Q.
I am really really confused on what to do. My whole life I was complimented on my smile, my smile was the only thing I had going for me, I lost that smile 2 years ago.I have been having so many problems I don’t know where to turn or where to begin. I am on my 4th dentist just this last year and paid over $3,500 already…my problem began with a space that started 2 years ago with my front teeth..I was told I had periodontal disease, I could never afford the money to have that problem resolved so with that I started losing my back bottom teeth, and now 3 more bottom teeth need root canal treatment.I only have 8 teeth on the bottom and I now need 2 pulled in the back at the top.Most of my teeth are crowned at the top but.the latest dentist told me I need the 2 back teeth pulled because they are growing down because I have no bottom teeth to stop them from growing.If I get that done, and have the surgery (which I can’t), he said I can get braces after that to fix the gap I now have between my teeth…can I still get braces with so many pulled teeth and having crowns which are over 15 years old? Won’t they get weak and fall out? Since I have so many problems, should I get them all pulled and get dentures? Do I get my 3 bottom teeth root canaled and then get a partial? I don’t know what to do first, being I can afford all the work, I think my best bet would be to get them all pulled but my dentist doesn’t recommend me doing that.I also keep getting abcess, the last one almost put me in the hospital, it was all through my body, I woke up with it and couldn’t even stand,I am just so confused.I haven’t taken a picture or smiled in 2 years and this has gotten me so depressed.I cry every time I look in the mirror, I brush my teeth looking down so I don’t see myself…I don’t even know if I trust these dentist because my first dentist did some work (scaling) and sent me to an orthodontist for my braces and after this new dentist took x-rays, fitted me for braces, he told me he needed a letter from a endo (some other type of dentist), so I had to go to this new dentist who told me I needed a lot more work before I got my braces…so he sent me to yet another dentist, who then pulled 2 teeth and just told me I needed to more pulled.I had 4 sets of x-rays done by each dentist, they all did some work, and I’m back where I started.PLEASE tell me what to do, if you can lead me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.I hate myself right now and I can’t live like this anymore ;((

Thank You!!!