My Mouth Will Be Worth More Than My House Soon
I can't remember if I put this as one of my 100 things about myself, but I have bad teeth. Not because I don't brush and eat loads of candy, etc. I feel it's genetic - after watching my husband never floss, eat whatever, and just brush twice a day and has only had 2 itty-bitty cavities his entire life, I know I am cursed with bad teeth. Genes for bad teeth and hemorrhoids, but that's another story entirely. I am cursed at both ends, I guess. Ha! I am laughing at myself with that one.
I have also had not the greatest dentist experiences. I am not afraid of the dentist, the chair, needle, drilling - that stuff doesn't bother me so much. It's the potentially dishonest ones that I fear. When we moved out to the Boonies (Inland Empire) in 2004 I plucked a dentist out of my insurance network who turned out to be a crook that first made me pay by 20% chunk up front for the work, which ended up being more than 20% since the insurance negotiated rate was lower than the billed amount. On top of that my linked HSA account paid them automatically as they didn't know I had already paid. So I had then overpaid. By quite a bit. They owed me money and then had the audacity to send me a bill for MORE money. I went down there and got red-faced like I do when I am dealing with injustice and explained how they owed me money but, of course, with how COMPLICATED insurance company crap has to be, they weaseled around that the payment was not from my HSA buy from the insurance, blah blah blah, and never admitted they owed me a like $200). But you can bet your ass they didn't send me another bill. Maybe I should have brought a baseball bat and some brass knuckles when I went down there and asked for my money. Anyway, so, yeah, I am wary of just picking a dentist out of the phone book or my insurance network. I only go with recommendations now. After the asshole thieving dentist, I had a good one up in the boonies, at least good in the category of honesty, but more than once I had complained to them that I had lots of sensitivity in one molar and wondered if maybe something was up (like a fracture). They said it was probably just receding gums and "try this toothpaste. Floss more." OK. Fast-forward two years later we have moved and I am finally getting around to a going to a new (recommended) dentist because this one molar is now starting to SPEAK LOUDLY IN AN ANGRY VOICE whenever I chew anything dense or put anything cold on it. It's clearly disgruntled. I know it must be a crack (as the other molar on the other side had the same problem 8 years ago).
So I go in, and the real fun began when I got to "chew around on a Q-tip" until he located the spot. Nothing like intentionally causing yourself pain - nothing more fun than knowing EVENTUALLY he is going to find that spot and it's going to just be fabulous. I have a 25% chance of needing a root canal at some point in the future, because the pain lingered a bit afterward (like 30 seconds or so). And on top of the one previous dental practice being thieves, their work was also not very good. She had done two filling-thingies on abrasions I had (since I guess I am a overly vigorous brusher) and apparently this new dentist said one is bad as it is not smoothed out and causing receding above it and he is suspicious of the other since they were all done by the same person. Girly Stuff needs to show that dentist how it's done as I'll bet she knows her stuff. Oh, and I have another filling that is cracked (done by a completely different dentist). I can't catch a break anywhere with this mouth.
So, yeah. I now have three more dental appointments in the next month. Merry Christmas to me, I guess.
I have also had not the greatest dentist experiences. I am not afraid of the dentist, the chair, needle, drilling - that stuff doesn't bother me so much. It's the potentially dishonest ones that I fear. When we moved out to the Boonies (Inland Empire) in 2004 I plucked a dentist out of my insurance network who turned out to be a crook that first made me pay by 20% chunk up front for the work, which ended up being more than 20% since the insurance negotiated rate was lower than the billed amount. On top of that my linked HSA account paid them automatically as they didn't know I had already paid. So I had then overpaid. By quite a bit. They owed me money and then had the audacity to send me a bill for MORE money. I went down there and got red-faced like I do when I am dealing with injustice and explained how they owed me money but, of course, with how COMPLICATED insurance company crap has to be, they weaseled around that the payment was not from my HSA buy from the insurance, blah blah blah, and never admitted they owed me a like $200). But you can bet your ass they didn't send me another bill. Maybe I should have brought a baseball bat and some brass knuckles when I went down there and asked for my money. Anyway, so, yeah, I am wary of just picking a dentist out of the phone book or my insurance network. I only go with recommendations now. After the asshole thieving dentist, I had a good one up in the boonies, at least good in the category of honesty, but more than once I had complained to them that I had lots of sensitivity in one molar and wondered if maybe something was up (like a fracture). They said it was probably just receding gums and "try this toothpaste. Floss more." OK. Fast-forward two years later we have moved and I am finally getting around to a going to a new (recommended) dentist because this one molar is now starting to SPEAK LOUDLY IN AN ANGRY VOICE whenever I chew anything dense or put anything cold on it. It's clearly disgruntled. I know it must be a crack (as the other molar on the other side had the same problem 8 years ago).
So I go in, and the real fun began when I got to "chew around on a Q-tip" until he located the spot. Nothing like intentionally causing yourself pain - nothing more fun than knowing EVENTUALLY he is going to find that spot and it's going to just be fabulous. I have a 25% chance of needing a root canal at some point in the future, because the pain lingered a bit afterward (like 30 seconds or so). And on top of the one previous dental practice being thieves, their work was also not very good. She had done two filling-thingies on abrasions I had (since I guess I am a overly vigorous brusher) and apparently this new dentist said one is bad as it is not smoothed out and causing receding above it and he is suspicious of the other since they were all done by the same person. Girly Stuff needs to show that dentist how it's done as I'll bet she knows her stuff. Oh, and I have another filling that is cracked (done by a completely different dentist). I can't catch a break anywhere with this mouth.
So, yeah. I now have three more dental appointments in the next month. Merry Christmas to me, I guess.
Come down here and I'll take care of you!
ReplyDeleteYou can pay me in Yoga lessons. Get me all stretched out.
You are OCD like me. You clench/grind to relieve pent up OCD stress! Which means you need a nightguard or you will keep getting recession and cracked teeth.
Sounds like you found a good dentist now. At least he tested the tooth. Sorry about the last one. Always a stinker in the bunch.
I think I do need a nightguard; previous insurance plans haven't paid for them (which is crazy - how is that cosmetic? ends up costing them more in the long-run to NOT pay for it), but I'm not sure about the one I have now. Might be worth looking into to save my the rest of my teeth!
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