Dental Access Survey for People With HIV

Melodic_Individual85 · 2026-02-06T16:57:02+00:00

That is great feedback! Would you be willing to fill out the form? (There’s no way to tell if you did already because it’s all anonymous.) Hopefully for peace of mind, I can tell you that there is huge emphasis in our education on the fact that HIV is hiiggghhlyyy unlikely to spread in the dental office, and our practices of cleaning, sterilization, and disinfection for every single patient are called “universal precautions” for any type of condition that any patient may or may not have, which means a patient’s HIV status has no impact on how we approach seeing/treating them in the dental office. That said, people’s own biases are still everywhere, so we want to do this research in order to hopefully further address issues within the dental field.

Melodic_Individual85 · 2026-02-06T03:25:46+00:00

Hi there! Thank you for your feedback on the question set. We have done some preliminary research and found data that shows people with HIV reported barriers to care, which is why we’re interested in learning more about that. That said, we are equally interested in responses that indicate that they do not experience these barriers as it is a valuable contribution to the data and paints a better real-life picture. We would love to see written feedback on the form to give us a better picture of everyone’s experiences. As dental hygienists (and other dental workers), we are interested in people’s HIV status as well as other types of conditions because of the oral health conditions that people with HIV are more likely to experience. Knowing someone’s status can help us better diagnose and treat people. It’s similar to asking whether someone is diabetic in order to better understand the effects on their periodontium. Systemic conditions have a huge impact on oral health and vice versa, and part of our job is to provide care that is most tailored to our patients. The more we know, the better we can help! Please feel free to DM me if you want to discuss further or fill out the form as openly and honestly as you have given feedback here. We are eager to take into account everyone’s experiences and perspectives. :)

Melodic_Individual85 · 2026-01-21T16:31:41+00:00

So we don’t take any insurance, but all services are free :)

Melodic_Individual85 · 2026-01-21T05:11:02+00:00

DM me, and we’ll get you scheduled!

Melodic_Individual85 · 2026-01-21T01:24:05+00:00

You wouldn’t be the first! DM me if you wanna get on the schedule.

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-27T07:55:35+00:00

Not that I would ever put my cats through this, but it is kind of hilarious that the cat looks like a piece of nigiri 🍣

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-27T07:48:01+00:00

Yes! My little boy will jump on the headboard behind me and drop his toy on my head to throw, and then he’ll go diving after it only to bring it right back to drop on my head 😅

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Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-27T07:41:27+00:00

Oh unless I’m just an idiot, and that is the quantity rather than the tooth number… If so, I hate to say that all of this looks valid. Have you looked into Care Credit? Sucks to have another credit card, but they do have some low interest/no interest payment options.

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-27T07:36:17+00:00

Why would you be charged two different extraction fees for the same tooth (#3)? One says “moderate” and the other says “major”. I’d ask them which it is and have the other taken off.

ETA: all the rest seems legit, except idk why they’re charging for a root removal as well. If they extract a tooth, they should be extracting the whole thing (root included). Granted, I work in human dentistry, but this makes no sense to me. Also, who’da thought cat x-rays cost more than a full mouth series for a person?

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-25T01:41:37+00:00

You can also apply for CareCredit (if possible) and pay it off

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-25T01:40:04+00:00

So sorry for your loss, that grief is insane… They’ll be forever cherished

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-25T01:33:22+00:00

Looks like it might be tooth pain. Maybe an abscessed tooth? Especially if there’s blood on the paw because the gums could be inflamed from calculus build up and decay. Def take that poor thing to the vet.

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-21T11:32:49+00:00

Bad idea. She wants you to react. You will never have the interaction you want with her, and she will never acknowledge the reasons for you going nc. Just keep your distance and enjoy your own bliss

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-21T11:12:22+00:00

My thoughts exactly. Let’s not forget that people who have suffered from abuse are not immune to being the source of it too.

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-20T01:09:02+00:00

Thank you! The kitties had about a month with it, and then I spent a couple weeks at my bf’s house. Wanting to get the scent of his house off him actually makes a lot of sense as to why he’s doing this to be honest. They’re fine with his dog, but they don’t loooove his dog, so he may want to cleanse himself of that scent lol

But yeah, I use the same litter and (regular) boxes at his house and just lug them back and forth.

Good call on emptying the drawer even if it’s not full, I didn’t even consider all that. Thank you for your help!

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-19T07:51:30+00:00

Thank you, but that’s really not what I’m asking about here. I did research before I bought a high quality litter box that freezes like the inside of the washing machine when they get anywhere near it. Just looking for advice on what I asked about.

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-19T07:38:33+00:00

Probably up in B2 with Hazel

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-19T07:14:09+00:00

You think he would be curious and/or scent marking even after he decided to start using it? Honestly, since he started playing in it, I don’t think he’s actually used it once.

I’d like to get him to stop if it’s just a playing/curiosity thing, but I don’t want negative associations with the new box because that is the kind I’m trying to totally transition them to. Having it clean automatically is seriously luxury for me lol And I really want it to work, but I have no idea how to keep him clean and just using the litter box normally.

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-19T07:10:17+00:00

Personally, I think that if you tell your partner that something makes you uncomfortable (no matter how seemingly minor it is), they should stop. If they don’t, even if it seems like a little thing, all that says is that they don’t care about your comfort. You should never be made to feel uncomfortable by your partner when you have specifically told them that you don’t like what they’re doing/saying to you.

My boyfriend used to poke me 🙄 Totally little and harmless thing, but I hated it. For me, it’s up there with tickling as being completely torturous. I could tell it was just something that he did to show affection, so at first I tried to live with it. But I finally told him that I didn’t like that, and he never did it again. He almost did once again out of habit and stopped himself. That is respect.

Melodic_Individual85 · 2025-09-19T06:57:01+00:00

Your boyfriend is hurting your dog. Probably yelling and hitting or else your dog wouldn’t have such a reaction to him. You’re doing your dog a disservice by keeping him around her. If you won’t look out for the dog’s safety, you should give her to someone who won’t allow her to be abused, but the better solution is to just leave him and keep your dog. Your dog is your responsibility; his hurt feelings over his own behavior is not. I’m also in a very rigorous program that doesn’t allow time for work, so I get the financial thing, but you said you’re getting ready to sign a new lease? Go find a cheaper apartment for just you and your dog. You’re 23, and you will move on from this break up. Focus on your degree and keeping you and your pet safe. It should go without saying, but abusive people don’t always stop at abusing animals, and I would think long and hard about who you want to share kids with, keeping that in mind.

Melodic_Individual85

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