And I HATE the dentist! I haven't gone in literally years and now I'm paying for it. Over the weekend one of my front teeth chipped a bit. So now I have to go, I know my other teeth have a lot of issues as well. This is going to be my first time going to this dentist as I'm no longer under my parent's insurance and now I have my own insurance and I've had to switch dentists. Im dreading the Xrays and all the bad thing's they'll have to say, about my teeth, like my last dentist. Though i'm really hoping their not like that as I already know their in bad shape ya know? I'm really hoping to check into getting Veneers and I'm hoping my insurance will cover them or at least partially being HMO and that they'll work with payment plans considering I'm a full time college studing working part time.

I'm dreading this visit though I know i have to go, and I have a really strong feeling that I'll be spending my summer days working and being at the dentist. So much for a relaxing summer.

Just make sure you have a good dentist. A good dentist makes all the difference. I LOVE going to the dentist because I was very fortunate with a good childhood dentist. A good dentist might be able to change your mind about going. They should not overly berate you about your choice not making semi annual visits. You do not pay them to make you feel bad. If they say, you need to pay more attention to proper dental care then that is their responsibility as a dentist. But they do not need to keep repeating it.

All that said, keeping a proper dental care routine is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle. Improper dental hygiene can lead to a host of other problems so it is best to nip it in the bud and get it taken care of.

Good luck!!

As someone who is absolutely TERRIFIED of the dentist, this is super encouraging. I haven't set foot inside a building containing an on-duty dentist since the day I was free of parental coverage/demand. It has nothing to do with pain or needles, but all gag reflex. Those little Xray bits? NOPE. Nope nope nope. But I know I need to go. Pretty sure I have some sort of issue with a back molar. Seeing you just up and admit that you need to go, and then following through? Inspiring. Like seeing a parent fight off the boogeyman with a flashlight, lol. But I'm dumb. You're smart. Good luck, and go you for taking a leap in the right direction!

Best wishes today, SoCalCowgirl!! the other poster was so right, you made a huge good decision to make the appt. and follow through

and right on, they will let you know what you should be doing but they should NOT berate, nor keep repeating, nor be incredulous "you really floss every day?" as I had a hygienist do to me last year. I paid for the visit (no insurance, $160 out of my pocket) then wrote a short note stating "I do not want the hygienst I had today, 6 months from now" and mailed it and they granted that. Though they did not ask why, and I really wanted to tell them

You are really lucky about having a liftetime of good experiences! Ever since I was a kid I've had nothing but bad experiences, so I would never go, and neither would my parents actually. And I'm really hoping for no berating, I understand the usuall questions they have to ask and all but after asking it once their is no need of repeating themselves.

And having a healthy lifestyle is what kind of made me go ahead and make the appointment. I figure if I want to be healthy and happy, dieting and weightloss isin't the only thing to make that happen. Before I didn't take care my body and now I'm starting to for here on out

The gag reflexes! I HATED them and especially when they would try to talk to you when they were poking and prodding around in your mouth making you gag even more. I'm also dreading the Xray bits lol. Lol I as well have back molar issues, my bottom right is broken as well, but i've just been dealing with it. And I also have a VSD meaning a hole in my heart so whenever I have to go I have any real work done at the dentist I have to take 4 HUGE horse pills, which I HATE taking medicine, especially these. But I have to since their supposed to prevent bacteria from getting to the heart and creating problems. I don't have any today, but I'm sure I'll need them next time and the following visits. I just hate the dentist in general.

And thanks lol it was either this or put up with being embaressed about my front tooth, which I totally broke down and cried when It broke, lol and I never cry but I just lost it. So now that was just kind of the kick start to get my butt to the dentist.

That's exactly how I feel, I'm really hoping for a positive experience with dentist. Hey and no questions asked for a dentist change, that's amazing. Lol though don't you hate it when you prepare this big speach about something then for whatever reason you can't say it, happens all the time for me

Well I finally found a dentist I like. But the holy crap the prices! My insurance is terrible. I need a TON of work done. At lesst 3 root canals, fillings and I have a ton of cavaties *sp*. To do a root canal on my front tooth that broke it costs $875 and the nicer one $1100, and that's just one tooth. The veneers I want, for just 6 of my top teeth, canine to canine is just shy of $6,000, not including all the other work that needs to get done. Ahhhhhh this is killing me I don't know what to do! I can't even afford the $875!

My advice is to make sure the dentist you're going to is a preferred dentist in your dental insurance network (mine is MetLife Dental). This makes all the difference in pricing. I recently had a front crown replaced, and their normal price was about $1,000. Since he was a preferred dentist there is a negotiated price with the ins. company and that price was $614.00! The ins. co. paid 35% of the 614. and I had to pay the difference, which was only $399.00! I also got 2 veneers which the ins. co. does NOT cover because they're "cosmetic". BUT - I still only had to pay the lower ins. price which was $490. each instead of $950. each!

Find out if your dental insurance has the same type of plan and which dentists are in their network.

This dentist was one that was preferred by my dental insurance. I have California Benefits Dental Plan. I was preaproved for a CareCredit cardholder plan and I got a $3000 card limit if I choose to use. That only covers half of the veneers. I got a full page print out of prices. So basically out of pocket cost with veneers is $16,332. Without veneers it still costs $10,572 for everything that needs to be done. I can't afford either, and my parents can't help. I hate this!

You might want to see if there's a dental school local to you? Sometimes they have much better prices than you can get even with good insurance, and while it's a (usually final year) student working on your teeth, there is always an experienced dentist overseeing their work (and grading them, BTW!). Here in Michigan, you can get a cleaning for $10, and cavity fills can be as low as $75. Good thing, given the unemployment rate ...

Be very wary of those medical/dental credit cards!!!!

Also - my dentist did not tell me that I didn't have to pay his full Normal Rate. He sent in a Pre-treatment estimate to the Ins company, and fortunately I was able to see the info online by signing in to the Ins company account. The on-line Pre-treatment Estimate showed his normal rate next to their "negotiated" rate. Have you talked to the insurance company about the Dentist's estimate for each procedure and if they have a cheaper one?

I am glad you found a dentist you like!! Good luck with the pricing... I had to shop around for a dentist to do my crown and some filings. DH and I do not have dental insurance (and don't want it) and it was close to $5,000 to get our teeth fixed. And it was all because I went 10 years inbetween visits and he went 16.

It sucks major having to pay that much money for something that could have been prevented! Lesson learned for us.

I wish I could give advice on cost. Can they do a payment plan?

Getting a print out of the total price is a bit overwhelming...but you might be able to pace the expenses and procedures,so the cost isn't so bad over all.Then again,when I got a print out like that,I ended up looking again for a new dentist and found one that I really like.I get work done a little at a time 1)because of the prices(they are better then the original dentist I saw though)and 2) because even though I love this dentist,the anxiety I get with even making an appt. is still there and hard for me to overcome.