Pre-SHTF Dental and Medical Care

[Sgt Nambu]

My wife is retiring in may and our Kaiser is through her so I have been on a push this year to bring my teeth up to par. Have a new bridge, crowns and fillings, and taking real good care of them! All done now, the dentist tells me that they're as good as they can be. The wife has the top of the line insurance so we are able to afford complete overhauls like this, so the two crowns and bridge to do one lower side was $90 to me. It was a $2,700 job though. No way I could have covered it.

 

[chemist]

This is an excellent idea for a survival thread. Like the doc said, without your teeth you're going to have a heckuva time getting your nutrition. Even today, the decline of the elderly poor is tied to the loss of their teeth, without which eating is uncomfortable and/or unrewarding (like slurping glop).

Remember the old B&W Nanook of the North, starring Tony Quinn? Once his mother-in-law lost her teeth, it was time to put her out on the ice floe!

Seeing the dentist/hygenist is like going to the gym: the more you raise your awareness, the more you naturally focus on caring for yourself. It took me over a half-century to commit to flossing, but the positive change to my gums has been fast and remarkable. It's also a great feeling to wake up in the morning with clean, slippery teeth.

If heart disease runs in your family, you'd best think about oral health as a near-term survival strategy, too.
Periodontal Disease, Gum Disease, and Heart Health

According to the American Academy of Periodontology, people with periodontal disease are almost twice as likely to have coronary artery disease (also called heart disease). And one study found that the presence of common problems in the mouth, including gum disease (gingivitis), cavities, and missing teeth, were as good at predicting heart disease as cholesterol levels.

 

[rocky3]

I was just talkin about this with the wife last night over dinner as I have a feeling my upper left molar is in need of attention. While she has all dentures and I have (-1) of my teeth but seems that every year I am having to go to the dentist for something or another (old fillings removed or crowns) and it is damn expensive to say the least.
I feel your pain GOG & have done the same a few times in the past. I am seriously thinking of pullin them all and getting dentures.
What are the pro's and cons about false teeth?

Not in Oregon: Dentist are not allowed, by law, to pull perfectly good teeth. Guess who lobbied that thru? Notice all the "Credit Dentist are gone". This wasn't your libs that did it...it was just plain greed and money.

 

[Inspector]

I have a cinder block and pulley dental policy.