Two dentist appointments this week. I’ve always rated dentists as the second-best doctor’s appointments in the lineup. I don’t usually get too chastised (except for the ever-present “FLOSS”) and there’s usually a little bit of an ego boost regarding the fact that I’ve never had braces. So I like the dentist.
In 2009 I had a cavity turn into a huge cavity, turn into a broken tooth, because although I had great health insurance through Samuel French, I didn’t have dental. I spent probably 2 weeks crying with frustration because I would feel fine all day, and then as soon as I laid down my head to go to sleep, my face would throb with pain. I could sort of comfort myself to sleep by chewing on Orajel numbing swabs, but the worst part was knowing that something was very wrong.
A friend recommended a dentist who would take a personal check and cut me a little slack for not having insurance. That dentist – while very nice – immediately sent me to a endodontist in Queens, who would also take a personal check and cut me some slack. Almost immediately after the root canal, which was a relatively easy procedure with a very nice older Indian doctor, I moved back to California. (But not before finding out that Samuel French was in the process of switching to another insurance provider, one with great dental coverage – oh the irony.)
In California I got a crown put on – again, uninsured – and by this point I had racked up more charges than I even want to think about right now. All because I went like three years without regular dental checkups, and I ignored telltale signs that something was wrong. (Actually, I remember exactly when the tooth broke – I was eating baklava with Drew and Erin at a Greek restaurant in Morningside Heights.) Oops.
Now Drew has great dental and I have access to it, so this week I took advantage of that. On Tuesday I went in for X-rays and a consultation so they could schedule a cleaning (I guess they like to know what they’re up against with a new patient). I had a super uplifting experience, with a great dentist who hit all my ego buzz words and said that I don’t need to floss every day, but I should aim for once a week. That’s amazing advice! I’ve never ever had a dentist say that before. Love her.
On Friday I went back for a cleaning, and the hygienist just did not start off the same way. She basically started by saying, “Have you ever noticed how yellow your teeth are?” which I think is one of those tricky questions. I mean, what’s the right answer to that anyway? Yes? No? I opted for “Um…yeah?” and she basically talked the entire time about why teeth aren’t white. Even though she kept saying that teeth aren’t supposed to be white, but everyone wants white teeth. I don’t know.
Then there was this little gem: “I mean, you’re so pretty, and then you smile, and people are going to be like, oh, look at those red gums!” For the record, I don’t think you even see my gums when I smile. But whatevs. I know she didn’t mean it like that, but still, a far less positive way to start your day. She gave me that blue rinse, that shows you what you miss when you brush, and then she kept telling me over and over again that I should buy the store stuff: Agent Cool Blue, it’s at Walgreens right now, it’s usually like $5.99 but right now it’s on sale for $3.79. I’m like, that is plenty of information, thanks.
She was also the messiest hygienist I’ve ever had. Water kept splashing out of my mouth and into my face, and I’ve never ever dribbled water out of the corner of my mouth before during a cleaning. She said she was sloppy but that seems a little ridiculous. She also said it was only her third day there, and Ima request someone else for my next cleaning.
BUT, the important part is I walked out of there with clean teeth and a total feeling of accomplishment, and a clean bill of health… and I was about 80% sure that there would be at least one cavity in there. So overall, a good teeth week! It’s nice to be insured and be able to take care of things like that.
So. Not the best story I’ve ever told. But a story nonetheless. Also a lesson: take care of your teeth. Because if you don’t, you will end up with astronomical credit card balances.
The Cameraphone Diaries 