#Literally I watch someone on youtube who has an autoimmune disorder and he said that getting some cavities fixed helped flare ups go down

[0dotexe]

I've had four root canals done in a period of two weeks - this is not an exaggeration

How did I get here? Well… The starting point of this story is a bit hazy. I only have a handful of tooth related incidents that happened in the US that have been remedied or are going to be remedied in Mexico. I wanted to reflect on this this week.

Come join me as I talk about the fractured system of dental healthcare in the US and how Mexico is saving my mouth from disaster.

My dental health has always been between sub-par to terrible.

No matter what I did - or didn't do - my teeth would literally fall apart at the seams no matter what. I lost a lot of my baby teeth very early on (all of them having some cavity of varying intensity) and a lot of my adult teeth didn't really properly develop (there are some where the roots do not show up in x-rays) I also have had a ridiculous sugar addiction from the age of 6 to now (which I am desperately trying to break with varying success)

Unfortunately for me, I also grew up poor. I had to rely on a system that was severely underfunded (LaCHIP for those interested, it was terrible.) There's a really great video that I highly recommend watching to understand how these programs work, because I do not have the time or language to explain it better than how she does. I will admit, this video made me cry from how similar my experiences were in relation to the Medicare portion of this video.

Think of a procedure, and I've probably had it done. I've had numerous root canals (even before now), extractions, I have a bridge, I have metal fillings, I have these weird metal teeth protectors, some veneers somehow. Needless to say, my mouth is a mess, and it continues to be a mess. My dentist is trying everything in her power to not resort to dentures because of my age and also because of my autoimmune disorders (which, funnily enough, are becoming less and less disabling since I've been getting work done)

However, for perspective, a lot of dental work that was done on me was done with really low quality materials and undertrained staff. Especially during a time where things like depression and autism weren't as understood in their ability to severely impact how ones dental health can become without the proper precautions and alternatives.

You see, for 20 years, I didn't brush my teeth. This is also not an exaggeration. This happened partially because every time I tried to it hurt like hell because of sensory issues, but also because no one really taught me how to without being condescending about it in the first place. Don't worry, I'm brushing them almost daily now!

Now, I want to share with you a handful of stories.

For a good portion of my dentist appointments in the US, I was rebuked for my poor dental health. One time I told them I didn't know how to brush my teeth, and they just laughed in my face about it. From that point on I lied about brushing my teeth. At one point I was even asked if I was doing crack cocaine because of how bad my teeth were, and one of my teeth got so bad it turned completely black and stayed that way for 5-6 years. One of my front teeth got "fixed" four times before it completely broke and had to get a bridge over it. A metal filling I have has caused one of my molars to start to dissolve, probably because they used mercury. But out of all of these, the most offensive of my tooth stories has to be my broken molar.

During the middle of 2021, I had a molar that broke. It exposed the nerve and everything, and the tooth was disappearing at an alarming rate. I looked for a local place in town that could do emergency dental work without insurance, but was put on a two week waiting list because COVID restrictions were only just slowly being lifted. "Fine," I thought, "Not the worst."

It got worse. About a week in, the tooth basically lost 90% of its mass, leaving the exposed nerve even more exposed. I ate something, and bam, the nerve had gotten pinched. It was honestly one of the worst pains I've ever been in. It radiated from my jaw to my ear, making me lose hearing for a bit. Any time ANYTHING touched that area, I would go into an uncontrolable shaking fit and had to alternate between ice packs, heating pads, and waaaaay too much pain meds. I would never wish this pain on anyone.

Finally, the appointment day arrives. I'm excited to finally get this taken care of before I'm set to fly out and get married. People file in and out of the place, as expected. When my turn arrives, I'm given the standard x-rays, then looked at by some nice dental assistants who look at my gums and plaque (and cavities too)

Then, the dentist arrives. I've shown everyone else my vaccination card to ensure that I am safe to work on. The dentist says, "I'm not afraid of some virus," while looking at my chart. 'Okay…' I think to myself, already realizing what kind of dentist this is, as I've seen types like him many times before.

As I tell him that I have a severe issue that literally needs to be taken care of right now, he gives it a glance, says, "That's pretty bad, but it looks infected so we'll have to put you on antibiotics before we can do anything about it." And then leaves before I have a chance to protest.

At this point, I am fuming. I came here for an EMERGANCY, my root is EXPOSED, my ear fucking HURTS. And this joke of a dentist says "We'll get to it when we get to it." No.. No fucking way. As I wait to be called to another room so they can set up another appointment (one I was hoping was sooner rather than later) I tell my now husband about the ordeal.

Because this was the free appointment, I didn't have to pay anything, but they did show me the amount it WOULD have been. Let me tell you, it made me even more frustrated. It would have been approxamately $200 for that appointment, and the appointment after that would have been anywhere from $1500-2000 just for the root canal of the problematic tooth. And the date they wanted to set it for? The day after I flew out to Mexico.

I, being raised to not make a stink to people just doing their job, declined their invitation to come back. Giving them my valid reasoning of literally being out of the country during that time. They gave me my x-ray and I left, absolutely chuffed.

That very tooth that I'm talking about? Just got a root canal done on it yesterday, in January 2023. For a fraction of the price it would have ever been in the US if I had decided to trust that slimy dentist. I am aware that not all dentists are like this, but almost every single one I ran into in the US mirrored this dentist in some way or another. Prescribing an unnecessary amount of medication, overcharging for basic procedures or even just being looked at, having a condescending tone about them.

It's no wonder I have had shit teeth for so long.

At one point, I was even begging to get dentures because I could barely eat or drink anything without a substantial amount of pain. I have an unusually high pain tolerance too, so if it was bad enough to send my pain receptors into overdrive, who knows how long or how much it would have cost to be able to do half of what my dentist here in Mexico has done.

I am honestly forever grateful for her. She has been taking her time with my teeth to make sure nothing shifts my mouth too much, she has been extremely understanding of my situation, and has even felt shock at the stories I have told her about my teeth and the dentists I had to deal with in the US. She has literally inspired me to try my best to keep whatever bone I have left in this poor excuse of a mouth. I can deal with the pain of a handful (we're up to 6 now) of root canals and future extractions (which is expected to be 2 or 3, depending)

Medical tourism in Mexico is a huge thing, especially for dental work, and it's no wonder. If you are a dentist or wanting to be a dentist in the US, I beg you to be kind to your patients. Especially the poor, disabled, or underprivileged ones. It makes all the difference between if your patient has perfect teeth for decades or has next to nothing left after a quarter of their life.

If you're like me and struggle to keep up with your dental health because of sensory issues or depression, here's a fantastic video about alternatives.

That's my piece. Feel free to respond with your own experiences.

⬖.Exe