Hey guys....I started this thread in hopes of soliciting some honest feedback. I'm about to start 3rd semester of my program in August. One of the very first topics that we covered in the beginning of the program was professionalism and professional behavior.
Now, part of being a professional is looking professional, right? I certainly believe it is. So onto my main issue. I've got some serious dental problems. I currently do not have dental insurance and the kind of work that I need is super expensive (even with insurance). I've kinda just been putting it off and dealing with the toothaches. Until now. Today my front tooth broke. I'm pretty devastated. I'm also aware it needs to be fixed. I just dread it.
So.....is it acceptable to be a nurse with jacked up teeth? Should I just fix the broken one and hold out on fixing the rest until I'm working and (hopefully) better insured? Can my appearance damage my chances at building my career?
No one wants a nurse with broken, rotted teeth. Any comments or advice appreciated. Thanks for reading.
See if Mission of Mercy is having a dental clinic near you. You have to go very early and wait in long lines, but you can get extensive dental work done for free. I volunteered at the one near me this year.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I'll second (or third or fifth or whereever we are now) the dental school idea. Some of them accept payment on a sliding scale. Fix what absolutely has to be fixed now -- hopefully when you graduate and get a nursing job, you'll have dental insurance and can work on whatever else needs to be fixed.
Google search free dental clinics in your area. I don't know where you live, but there are several close to me in the Tampa area. I refer people to them all the time. Also, Mission of Mercy is worth a shot to look into. I know they did a free dental care event at the Tampa Fairgrounds last year. They saw something like 700 patients, I believe.
NICUmiiki, DNP, NP
1,775 Posts
See if Mission of Mercy is having a dental clinic near you. You have to go very early and wait in long lines, but you can get extensive dental work done for free. I volunteered at the one near me this year.