. I pay a bit more for this dentist because he is familiar with bipolar and PTSD and that is worth something.

I have really crappy insurance because it is an individual plan. If I lived in a city or searched really hard in the city where I go for therapy and my family dr (an hour away) I might find someone who is covered slightly better but it only amounts to a few dollars difference in the long run.

I think Medicare needs to cover dental. I remember my patients used to complain about that and now I completely understand why.

Tomorrow I have a vision appointment with my individual vision plan and it's not so bad except that I just spent the money I meant to spend on vision on dental.....argh. Too late to cancel though. Maybe they won't make me pay until my new glasses arrive. That's what my old eye dr. did. This one is a new one.

Did I mention my therapist cancelled yesterday because he was in the ER? I have an appt. later in the week but he has a chronic condition and if it flared up badly enough for him to be in the ER he won't be back yet this week. So I'm just a little stressed anyway.....

I also have only slept in my own bed once in the last 10 days b/c I've been housesitting. I'm overwhelmed and this crowned it. My mom has a plan to help pay for all of this but I hate that it involves cutting what I pay her in rent for the next several months.

So maybe, maybe this isn't all about the dentist....

[Unrigged64072835]

I also have dental problems caused by dry mouth and mediocre maintenance. I just had my gums rebuilt. That was really expensive, even with insurance. I know there's products specifically for dry mouth but I can't get myself to use them.

I hope your therapist feels better.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Biotene tastes like warm spit. Baking soda toothpaste and gum help more and taste a lot better.

My gums so far haven't suffered. Just my poor teeth. THey aren't even a good color; my 3 year old niece has asked me a few times why my teeth are yellow. They aren't THAT bad but they aren't that good either.

I'm sure my therapist says thanks . I hope he was in the ER for a cut that needed stitches or something; his chronic problem is really bad when it flares. He actually got sick with it the first time during my session so I have seen a bit of how horrible it is and what I saw wasn't even close to the worst. So I'm praying he is feeling better and isn't going through the same thing.

[Nammu]

Both Medicare and Medicaid need to cover dental. Thanks to meds my teeth deteriorated rapidly after I started on meds, cotton mouth and back then no one warned me that despite the thirst quenching power of Mountain Dew it was accelerating the decay. Dental was always beyond my means so I ended up having teeth pulled. Back in my 40's I ended up with dentures. Implants are way beyond my means but something I dream of.

[Christopher1990]

What meds do you believe cause damage to your teeth? From what I know it's the pain meds that can damage your teeth, but I didn't think psych meds could? I've often wondered about this because I've always had pretty good teeth after braces. Only a few caviteas though my last appointment had 2. Probably because I stopped brushing while in deep depression. But, no major problems yet.

Originally Posted by Christopher1990

What meds do you believe cause damage to your teeth?

Just for starters, Google around and you will find reports, however inconclusive and anecdotal, that lithium wrecks your teeth over the long haul. I seem to remember hearing this from a dentist a while ago, but I haven't taken lithium since it plugged up my kidneys during the Bush administration. Other psychotropic meds that cause dry mouth could conceivably result in the same damage to your teeth and gums as that caused by the dry mouth damage from crystal meth.

Medicare, on which I necessarily rely, will never cover dental expenses. Obamacare, for all its good intentions, was poorly engineered and is approaching collapse, Medicare is not a sustainable program given our federal deficit and unfunded obligations, and the $130/month HMSA Medicare supplemental policy that I pay for only slightly discounts dental maintenance and procedures performed by a very small group of selected mediocre dentists in my city. I still have to pay $100 out-of-pocket for semi-annual cleaning and x-rays and $150 for a straightforward cavity filling. I had to have a $94,000 cardiac procedure in December, and my medical expenses above and beyond insurance coverage driving me and my family to the poorhouse is a major anxiety.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I've never been told a specific med was hard on the teeth but the extreme dry mouth was. I've been on high doses of lots of meds over the years (I've had trouble getting meds that worked so I've been on high to extremely doses of more than an average number of meds over the last 14 years, often a bunch of meds that all added to the dry mouth) and my dentist says I probably didn't have very strong teeth to begin with as a genetic thing, plus I had unflouridated water growing up.

I drink a ton of water and some milk and very little sugary drinks. Aside from my recent bad episode I've had good oral care and even then they said I'm getting my teeth clean enough.

I do grind my teeth badly and that hasn't helped things but I haven't had any new big issues from that in a few years. I don't know if the grinding weakens the enamal at all.

Eventually I'm going to have nothing but fillings.

[Ripose]

Fluoride in the water supply does absolutely nothing for tooth decay, if anything it actually damages the teeth. Fluoride is a mild sedative and reduces IQ (up to 15 points), it is actually a poisonous byproduct left over from a manufacturing process (don't remember which).

If you buy bottled water you should check the label to see if contains fluoride, if it does buy a different brand without it.

Sorry for the lack supporting links but I don't remember where my info came from, but it is all over the internet.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I'm basing my statements on fluoride on what my dentist recommends to me (including supplemental fluoride daily). My internet research supports this. But I can only speak for what is recommended to me, not for anyone else.

I'm having to have a periodontal procedure done on my gums due to my high blood pressure meds and made worse by the drying effects of my psych meds. I quite like the taste of Biotene which i've just started. I've also stepped up my hygiene and made an appointment to switch to a newer blood pressure med so hopefully this procedure will be a one-time thing.

Luckily i have a good dental plan and only have to pay $72 for this $720 procedure. Still, i'm not looking forward to it as it will be 40 minutes under the knife and i am a dental trauma survivor from when i was 14. I like the periodontist which is a definite plus.

I like my periodontist, i like my dentist, i like my GP and i like my new vet. It's a good feeling!

P.S.: I wear a night guard due to teeth grinding and that probably makes the drying worse. I resisted advice to get a night guard for years and i'm so mad at myself for that because once enamel is gone, it doesn't grow back. My back bottom teeth are so ground down they're flat and occasionally sensitive. Take heed!

Stupid question of the day: why would a night guard make the drying worse? Wouldn't it stimulate your salivary glands and pool saliva around your teeth? Just talking out of my butt, here.

I feel for you, Rainbow. Dental costs are insane! My boyfriend's mom took antibiotics during pregnancy and my boyfriend grew up with damaged teeth. Crowns, etc. so expensive. Big money.

I take a lot of meds and have fillings from my younger years. No cavities or crowns as an adult yet. I always have a beverage with me (no sugar). If I wake up in the middle of the night, I take a sip so my mouth isn't dry. I do this all day, too.

I'm a big fan of flossing and Listerine. I love the Listerine burn, lol. Give it a shot. Glide is my favorite floss. Once you get into the habit of flossing, your mouth won't feel clean without it.

I just bought a Sonic Care electric toothbrush and love it.

I know this doesn't help your current situation but maybe for the future?

Lefty: The night guard makes it hard to close your mouth so it gapes open in the night and the drying effect is even worse.