Get hurt @ work, lose job, and insurance, now a dental emergency...

[DiverDave]

I cant eat, or drink cold or hot.
I cannot understand how this can happen.
I am receiving workman's comp, but since I've been out since Feb., I have no extra money to
pay for dental work.
I wasnt union, and I swear I will wait for a union job.
If I can get hired after being hurt several times and now at 55.
I am worried about that, but for now, this danged tooth pain.
Why do I have to go with my hat in hand to get help?
I did everything they told me to do (work)
I informed them when I got hurt, and 1.5 months later I lost my job
which meant I lost my insurance, seniority and vacation.
Oh, I can re-apply when I get released by the doctor.

My family life is going downhill, we have no money
we had the electricity shut off 2 weeks ago...
We have it back but that was a nightmare with food and all..

Just cannot understand how a guy is supposed to live
I really do feel like I've been thrown away.

[Iggy]

1. Welcome to the Greatest Country in the World!

I wasnt union, and I swear I will wait for a union job.

This is key. No unions means we're right back to Steinbeck's "The Grapes of
Wrath".

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. Or according to Obama, THE ENVY OF THE WORLD!

Yeah, I just bet those who live in countries with universal health care and or affordable health care...........sure envy us.

[bigwillq]

13. Statements like that

"...envy of the world..." just show how out of touch our elected leaders are.

[2pooped2pop]

2. I'm so sorry that you are going through this crap

this is the world the republicans have set up for us.

My suggestions
Apply immediately for food stamps and any other assistance

Check into suing your employer with a workmans comp claim. Some attorneys will talk to you for free.

There are some medical and a few have dental clinics across the country that charge by income. My adult kids went to on in Marion Iniana that cost them $19.00 to see a doctor. Finding dental ones is harder.
Start with a search for low cost medical or dental clinics. You can sometimes put in your zip and it will show you what is available in your area.

for your immediate pain. Brush the area even though it hurts. Many times it is food getting down into som crevice that causes it to swell and cause the pain.

Soak the side of your mouth with either mouthwash of an antiseptic nature or I sometimes hold whiskey on it to both help numb it and to help kill off infection.

Take the Ibuprophen as directed not waiting for the pain to get started up again before dosing if possible. I think you can take Ibuprophen and tylenol at the same time because they work differently but please look it up and make sure that is the right two. Don't over medicate for long durations.
\
Call some dentist in your area and ask if they are aware of any free clinics for tooth problems. Dental schools often do free work.

Good luck to you.

Oh, I see you already have the workmans comp thing going on. Is it legal to fire someone for getting injured on the job?

It would take a couple of years but if you have a permanent disability, I think you could also sue for that to get some type of lump sum payment from them.

[JNelson6563]

3. Good suggestions, just adding one or two.

To the OP,

Motrin is very helpful thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties but if you add it with tylenol it can be even more effective. Full dose of each.

Warm salt water is amazingly helpful as well. Especially if you have an abscess. Rinse with it often. Do you have a white bump on your gum-line? If so PM me and I can tell you how to deal with it, as a kindly dentist once taught me.

I am poor and have had terrible dental troubles all of my life. You really learn about whatever you can do to deal with it.

Hugs and encouragement to you my dear! You're not alone.

Julie

[yardwork]

4. I'm sorry that this is all happening to you. It sounds like you are doing the best you can.

In addition to the suggestions here to seek a community health center with a dental clinic in your area, are there any universities with dental schools nearby? They often offer reduced cost care, which is provided by the dental students under supervision of dentists.

If you PM me your geographic location - all I need is your county and state - I will help you find some resources.

[DiverDave]

8. I tried the VA

Since I qualify, and one told me that I needed to jump through some hoops and they will do it
Another, at the same place told me it was 480 for a co-pay...to PULL A TOOTH??
He said yes...
I just called the penn school of dentistry and I can get an emergency appointment on monday
IF I call at 8am sharp, they only have a few openings per day.
I DO have a lawyer, and I AM getting some money.
But after this long I am in a hole as the money doesnt quite cover the bills...

But, again WHY?? God Damnit, I HATE to beg.
But I'm worried about this tooth...and my kids, and our house...man its a long pull here

I have been a good provider, well until the last while..

[yardwork]

11. It's not your fault. It's what has happened to our country.

You are doing the right thing. You are not begging. You are using the resources you can to survive and take care of your family. Good for you for calling the Penn School of Dentistry. I believe that you will get good care there.

[hfojvt]

14. well, they say we are all one serious fall away from the poorhouse

At least those of us who do physical work. My employer pays me to move tables, stack chairs, sling mops and empty buckets of water. If I cannot do those things because I am injured, I really cannot expect them to pay me for doing nothing. Especially if they are a for profit business. My employer is the local government and even they do not have enough resources to pay me for doing nothing - at least not for very long. Presumably I could use my 300+ hours of sick leave and my 160 hours of vacation that I have earned. Plus, we have leave share. I recently donated 16 hours of my sick leave that I hope I will never need to somebody who is being treated for cancer.

But in the meantime, my employer is paying me to do nothing and then also has to pay somebody else to do the work that I would normally do. And money is tight, even for a government employer, much less for somebody with a bottom line.

