My teeth are causing me problems personally and professionally, what can I do?
Dr Hughes,
Forgive me for the long email but I have a few things I would like to ask. My first thing to explain is that I am a very nervous person when it comes to going to the dentist and due to this I have not been in a long time and have only visited a dentist a few times when needed. My parents never explained to me or kept up with my oral hygiene as a child and to complicate further I had a bad experience early on in life with a Dr who extracted two of my teeth (on my parents orders) and left me in pain for what seemed weeks. I am now 30 years old and I am a semi professional golfer trying to break into the industry at any level, but ideally at a professional teaching standard. Unfortunately the industry is still very fickle and stuffy. I have been for a number of jobs and have never been offered a position despite my achievements. I heard from a friend of mine at one golf club that the person who interviewed me wrote me off within thirty seconds of me introducing myself due to my teeth, apparently the members would’ not take to me’. I get very upset by this and my confidence is at an all time low. Its not just golf, trying to get a girlfriend is a nightmare, I never smile in photos and dodge all customers in my current job. I know my teeth are bad, I have two half missing front teeth and some are out of align, all are discoloured heavily and my back teeth, most of which have cavities, leave me in severe pain most days. I have seen television programs and have heard the quotes some people pay for cosmetic services, they are WAY out of my league for my earnings and the NHS will only offer single tooth cosmetic surgery. I feel I need my whole mouth looking at! I’m at a complete loss as to what to do, I don’t like going to the NHS as I feel they rush procedures and are not willing to take time with nervous patients. I also would like time to be on my side and get my smile back up and running in 4-6 months, if not a lot sooner, so I do not waste my golf career away. Do you have any ideas as to how I can get my smile back to what it should be, whether there is anything you or your colleagues can offer within my price range, or if you know of any NHS Dr s that will provide a good result in a short space of time whilst dealing with my concerns.
Unfortunately advanced cosmetic dentistry is just not available on the NHS and you’re right it can be expensive. There can be however some options that are most cost effective than the stuff you often see on TV, which is usually using porcelain veneers or crowns. There are also long term payment options often available, by financing the treatment costs over 2,3 or 4 years. you could always find a dentist interested in some golf lessons and maybe do a deal in exchange for his or her services?! Worth a try. I often exchange my time for services from other professionals, so you never know.
To get the best advice you should start with a consultation with an experienced cosmetic/restorative dentist and find out what ALL your options are and you may be surprised that there are some more affordable ones.
You could have your more ‘basic’ dentistry done first with a good NHS dentist who maybe you could find by recommendation
Best of luck with it all.
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