This happened

The dental assistant removed the wrong crown. It took her two tries and what my grandma would call "elbow grease," but she did it. When she first wrestled with it and paused, I said, "You're not removing the wrong one are you?" She laughed and said, "Boy, you'd really feel that!" Then after she went back in and pulled more and harder and had succeeded in removing a crown, she wordlessly disappeared for a moment.

When she returned, it was with three other women. One was the dentist. I don't know who the other two were. The dentist said, "Emily has something to tell you."

Emily did. She was very sorry. Whoever put the note clipped to my file indicated the wrong tooth. She should have checked the file before she pulled. She is so sorry.

I was shocked into silence. That does not happen often.

Then the dentist told me decay is indicated in what remains of that tooth, and additional work will be required before she can permanently affix a new crown to it.

What the ever-loving fuck?

Let's back up a bit. Yesterday was Thursday, June 17. I had a root canal (done at a different office by an endodontist) in late April. I went to this office for the first time in mid-May to have the tooth prepped for the porcelain crown. I paid for the crown in advance. An appointment was made for June 7, to have the new crown affixed.

On June 6, the office called. The crown wasn't in yet. They'd call me to reschedule.

I heard nothing.

On Tuesday, June 15, I sent an email, asking if my new tooth was in yet.

24 hours went by and I heard nothing.

I would have gone somewhere else to finish the procedure, except I'd paid in advance for that crown. So Wednesday I called.

The woman at the front desk didn't apologize, exactly. But she did say the crown was in and she could "squeeze me in" at 5:30 on Thursday. Yesterday. A full 10 days after my original appointment.

I thought I was being a wonderfully good sport when I went in to the office yesterday and chatted about the heat and didn't ask why it took 10 days, an unanswered email and a phone call to get this appointment. 

Then this happened.

The dentist asked me what she could do "to make this right." When I started to speak, she apparently didn't like my tone and warned me, "But you won't be rude."

"Oh," I said, "But I will be heard. My care has not been a priority since I first met you all. Now this has happened. You don't answer emails. You don't reschedule appointments. If I wake up in pain tonight as a result of this botched procedure, will anyone answer the phone?"

The dentist said she'd give me her personal cell number. Then she asked again, "how can we make this right?"

I said, "What are my options?"

I have a meeting with the dentist and the office manager prior to an appointment at 4:30 next Thursday.

I have to take off work to do this. 

Then the dentist will prep the tooth and put in a post. Another porcelain crown will be ordered to replace the metal one that was destroyed when Emily yanked it away.

The dentist can tell me all she wants that the tooth was damaged under the crown, but here's the thing: I was in no pain. The second crown didn't feel loose. I may have needed to have this work done eventually -- after all, I got this second crown back in 1992 and they don't last forever -- but there is no proof that it would need to be done in Summer 2021. Especially after I just spent $1000 on the work that I was there for.

I am reeling. I called my oldest friend, who worked for decades in a doctor's office, and asked what she suggested I say when I meet with the dentist next Thursday.

I will settle for paying 50% of what my insurance company won't cover, and I won't pay any finance charges as I pay it off. After all, I probably would need this work done eventually. And so they can paid for it ... eventually.

I won't offer this, though. I want to see what they offer. It's possible they will offer me something better, and I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by speaking first.

I can't believe this happened.

My neighbor Kevin goes off the rails. Now this. I feel like this week, I'm stuck under a bad star!

Oh well. I'm not in pain. I have insurance. And I have a big mouth. If I'm not pleased with the resolution, I will make a complaint to the Illinois State Dental Society.