Crowns, cleanings, and crappy insurance

I got my third permanent crown this morning. He had to test fit it several times to get it the right depth (even my teeth are short!), but all in all it went pretty quickly. No shots, no drill, no problem. Next came a full set of xrays -- uncomfortable, but not truly painful. I've got a couple of spots that will need a little work, but all things considered, I'm in pretty decent shape.

Then came the real fun --- a thorough cleaning. :o(.

I have always hated having my teeth cleaned. He was lucky to get me in once a year for the torture session. It's been several years since my last one (yeah, I know, I'm a very baaaaad girl), so it was definitely NOT a fun experience. I think he probably rinsed my mouth at least 20 times to get rid of the blood and the "boulders" of plaque (his word, not mine). He would like to do a follow-up cleaning in a month or so, but my insurance says 6 months, not just twice a year. Which leads me to my next topic, my crappy dental insurance.

It apparently doesn't pay for crowns. I mean zip, nothing, nada. On my urgent visit in June (diagnosis: abscess/infection and root canal required), it paid exactly $23. And when I had my root canal, it only paid about $150. I pay for my (extremely) minimal dental/vision coverage through payroll deductions, and I'm seriously contemplating dropping it during the next adjustment period. Since virtually all of this is coming out of my pocket anyway, I might as well put the extra money in the bank for the next round of dental bills.

I'm going to get my teeth cleaned every six months in future to avoid the pain.
I'm going to get my teeth cleaned every six months in future to avoid the pain.
I'm going to get my teeth cleaned every six months in future to avoid the pain.
(I'd write this 100 times, but that would make this post waaaaaaaay too long.)

Cross my heart and hope to spit.

Crown and carnival

I went to the dentist today to start work on the crown on the tooth I had a root canal in. It wasn't too bad, except for the nasty taste of the pre-numbing medicine, and the shot to deaden my palate. The main problem was the temperature --- it was freezing! He ended up putting the lead apron on my legs to warm me up a little. At least it kept the AC from blowing on my legs. When I go back to get the permanent crown I'm wearing a sweater and taking a blanket!

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The carnival at Kaufman went okay. We could have done better, but we've done a lot worse. It felt odd not being able to pop into the rectory to use the bathroom or get a glass of water. And it was really odd not staying the night and packing up on Sunday. By the time we got home and unpacked the car it was almost 9, and 10 before I got some supper.

I was sooooooooo tired on Sunday. I went to bed by 12:30 Saturday night, and got up at 6:30. After Mass I went back to bed for 3 hours (!!), had some lunch, and took another 1 1/2 hour nap. Sunday night I could not keep my eyes open. So I went to bed at 11:30 and didn't get up until 8:00! I had about 18 hours of sleep in a day and a half, and I was still kind of tired on Monday. The last time I did anything like that I was fighting some kind of infection.

Root Canal Day

Today I had my root canal, and it was a lot easier than I expected. In fact, in some respects it was easier than having a tooth filled. The doc didn't start til I was well numbed, even though he had to wait a bit to give me a second shot. And because of the "rubber raincoat" they put on, I didn't have to worry about keeping my tongue out of the way or swallowing some of the debris. :-)

In 10 days I go back for the finishing touches. The doc will replace my temporary "Blue Velvet" filling (I'm not kidding, that's the name) with a permanent one. Then it's off to the dentist for my third crown.

On the other hand, that rubber raincoat was attached to a torture device. True, it kept my mouth open without work, but it was rather painful going on and gave me a real ache in my jaw which I still have 14 hours later. :-(

The other painful part of the procedure was the price. My insurance plan will only cover about $150, and I get to pay the rest of the $1350 myself. OUCH! They don't normally do payment plans, but since I have to come back, I was able to pay only half today.

I'll probably have to have another root canal done, but it will have to wait for a year or two while I save up for it.

I went to the dentist, and the verdict is . . . . .

A root canal, another crown, an infection, and possibly another root canal. :o( He prescribed vicodin and double doses of penicillin (which I haven't had in about 20 years) to stomp out the infection fast.

Unfortunately, I've got a sneaky suspicion that I am now allergic to penicillin like two of my siblings. My tongue is tingling, my face is a little swollen, and so is my left hand. I've put a call in, but until I hear from the doc I'm not taking any more.

It's a real bummer because penicillin is a lot cheaper than most antibiotics. And I was looking forward to a painkiller stronger than advil or tylenol, without having to take my migraine pills. :o(

And my face/teeth still hurt.