After the hygienist completed the cleaning, the dentist came in and performed a thorough examination. Then he gave me the bad news: There's decay around at least one crown.
I had a lot of dental work done exactly 30 years ago. It seems every Saturday, I was in the dentist chair. I didn't have dental insurance in those days, so it was expensive. And boring.
Crowns don't last forever. 30 years is a good run.
But because I had them all done at the same time, I suppose it's not surprising that they're all failing at the same time.
I am already in the process of getting a dental implant. That will include the skills of three different professionals at two different locations and will cost me approximately $5,000. So while I'm trying to remain sanguine about this latest news, I'm not succeeding.
I feel like I have little choice about getting this work done promptly. I have very good dental insurance now. But I'm a 64-year-old woman in a young person's industry. I won't have this job forever, and dental isn't standard with Medicare.
But where am I going to get the time and the money for all this upcoming dental work?
Oh well, there's nothing to be done about this right now. My dentist is going to take a closer look at all the x-rays he just took, plus his office is going to work with the insurance company. Then we're going to agree upon next steps.
Breathe, Gal, breathe. This is not the worst thing that can happen. At least there will be little or no pain this time around -- the nerves under the crowns are dead. I do have insurance. I will take care of this, because I have to.
I hate the high cost of dental work...even with insurance. I have been getting crowns on several teeth over the last decade because my 30-40 year old fillings are falling out and often taking the side of a tooth with them. Now I'm hearing what you are, decay around the crown. My dentist is THE premier implant guy in the area and is always pushing me to get those (at this point I've had 3 teeth pulled because there wasn't enough tooth left to anchor a crown). I keep asking about bridges and partials because our insurance will not cover implants. He keeps brushing me off and saying it's my dental health. He asks isn't it worth the expense? Um, no. When insurance doesn't cover it at all, it is not worth the expense, even if he does accept payments unlike other dentists. I don't want to be paying for my teeth until I'm 80. If it gets bad enough I could get a complete set of dentures for less than the cost of one implant!
ReplyDeleteThat is terrible. Dental work is much higher than it should be. I'm sorry you are having to deal with that.
ReplyDeleteI don't have dental insurance and have had a broken tooth for two years now, I just can't come up with the funds--or rather, I just can't prioritize those funds. I feel this post.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad you have dental insurance. Dental and health expenses never come at a good time. I hope everything works out. (P.S. You remind me that I need to make an appointment with the dentist for a check-up).
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