Questions for a dentist (Serious replies only please)?

I have dental anxiety and have not been to the dentist in over ten years.I am now in my late 20's and getting married next year and would like to get my teeth taken care of.I have many loose and missing fillings and teeth and decay.My teeth effect my everyday life in a negative way.I have pain (on average every month or so), I can no longer eat certain foods (anything crunchy, hard or chewy) due to the enamel breaking more and I always smile with my mouth closed.I've actually had someone tell me that I'd be a pretty girl if it wasn't for my smile.I need help, I can't take the pain and embarra*sment anymore.I don't have much money, but I do have dental insurance.What should I expect as far as cost and repair and does anyone know if any good dentists in the Florissant, Missouri area?
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I am 38, and yesterday went in for the first of several months of treatment for the same problem as you described.I had many cracked and broken teeth and enamel loss on most of the remainder.I had not smiled in well over 15 years and my last dental visit before this was 10 years ago.The best thing to do is shop around, and you need to judge not only the price, but how you feel that dentist is looking out for your best interests.I have listed all the pricing from my shopping around below.After my first dental appointment i was told that i definitely needed to see a prosthodontic specialist since the damage was far to sever for repair.I finally went with Dentist #4, as he actually seemed to care the most about my long term health.Edit: Forgot to tell you, some dentists will treat you like you are an idiot child and will speak down to you.If they do, get up and walk out.You are going to be giving them A LOT of money.3 out of 4 i found were very caring, but i had a couple that were downright hostile and making rude comments during the evaluation, and one i walked out in tears.Rough breakdown of the estimates i received for cost (i do not have insurance so these are the total costs for me) Dentist #1 Extraction of teeth in upper jaw #4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 -$3025.00 Extraction of teeth in lower jaw #19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29 -$3025.000 Immediate Denture Top and Bottom -$3400 Relining of Immediate Denture after healing -$1100.00 Total: $10,550.00 Dentist #2 Extraction of teeth in upper jaw #4,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,14 -$3375.00 Root Canal therapy #5,12 -$1700.00 Post attachment #5,12 -$1950.00 Extraction of teeth in lower jaw #19,20,21,23,24,25,26,28,29 -$3375.00 Root Canal therapy #22,27 -$1500.00 Post attachment #22,27 -$1950.00 Denture for top and bottom -$3500 Total: $20,850.00 Dentist #3 Extraction of teeth in lower jaw #19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29 4 or 5 implants in lower jaw (can not tell until CAT scan) Bone Graft to lower jaw in foreseen problem areas Temporary Denture (while implants heal) Porcelain Bridge Total: $24,000 (approx) Upper Jaw Option 1: Extraction of teeth in upper jaw #4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 Denture Total: $6,000 (approx) Upper Jaw Option 2: Extraction of teeth in upper jaw #4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 5 or 6 Implants (to stop bone loss) Denture Total: $14,000 (approx) Upper Jaw Option 3: Extraction of teeth in upper jaw #4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 5 or 6 implants in upper jaw (can not tell until cat scan) Bone Graft to upper jaw in foreseen problem areas Temporary Denture (while implants heal) Porcelain Bridge Total: $26,000 (approx) Dentist #4 Extraction of teeth in upper jaw #4,6,7,8,9,10,11,13,14 -$3375.00 Root Canal therapy #5,12 -$1700.00 Post attachment #5,12 -$1950.00 Denture for Upper Jaw -$1750.00 Extraction of teeth in lower jaw #19,20,21,23,24,25,26,28,29 -$3375.00 6-8 Implants in lower Jaw: $10,000 Porcelian Bridge: $10,000 Temporary Denture while healing: $1750 Total: $35,900 (approx) I had all the extraction done in one sitting yesterday....Today i feel 100% better then i have for the last 10 years.I was also told that since there were a few low grade infections that in the next couple weeks i might get more energy and just have an overall sense of feeling better.Price is a huge factor in all this and no dental insurance will probably cover all this depending on the extent of the work you need to do.But do it....even if you do a bit at a time, or decide to just pull them all and put in dentures (see if they can do some root canal posts to hold the dentures in place) You will feel so much better once it starts, but it will not be a short process.Mine will be finished sometime in December (9 months from now) if all goes well.Oh...one last piece of advice i have been told over and over....if you have to make a choice...put the most money into your lower jaw, a dentures on the top is not that bad compared to the lower.Edit#2: Almost forgot....Since you are only 28, you probably have a long life ahead of you.Getting full dentures will cause bone loss down the road, and could lead to serious problems down the road.If the dentist can do some root canals sheared to the gumline with studs to hold the denture in place, it also helps keep the bone from deterioration as well.Implants will do the same thing, but the root canals are a bit cheaper and faster.Best of luck to you.Feel free to email me if you want to chat.
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