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The last four days have not been fun. I'm having tooth pain. Incredible tooth pain. You know, the kind that makes all the teeth on that side of your mouth start aching. The kind that starts migrating up through the bones in your face toward your eye and ear. The kind that makes you want to just slice open your cheek and rip the offending teeth out by their roots.
That kind of pain.
The one advantage of this is that I was not that upset by LJ's little power issues this weekend. Gotta look for that silver lining.
I'll spare you the travails of dental care provider and insurance provider list (both of which were significant). It's simply too depressing. When I lived in Germany, I had no insurance and could afford and find good dental care. Here in the US, my company has a crappy plan that has crappy dentists and crappy benefits.
Deep, cleansing breaths. Must take deep, cleansing breaths.
Four years ago, on the day I was supposed to go to the opera, I broke one of my teeth. Tooth 30. The second molar from the back on my lower, right jaw. The dentist drilled it out and rebuilt around it. I even made the show that night. Now, the rebuilt part has shifted, because the tooth that is left has cracked down to the gum. So today, in order to stop the pain, the dentist ripped out the pulp and nerves and put in a temporary filling until it can be root canalled on Friday.
My dilemma is this: if the crack goes down deep, then a specialist (I'm assuming oral surgeon.) would have to do work on the beneath the gum area, then I would have to go back for root canal and post and crown. This whole process would cost double what my ANNUAL dental benefits from my insurance plan are. The year goes January through December. If the regular root canal/crown process would happen, that would drain my annual benefits dry and result in my paying around $500. Still leaving me with no more benefits for the rest of the year.
Think that's bad enough? Wait, there's more!
I explained the situation and tooth to my mother and had her ask her dentist back in PA about the situation. I've been to him, and I trust him. Given the fact that the tooth has broken twice in four years, would it be better--certainly, it is much cheaper--to have it pulled, since it is in the back of my mouth where no one can see?
Well, he told her if there was enough of the tooth left for the post/crown, that it is better to keep it. Tooth 30 is a molar and very large and flat. Removing it would leave a big gap, which might not be more than inconvenience now but could be an issue if anything happened to the teeth around it.
On Friday I go back for either the root canal or the dentist to tell me that isn't possible without the more extensive work, so I have a few days to decide on what to do if the worst-case scenario arises. Though I'm hoping that it won't.
That kind of pain.
The one advantage of this is that I was not that upset by LJ's little power issues this weekend. Gotta look for that silver lining.
I'll spare you the travails of dental care provider and insurance provider list (both of which were significant). It's simply too depressing. When I lived in Germany, I had no insurance and could afford and find good dental care. Here in the US, my company has a crappy plan that has crappy dentists and crappy benefits.
Deep, cleansing breaths. Must take deep, cleansing breaths.
Four years ago, on the day I was supposed to go to the opera, I broke one of my teeth. Tooth 30. The second molar from the back on my lower, right jaw. The dentist drilled it out and rebuilt around it. I even made the show that night. Now, the rebuilt part has shifted, because the tooth that is left has cracked down to the gum. So today, in order to stop the pain, the dentist ripped out the pulp and nerves and put in a temporary filling until it can be root canalled on Friday.
My dilemma is this: if the crack goes down deep, then a specialist (I'm assuming oral surgeon.) would have to do work on the beneath the gum area, then I would have to go back for root canal and post and crown. This whole process would cost double what my ANNUAL dental benefits from my insurance plan are. The year goes January through December. If the regular root canal/crown process would happen, that would drain my annual benefits dry and result in my paying around $500. Still leaving me with no more benefits for the rest of the year.
Think that's bad enough? Wait, there's more!
I explained the situation and tooth to my mother and had her ask her dentist back in PA about the situation. I've been to him, and I trust him. Given the fact that the tooth has broken twice in four years, would it be better--certainly, it is much cheaper--to have it pulled, since it is in the back of my mouth where no one can see?
Well, he told her if there was enough of the tooth left for the post/crown, that it is better to keep it. Tooth 30 is a molar and very large and flat. Removing it would leave a big gap, which might not be more than inconvenience now but could be an issue if anything happened to the teeth around it.
On Friday I go back for either the root canal or the dentist to tell me that isn't possible without the more extensive work, so I have a few days to decide on what to do if the worst-case scenario arises. Though I'm hoping that it won't.