This is a perfect description of my situation too. The only dental work that I can get covered is checkups and cleanings.
A while back I was told I needed a root canal but they (the clinic I go to) can't do those and they're not covered anyway. The other option was to just have the tooth pulled, which the clinic can do for a reasonable fee, but the dentist recommended that I not get it pulled for a bunch of reasons including long term health related reasons. I knew I did NOT want that, so I decided to put off doing anything and just deal with the pain in the hopes I'd be able to pay for the RC later or borrow the money or something.
Many months later I decided enough was enough, I had been in too much pain for too long, I'd just bite the bullet (ha) and pay for it even though I still couldn't afford it. Went back to the dentist and they said it was too late for a root canal, too much of the tooth had deteriorated. Now the option was to just have it pulled or to have replaced with an implant, which the dentist strongly suggested I do if I could. But doing that would be over a thousand dollars more than the root canal was going to cost! In other words, not possible for a poor person like me. So I just had it fucking pulled, exactly what I had been hoping to avoid.
Now I'm having similar pain on the opposite side of my mouth and I know it's going to be the same thing all over. Like you said, the loop begins again. I always had healthy teeth, never even had a single cavity until after I was 30. It's like I'm falling apart, not just my teeth but in all sorts of ways, but I can't afford to do anything about it.
This is a perfect description of my situation too. The only dental work that I can get covered is checkups and cleanings.
A while back I was told I needed a root canal but they (the clinic I go to) can't do those and they're not covered anyway. The other option was to just have the tooth pulled, which the clinic can do for a reasonable fee, but the dentist recommended that I not get it pulled for a bunch of reasons including long term health related reasons. I knew I did NOT want that, so I decided to put off doing anything and just deal with the pain in the hopes I'd be able to pay for the RC later or borrow the money or something.
Many months later I decided enough was enough, I had been in too much pain for too long, I'd just bite the bullet (ha) and pay for it even though I still couldn't afford it. Went back to the dentist and they said it was too late for a root canal, too much of the tooth had deteriorated. Now the option was to just have it pulled or to have replaced with an implant, which the dentist strongly suggested I do if I could. But doing that would be over a thousand dollars more than the root canal was going to cost! In other words, not possible for a poor person like me. So I just had it fucking pulled, exactly what I had been hoping to avoid.
Now I'm having similar pain on the opposite side of my mouth and I know it's going to be the same thing all over. Like you said, the loop begins again. I always had healthy teeth, never even had a single cavity until after I was 30. It's like I'm falling apart, not just my teeth but in all sorts of ways, but I can't afford to do anything about it.