Rotten Teeth,cant Get a Dentist

Updated on November 28, 2016
J.V. asks from Redding, CA
17 answers

My 3yr old has really bad rotten teeth, i know im the one to blame for it and it kills me every second every day. I dont know what to do anymore we cant get a dentist in our area to treat him,we keep getting sent back and fourth, here and there ect and now we dont have insurance. He needs to be seen asap to get whats left pulled out,im tired of making my son wait any longer! Does anyone know were i can take my son as a walk in emergency teeth extractiona? He would be a new patient no insurance. But i have a few hundred dollars in my wallet. Please my son needs to be seen. Anything answers will help,i can travel to wherever we need to go.

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Featured Answers

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

http://www.freedentalcare.us/st/california

You can Google 'dental care California' and see what else you can find.

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B.P.

answers from Denver on

Do you qualify for any aid? medicaid for children covers dental. Take him to a children's hospital for now, but i would investigate medicaid so that he the care he needs on a regular basis to prevent decay in his permanent teeth.

3 moms found this helpful

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C.W.

answers from Santa Barbara on

In California Medi-Cal covers dental treatment as well as medical coverage. Not all dentists accept it but many do. If you don't have Medi-Cal go tomorrow morning to social services and they will sign you up tomorrow. Today you can look online to see who accepts it in your area....even if you have to drive an hour which seems unlikely.

6 moms found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

You don't walk in to an ER for oral surgery like this. You get your pediatrician to advocate for you, or you go to a children's hospital (but don't expect extractions that day - and maybe not at all; this needs evaluation and you don't make the call), or a teaching clinic at a dental school where they will at least give a free or low cost exam. Take whatever x-rays you have from a prior dentist - these are yours because you paid for them.

Also get some really good parental counseling on how to provide better care gong forward. You won't have the luxury of pulling out permanent teeth.

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P.K.

answers from New York on

Go to a teaching hospital dental clinic.

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S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i don't believe for a second that you 'can't get a dentist.'
if you don't have insurance and your 3 year old has a mouthful of rotten teeth you probably need more than a few hundred dollars. that is sad and crazy and insane-making i agree, but that's the reality of health care in america.
do what you need to and get a credit card or sell your family china or something and raise the money to get your child's teeth fixed. it may well be a few thousand.
i'm in maryland so no, i can't make a recommendation for a CA dentist. but i know for a fact that they exist.
khairete
S.

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R..

answers from San Antonio on

I will second a dental school/college.

I can tell you from my own kids getting a bad dental genetic lottery (we are healthy eaters, and tooth hygiene fanatics) but they still end up with a fair share of cavities. Some of their baby teeth came in with weak or no enamel on them. So far their permanent ones are strong and healthy, thank God!!

They cannot and will not just pull out baby teeth. Baby teeth work as "place holders" for the permanent teeth that are to come in from ages around 6 through 12 or 13 years old. That is why there are only two options for really bad baby teeth.

One, they do a baby root canal and cap/crown the tooth. This removes the infection and covers the tooth with a "fake" one to hold the place for the permanent tooth to come later. Or two, they do pull the tooth and place a metal spacer in the place of the tooth. It is a metal piece that attaches to the teeth on both sides of the hole where they pulled the tooth. Then that holds the place open for the tooth to grow into later.

You have to have teeth or spacers to not have permanent teeth growing in willy nilly like crazy all over the place in the mouth. Talk about future orthodontic costs. (And I think it might leave a dentist open to future lawsuits to cover those costs).

So that brings up cost. A baby root canal and crown/cap here in Texas where I live is a little over a thousand dollars a tooth. Yes, that is right $1000 - $1200 a tooth. To pull a tooth is around $300-$400 per tooth and a spacer is about $200-$400 per spacer. (But you have to have teeth to attach the spacer on). Our dentist will send you to an orthodontist to have the spacer made and put in place.

So call the dental college mentioned below tomorrow morning first thing and get him seen ASAP. They will either work out a payment plan or do it for no charge if you let the dental students preform the work. Good luck!!!

4 moms found this helpful

K.A.

answers from San Diego on

I see this is your first post which leaves me feeling cautious but I will answer on the chance this is real and because this information may help another in need.
If you are in CA you can call "211" from any phone and they will help you get the care you need.
http://211california.org/

3 moms found this helpful

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

I have a hard time believing that you can't get a dentist.

Dental insurance is not a necessity to see a dentist. I quite frankly believe dental insurance is a rip off and I just save the money I would spend on premiums. I pay cash at the dentist and get a discount.

Most dentists will work out a payment plan as well.

You won't be able to just pull your kid's teeth once permanent teeth come in. Learn about proper dental health. Poor dental health can lead to many diseases and be potentially deadly. Maybe your child has more than rotten teeth going on in his little body.

Make this a priority and stop saying "can't" because when it comes to your child's health it's your job as a parent to take care of that child.

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N.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

You are frustrated. Get over that. You feel guilty, get over that.

You MUST go to a pediatric dentist. Sounds like the reason you're getting shuffled around is that you aren't going to a real pediatric dentist. They ONLY treat babies, toddlers, preschool agers, and young elementary age kids.

