Hi, I shall try to keep this brief. My teeth have always been dodgy (weak teeth run in the family!) and now I’m 54 I have had a couple of molar extracted on one side and have had abscesses previously. I also have a small jaw so they were always overcrowded. I have a private dentist - not through choice there are no NHS ones in the area so very little other options and i have to budget really carefully for mine and the kids checkups/treatments like so many other people are having to.
Trouble is my dentist doesn’t seem to realise this and after a grumbling infection under a crowned tooth she wants to extract this molar too and now says that my only option is implants. 3 of them. For thousands of pounds!!! And that I shouldn’t wait or have a bridge as both would mean my jaw bone degrades so would rule out having implants or reconstruction in the future.
First I can’t afford it unless I took out a bigger loan than the one I took out for my car, plus I’m also worried about the process itself - rejection, nerve damage etc. Should I get a second opinion? Wait to have the tooth extracted? Can I really not wait a few years and save up for the implants in a few years? I feel a bit stuck at the mo and any experience/ advice would be so helpful!
And yes I have an electric toothbrush and water flosser and am really taking care of my teeth but they are just genetically weak :(. Also, don’t mean to be critical of my dentist, she is lovely and I’m sure very competent, but I just want to be sure that I have examined all the options!