I guess employers could have insurance for such contingencies, or so could employees. That's what AFLAC is for, although I have never availed myself of it, and FICA does provide for disability, although the payments are barely enough to live on and it takes a long wait to get and receive the benefits. So what do you do in the meantime? But as I understand it, we currently have far more people, as a percentage, taking advantage of that safety net then we have ever had in our history. So that safety net groans and creaks under the strain. And if it was easier to get ...

[Loki]

5. I'm so sorry Diver Dave.

Tooth aches are a miserable business, I know I've had my share. Try a Google search for free dental clinic in your area or ones that charge according to income. They are there. My biggest concern is that you might be developing an abcessed tooth which can lead to a facial abcess and a hospital visit for IV antibiotics. These can go south pretty quickly, so please don't put it off. Keep us informed and good luck.

[Mnemosyne]

6. ...

[panader0]

7. I'm right there brother

Except that Jeannie has a good job. I woke up three days ago with a horrible toothache, pain from the ear to the eyeball, unable to eat. I cannot afford a dentist at this point. I hope you feel better soon (me too).

[DiverDave]

9. Dude, try a dental school, I think I may be able to

get in on monday, god I hope, anyway.
Sorry, man, I wouldnt wish this on anybody

[csziggy]

12. Check with the local health department clinic

If your county has one. Here, the clinic does not do dental work but a number of local dentists contribute pro bono work for dental emergencies. References are done to them through the health clinic. My dentist is one of the ones who contributes time and office staff and I overheard him talking about how they handle the cases.

Other than that, I have nothing but good wishes and I hope you can get the tooth pain taken care of quickly.

[DiverDave]

17. Thanks

I have to wait till monday, I have to figure out how to get there, the car is about dead...just never ends.

I'll take a bus I guess, just have to wait and hope I can get one of their 12 or so appointments they set aside.
I'm still doing physical therapy, which is my "job" now, to get better so they can stop paying me.
So I can start putting money IN THE BANK instead of taking it all out (like now)

There is a union outfit that puts ads out for drivers sometimes and I will try like hell to get on with them.


Thanks for all your words of support, it does help.

Dave

[csziggy]

23. You may be able to call the health department

To ask if there are local dentists that do pro bono work. That would be easier than trying to get there. They may require that you go in to get an actual referral, but at least then you'd know it is worth the trip.

Good luck!

[RebelOne]

15. If by chance, you can get some antibiotics,

they will reduce the infection and delay a trip to the dentist. I keep a supply of tetracycline on hand because I have had teeth problems for years. The minute I felt an abscess coming on, I started popping the antibiotic for a few days until it cleared up. I will soon have to have dentures, but it has delayed this happening for the past 10 years.

Here is where I buy mine. It is tetracycline and the same thing you would get by prescription from a doctor.

http://www.thatpetplace.com/fish-cillin-250mg-100-tablets

[DiverDave]

20. I took a course of them

and they helped a little, but the pain is back.

Hopefully I can get a plan for my whole mouth, as I've lost several molors and need a couple more fixed/pulled.

It really sucks to not be able to chew.

I hate it.

[cynatnite]

16. We have a program in our city called "Friends in Need"...

They provide free dental care for people precisely in your situation. You might want to check your area and see if they have something similar.

Also, go to your local DHS office. Sometimes they will have a list of places that you can check into for this sort of thing. At our office, they have a list of food pantries, discount health care facilities and more.

I hope this helps. I know what it's like to feel so completely worthless because of not working. Just hang in there.

[mrmpa]

18. The first thing I wish anyone that gets hurt on the job would do........

Last edited Fri Jun 22, 2012, 08:44 PM - Edit history (1)

is GET AN ATTORNEY. Union or not. If union, they will have an attorney you can talk to about the issues involved. The attorney will be permitted under the law to take a percentage from your comp check. The insurance company will forward it to the lawyer, so you don't have to worry about it. Most unions will pay for the attorney, usually up to $1,000, whether or not you win your case.

If not union, the lawyer will receive a percentage of your comp check, but most important they will guide you through the system. Comp law is so complicated, convulated, and biased toward the employer it's ridiculous.

From experience I know this. I was hurt on my job four years ago (broken hip). Three months after the accident, the comp doctor ordered me back to work. I went to an attorney recommended by the union. I was in so much pain, I couldn't sit during our meeting and was in tears. it was obvious to the attorney I could not return to work. He recommended a physician, I saw the doctor and she recommended I not return to work. This overrode the comp doctor.

I eventually had another surgery, because the comp surgeon had f..ked up the repair. I was off for 2.5 years and we eventually settled with the insurance company for a lump sum. My extra costs after the initial $1,000 was about $450, for depositions and copies of transcripts.

[Suziq]

19. My Heart Goes Out to You . . .

[Rex]

21. Been there and yes we are all disposable commodities

for the Owners. It is brutal and unfair...but true.

[DiverDave]

22. Now my car is broke down.

The clutch is acting up...this would be a comedy if it was happening to someone on T.V.
I gotta get it towed for a monday look-see