I need help!

[murphy18]

My problem is this, I'm 18 years old, living in Knoxville,TN and I have practically NO family. My mother NEVER took me to the dentist. (She cared more about other things I suppose...i.e. drugs) Anyway, I literally just went to the dentist for the first time 2 months ago (EXTREMELY embarassing...) and they said that over-all I've taken good care of my teeth. But there is one exception...I still have a baby tooth that I never lost...RIGHT IN THE FRONT of my mouth where everyone can see it. I honestly never realised I hadn't lost it, or that it was a baby tooth at all, for that matter...Until the beginning of this year when I realized I it was VERY loose. I'm afraid to loosen it anymore myself for fear of having an obvious (and large) gap in my teeth. Also, I have a tooth that has been pushed behind others because of overcrowding. I desperately need braces but I'm living on my own and supporting myself at 18 years old. I do have Tenncare but I'm not sure if TennCare can help me in this situation...
Does anyone have any advice for me at all? I could REALLY use it.
I'm a very confident person except when it comes to my smile. And I think that turning out as good as I did after having such a hard life, I at least deserve a good smile. Does anyone (in Knoxville or anywhere at all) have any suggestions for me? It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
-Tara

P.S.
I'm definately glad that I got a hold of this site! I really need someone to dicuss my dental issues with.

[Stephanie]

Hi Tara - Welcome to the site.

If you are working now, you may want to check out the local college/universities and see if you can get treatment from them. The cost is signifcantly cheaper.

You will want to get that baby tooth taken out and probably get braces on to fix the crowding.. However, if your teeth do not bother you and are perfectly functional, than you can put off braces for as long as you need to until you have the money to do so...

Many of us get braces much older than you are now for the same reasons.. we simply could not afford it back when we were teenagers, nor our partents...

I would get your teeth cleaned at least once a year though...

[Sunny]

Hi Tara and welcome to this forum.

You need to talk to your dentist and local othodontists' to find out what treatment you may require and how much it costs. Next set yourself a target to save this money over a number of years. Many adults who have braces have been in similar situations to you and have had to wait until they are much older for treatment, due to the need to save the money for their treatment.

It's important to remember that braces are not essential to anyone's life, although they can make an improvement to how you eat and clean your teeth, and also the health of your jaw joints. People don't die if they don't have braces and for more than half this world's population, braces will never be an option, and that's just how our world is.

It's great you write that you're a confident person, as this means you already have skills to get ahead and make and achieve goals. If you focus on your teeth and think others are doing the same, then you are allowing your teeth to affect how you feel about yourself. Instead don't focus this way, then make goals to achieve what you want from life.

I think you are very lucky to have been to a dentist, as this is something many of us couldn't do at your age. Better still, your teeth are in good condition, which means you're doing a good job with them. Here's to you keeping that up!

Good luck talking to a few orthodontist's to find our about a future savings plan that you'd like to have.