At least they have most of their teeth!
Look, as long as they can chew sumthin', my job is easy :)
You know, my husband has really bad teeth. THey are soft and there's no more enamel to protect them.
Last time he went to the dentist, our cost after insurance was over $8000. He needed (and still needs) like 19 crowns, 5-6 implants, lots of caps, fillings, etc.
We'll get just enough money to start doing things, but then won't have enough to finish. Like he got 4 root canals (on the same day) and when it was time to go back in and have tem packed, etc, it was too late and he had to have them all pulled (and they were all back molars which will now have to be implants.
I feel so bad for him because I know it affects his self esteem. He can't smile because he's missing one front tooth and the other is almost rotted away (it's paper thin).
But we can't afford getting the work done and he doesn't have insurance. Even with insurance, it doesn't cover a lot.
It makes me mad that you can go in for medical services and they will most likely bill you. But if you have a dental problem, and one that could seriously infect you and/or cause health problems, they want payment at time of service.
Ugh....I'm tempted to apply for Extreme Make over for him...