Center of Cosmetic Dentistry Blog

For a number of reasons (lack of insurance, fear of dentistry, and many years of medications that caused extreme dry mouth), my teeth are in poor condition. At last, the work has begun, starting with 2 extractions and the removal of an infected root tip from a previous failed root canal. I still need quite a few fillings and as many as 4 root canals, not to mention restorative work (a bridge, implants, or partial). My current problem is that several teeth needing root canal treatment are hurting simultaneously, but it’s hard getting appointments closer than one month apart. Not to mention that coming up with the funds for RCT procedure + posts and crowns x 3 would be a real hardship right now. So I guess my question is, can the root canals be done first and the posts/crowns postponed? Or is there something else that can be done to alleviate the pain, as I have no choice but to deal with these teeth one at a time. I will be posing these same questions to my dentist at my next appointment, but any outside ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Kathy from Florida

Kathy,
Yes, there are ways of phasing treatment when you need as much work as you do. And there are ways to do the root canal treatments first and the rest of the work as you can pay for it.

I’m not sure why you’re not able to get appointments any closer than one month apart. If that’s your choice or if the reasons are financial, then maybe you have to live with that. But you should expect your dentist to be able to get you in promptly when you are hurting.

As far as moving ahead with the crowns and when you have to do that, that’s a judgment call that you need to address with your dentist. You don’t want to leave the root canal tooth vulnerable to cracking, as you could risk losing the tooth. But often a core can be placed in the tooth to help strengthen it until you can get the crown done, and, depending on the tooth, that can hold up for several months to a couple of years, enabling you to pace your treatment.

Read more about affordable dental implants in Chicago.
Or about affordable dentistry in Chicago.

My two canine teeth look like ones of a vampire and I’d love to get them fixed. But I don’t think I can afford to get them done since I am saving up for college. Do you know of any cheaper ways to fix my smile?
- Samantha from Chicago

Samantha,
There are a lot of ways to improve your smile other than porcelain veneers, and the options can be fairly affordable.

I wouldn’t know for sure without seeing you, but you could be a candidate for cosmetic contouring, which is relatively inexpensive. You could add tooth whitening to that and it still wouldn’t be very expensive.

If that didn’t work for your case, Invisalign invisible braces can be less expensive than veneers.

We do complimentary consultations for people who have questions about the cost of procedures, so we’d be happy to see you and see what might be involved in helping you out.

Related links:
See our page about affordable cosmetic dentistry in Chicago.