They don't treat families or big kids or adults. They ONLY treat itty bitty kids. That is their speciality. Not all dentists are equal.

Go to your insurance online page, to the find a doc in your area. Then go to dentists and find those that say Pediatric Dentists.

Call each one of them and listen to the person who answers. If they can tell you what a pediatric dentist is, why they treat only itty bitty kids, what sort of methods they use to do the work such as anesthesia in a local hospital as an outpatient procedure or they use relaxation medication along with laughing gas versus plain old shots in the mouth. Ask questions.

Find the one that works best with little ones.

1. Using anesthesia to get dental work done on these little ones is the most humane and safe way to get a bunch done at once. Fillings, extractions, caps, etc..they can do several things at once in a much shorter time frame if the child is asleep and being monitored by a professional anesthesiologist. The dentist can do the work and other medical staff is nearby if there is any sort of problem.

2. A pediatric dentist is going to focus on the health of the child. They are going to see rotten teeth but not OMG, PULL THEM ALL!!!. They're going to look at the timeframe that child will have until they have permanent teeth coming in and how the child will eat, look to others, and have healthy jawbone growth.

3. They will do fillings and caps and so much more before just yanking out teeth.

4. Teeth conditions are often hereditary and not a result of anything the child is eating or drinking or the water they drink with fluoride or anything. They will have things for you to do that will help your child to have a healthier mouth environment overall.

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Down here in the Sacramento area, there are free medical and dental days at Cal Expo periodically. I'd do a Google search to find the organization sponsoring those.

If you need dental insurance, look into Delta Dental's DeltaCare independent plan. We get that because my husband's company doesn't offer dental insurance and I was self-employed until just recently. It's a very inexpensive plan and should at least open doors at some dentists who wouldn't see you otherwise.

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

Why won't a dentist treat him? I suggest that there is nothing that can be done because all his teeth are rotten. Our dentist does not pull baby teeth unless it's infected. My grandson had one molar pulled. Had a root canal and the tooth capped. It is not possible to cap all his teeth. A dentist.will not pull his teeth because your child needs those baby teeth so that his permanent teeth will come in correctly.

Does your son have pain when he eats and drinks? Focus on how to provide food and drink at a temperature that causes less pain.

2 moms found this helpful

C.T.

answers from Santa Fe on

You got some good advice. After you get his teeth fixed don't forget to practice good habits. Don't give him much juice. Don't let him have sugary drinks like soda or punch. Don't let him have milk at night where he might fall asleep with it in his mouth. During the day have him drink only milk and water. The rare juice is fine too but don't let him drink juice all day long. i remember I used to water down my kid's juice with half water when they were little and liked apple juice. Brush twice a day. Feed him snacks that are not sugary. My kids are 7 and 12 and they are allowed one soda a week if we happen to go out. We don't buy it so it is not in the house to tempt us. At mealtimes they usually have water or milk. Good luck! (PS - I had a ton of cavities as a kid probably bc I really loved soda and drank it daily).

1 mom found this helpful

E.J.

answers from Chicago on

Out here we have a mobile county dentist that comes to the schools twice a year. I believe it is funded by local dentists and the county.

You can try calling your local school district and/or county to find out if you have this area.

At this point, it sounds like a children's hospital would be your best option, but find out if this resource or ones like this are in your area. This will allow you to have regular dental check ups for your son. Regular check ups can help prevent catastrophic dental problems in the future.

Good luck.

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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

You may need to travel some, since you live in a more remote area. University of the Pacific, down in Stockton, has an excellent dental program (according to a quick online search I just did - they are one of the highest rated in the country). I would suggest contacting them to ask if they can help you. Because it's a teaching program, it would cost a lot less than going to a private dentist, but you would still receive top-notch care. Give them a call on Monday morning and see what they can offer you.

In the meantime, you would start researching local dentists as well so that you have someone to help with long-term dental needs. You should probably find one that specializes in pediatric dentistry since your son will need a lot of specialized care for awhile.

Updated

You may need to travel some, since you live in a more remote area. University of the Pacific, down in Stockton, has an excellent dental program (according to a quick online search I just did - they are one of the highest rated in the country). I would suggest contacting them to ask if they can help you. Because it's a teaching program, it would cost a lot less than going to a private dentist, but you would still receive top-notch care. Give them a call on Monday morning and see what they can offer you.

In the meantime, you would start researching local dentists as well so that you have someone to help with long-term dental needs. You should probably find one that specializes in pediatric dentistry since your son will need a lot of specialized care for awhile.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

Get online and apply for Medi-Cal for your son. I would call dentists who accept Medi-Cal - they will be the best price and they may give you a discount for cash. But the others are right, you need a pediatric dentist and I doubt anyone will be extractions on a walk-in basis.

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J.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

If his teeth are that bad go to a children's hospital for treatment. It sounds like this is as much a medical issue as a dental issue. (Childrens hospitals have dentist on staff...I have two friends with kids that have very special needs and local dentists refused to treat them because of all the medication they take.) Good luck!

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