my first language is not english so please bare with me.
Hi there. i don’t know what i’m supposed to put as a title but i have to basically let this out.
I (25F) just got done with my dentist appointment. i’m aware i have crowded teeth. it’s not horrible but it’s not great either. When i turn to the side , you can see my two front teeth where they stick out the most, and throughout my life i know the angles, how to smile without showing them off too much, and in general just know how to work with them. Growing up i never received braces , my parents (to my knowledge) didn’t see why i needed them. but once i finally got my own insurance i started going to the dentist myself. i knew i needed braces but needed work done first. after time of trying to get fillings & a root canal on my front tooth( the one that sticks out the most) i got let go of my job so i wasn’t able to go to the dentist as often. But a year and a half later my front tooth chipped so i booked an appointment to fix the chipping.
I basically left crying.
Once the hygienist saw me , i explained what happened and how it got chipped and what i was told last time i was there ( needed a crown and was hoping i could get it today if possible) and she asked me to show the chipped tooth, she looks and says “ you know you need to get your teeth whitened before the crown right?” and off guard, i was explaining i have been trying to whiten my teeth in not so costly ways & she explains if i get the crown now, i might get them yellow ish bc of my teeth, so i have to fix that first before anything. She the gave me her pitch of her dentists whitening strips & light. I didn’t indulge, if anything i felted my own annoyance on my face that i tried to hide , but she eventually said she’ll get the dentist. Dentist comes in, show her my teeth and then she agrees with the hygienist. “ Yes get the whitening and then get the fake crown to get the REAL crown. Did you know you have a bit of crowding ? you should get that fixed before the crown.”
And i was just in shock. I have messed up teeth, i get it. but now they got worse and i needed to fix the chipping and i got too i need more work, on top my fillings. they start to talk about money, and how much everything’s going to cost and why it’s really important for me to get it while they’re doing this sad.. condescending voice…? and they kept saying “ does that make sense?” after every sentence explaining why i really need braces or Invisalign.And then that they can fix the tooth next week, bc the doctors are not here today. Then they asked me what do i want to do if i want the crown or do i wanna purchase the products ($250 each) or if i want to go home and think about it. I obviously am very frustrated , and sad that i don’t have that kind of money to drop. I asked if they have payment plans, and they said yes but i have to pay 50% upfront before the payment plans. Overall , the whole procedures will cost me close to 5K. I feel pathetic, and ashamed because i try to take care of my crowded teeth. This has been a long insecurity of mine, and i understand they’re doing there job, but when two white women are talking to me in a condescending tone and kind of in a looking down at me type of way, as a afro-latina i felted .. i don’t even know how to explain the feeling. Maybe looked down upon? i’m not sure. all i know is that i have a chipped tooth, bad crowding , yellow ish teeth than i’ve been doing my best to fix.
Thank you for hearing me vent. i was crying while typing so i’m so sorry for any typos. I just needed to let it out