Don't mess with some second grade treatment on a dental problem. If it's done incorrectly you can get an infection.

I had an abscess as a kid, damn near died. (Infection in mouth, very close to BRAIN!)

If it's my mouth I'm going to have it done properly!

The challenge now is to get her to take this seriously and get it taken care of before it becomes infected. She simply does not listen to anyone. Last night she said she'd had plenty of pain with that tooth when she was a kid and knows what to expect. You can't tell her anything. I'd much rather her think I'm being alarmist and get this taken care of now than to learn it the hard way and then say I told her so.

Anyone have some experience with an abscessed tooth, extraction and implant?
 

Blood infections suck. Ask me how I know.

Very well-established link between oral health and cardiac health. Trust me. Don't screw with this. Get it out and gone. I highly recommend an implant. Reconstruction just buys time and ensures repeat business. An implant is pretty darn permanent.

If that's true in my case, then I'm in good shape. I inherited my mom's excellent teeth and every dentist I've ever been to comments that I have great teeth and it's obvious I don't drink much soda. Now, about those cigarettes and coffee after a lot of bacon and a great omelette....

buddy at work is on a pacemaker, due to bad dentistry.
he was an athlete.
he is not expected to reach much past the age pf 60

btw - this happened in Vancouver, not Mexico.

just for her to read slowly..
my Nephew was a great kid..
he and his family ignored his teeth...
gave him his first guitar...
he's dead!..
never saw 24..
his heart did him in..
his teeth caused it..

so if she's hesitant to get it done..
tell her no sense in dancing about..
we spend the coin on uping her life insurance..
because that boat will arrive sooner than expected..


Rika

Some American trained dentists end up practicing in Mexico for a variety of good and bad reasons.

Funny, mah best buddy just had the exact same thing happen to him yesterday. Jaw started killing him, cracked tooth in the back.

Had it yanked and bridged. $1.5k paid by insurance.


rjp

Pulling teeth - not replacing them - a one way trip to uglyville, in the long run.
What about the rotten, festering breath-of-a-dog smell that accompanies an abscess? yuk.

I just called the dentist to ask how serious it was and if she had properly conveyed that to Mrs. Lee. She said she even gave her a scrip for antibiotics, so she could start them as soon as she felt pain if she wasn't going to get it taken care of in the next few days. I am very worried that Mrs. Lee just doesn't listen to anyone and this is going to have to get a lot worse before she takes it seriously. So frustrating.

well get busy practicing that concerned & I care look..
and wait till your out of sight & her hearing..
when you bust out laughing after she mumbles & groans about ..
'the pain killing me'...

Rika

Seriously?

I know that.....

Every single causation of my failed root canal was on me... Mine or my bodies fault...In no way could there have been any fault on the Dentist who performed the procedure. (According to the person who performed the root canal)

That he had a TV playing an afternoon Mets game, that he and his assistant paused to watch...while working on me..nope I'm sure he got everything exactly perfect..

Hey, I don't know your situation. You might be right.

I bet we can agree that is doesn't make sense to hire a $5K attorney to get part of your $5K back, though. America!

Implants are old technology. That they charge so much for these today is ridiculous. We don't still pay $3000 for a 10 MB hard drive. How can an implant still cost $1500 a piece?

BUT LISTEN - Do not mess with the infection. That is a big mistake. Get that taken care of.

Here's why:

Legend has it that Pablo Picasso was sketching in the park when a bold woman approached him.

“It’s you — Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist.”

So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create her portrait. He handed the women his work of art.

“It’s perfect!” she gushed. “You managed to capture my essence with one stroke, in one moment. Thank you! How much do I owe you?”

“Five thousand dollars,” the artist replied.

“But, what?” the woman sputtered. “How could you want so much money for this picture? It only took you a second to draw it!”

To which Picasso responded, “Madame, it took me my entire life.”

That's my point. These guys are not Picasso. There must be a couple of hundred thousand dentists out there who are able to do this routinely. The prices should have come down significantly.

At this point money is far less an issue than Mrs. Lee's refusal to address this problem while it can still be done relatively painlessly and at a time of her choosing. I cannot make her understand what misery she can easily avoid and I can't stand to see her go through what's coming if she doesn't address this.

Show her some pics:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414681077.jpghttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414681191.gif
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414681205.jpg

As with any professional service you're paying not strictly for the deliverable but the training required to get the provider to the point where they can legally and safely deliver that service. Any idiot with a pair of pliers can pull a tooth but do you want a handyman at $10 or a trained dentist at $300?

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him do the backstroke.

From your posts in the past it's pretty obvious that what she "knows" to be true (or what she has convinced herself to be true) is the end of the story. I'm not saying you should quit trying, but you should resign yourself to the inevitable ($$$$$$$$$$$).