A Cavity

It was that time again, the kids' six month check up at the dentist. The kids were really excited to go, they love the dentist. I on the other hand, was dreading the visit. Last time around they decided to watch one of Zoe's teeth, due to a little discoloration. She isn't big enough yet to get good x-rays and she wasn't complaining of any discomfort. I feared they would want to do something about it this time around.

I was surprised that they weren't concerned about that initial tooth. However, they did find one on the left side that had a cavity and another tooth on the right side that they want to keep an eye on. They still haven't taken any x-rays, maybe they will next year? Any way the dentist assured me that it was minor and wouldn't need any Novocain. So, on the way out we set up an appointment for her to get a filling and they kindly gave us our portion of the bill. I decided to finally schedule me a check up and cleaning on our way out the door too. It had been more years than I'd like to admit since I last saw the dentist. I knew if I didn't schedule one while I was there it would never happen.

It just so happened that in the end Zoe's and my appointment were on the same day, due to a cancellation. Zoe was the model patient. No complaints. She couldn't wait for it to be her turn. The cavity ended up being deeper than previously thought and they did have to numb her mouth after all. The shot didn't even phase her, I'm not sure she even realized they gave her one. She just thought her face felt weird. I liked how her cheek got a little puffy. They thought she was the best patient of the day. In fact she can't wait to go back. That crazy girl!

My appointment didn't go so well. I was there for what seemed like hours. I'm not a big fan of the dentist. I have had so much work done on my mouth. All due to the fact that I inherited my dad's big teeth and my mom's small mouth. I've had more teeth pulled than can be counted on one hand. I have had my jaw widened. Teeth pushed from the roof of my mouth. Impacted wisdom teeth removed, that resulted in dry socket. Teeth filed to make my bite aligned better. So, I'd rather do anything or be anywhere but at the dentist getting my teeth looked at.

At first things seemed to be going pretty good. There wasn't any visible signs of decay or problems. My gums were in pretty good shape for the amount of time that had lapsed since my last appointment. I have a few spots where my gums are receding pretty good, most likely due to all my orthodontia work. I didn't have any complaints of pain. Just the occasional hot/cold sensitivity that has been normal since they filed my teeth. I began to think I was going to get a clean bill of health. That all changed as soon as the dentist came in the room.

He noticed a funny discoloration on one of my teeth and a weird spot on the x-ray. He asked me if I had trauma to a tooth at some point. All I could think of was the time several years ago, I think I was pregnant with Zoe at the time, that one of my nephews had head butted me pretty good. The tooth hurt for a bit, but then was fine. He ordered a few more x-rays and determined that my tooth was dead and required a root canal. I asked him if that could be the reason that I occasionally get a pimple like sore on my gum right above that tooth, that swells up, hurts for a day, pops, and then all is well. I had never tied it to a problem with the tooth. He told me this was the reason and prescribed me an antibiotic to take the day of the procedure. He also suggested that I get this soft tissue graft done to help with my receding gums and hopefully save my teeth.

This was too much to handle. I completely lost it in the chair. Tears started flowing. That made me feel stupid, so more tears came. I'm just a little too emotional these days. I felt overwhelmed and things sounded horrible. My biggest thought was one more thing that I have to go through. One more huge bill that we will have to figure out how to pay. Another thing to add to my long list of crap I have had to deal with this past year.

I think I scared the dentist. He kept saying everything will be alright. I explained I've had a lot to deal with lately and I don't really like getting dental work done. He asked if he needed to give me a tranquilizer before the procedure. I assured him I'd be fine. The hygienist gave me a big hug on the way out. She knew a little bit more about my recent happenings and promised that he'd take good care of me. So, began the waiting game of finding out how much it was going to cost.

I had to wait over the weekend as they didn't call me until after 5 pm on Thursday and I was already on my way to set up for the Relief Society Activity. The office was then closed on Fridays. So here it is: The Root Canal on tooth #11 with the build up work and CT (soft tissue) graft on teeth #11 & #12 comes to $1060. He kindly would treat the graft as one procedure since the teeth are right next to each other. And then eventually a crown would be another $397.50. My lovely dental insurance company doesn't cover the CT graft. However, they will kindly pass it along to my Health insurance to see if they would cover any of it. There is hope in that as the CT graft isn't required, just strongly suggested. The root canal, build up, and crown only comes to $675.50. The receptionist kindly informed me they would need to collect my portion upfront and gave me a few payment options that would give us interest free payments for 12 months.

I mulled this around for about a week and then decided to call the dentist back and go over my options again. I wanted to make an informed decision, one based on facts and not dollars. I wanted to discuss the benefits of having the CT graft and the consequences of not having it done. I also learned in this phone call that he'd eventually like to do a CT graft on teeth #5 & #6 as well. He assured me it was the best procedure and it most likely would save me from eventually loosing my teeth. Since the teeth are visible when I talk, this got my attention. The cost of fake teeth greatly exceeds the cost of this gum graft. He was surprised to see that my Insurance wouldn't cover the procedure. I told him is that it falls under cosmetic, since some people choose to have it done in order to make their smile look better. I was ready to make the appointment right then and there. Who wants to have teeth missing when they smile?

However, being a wonderful dentist he decided to research some other options. He was going to see what codes my insurance would cover and try to get some coverage for me and bring down the cost. He is going to see what else he can do to achieve the same results. So, I am waiting to hear back from him before scheduling the work.