Dentist Again

My dentist appointment was scheduled at 10:45am. Gary's was right next to mine. Around 10am, we get a phone call from the dental office asking where Gary is. Okay, so his appointment was supposed to be at 10. So, we head on down there. Luckily they are a few blocks away.

Gary went in for his appointment. At 11:30, I finally went in for my appointment (after sitting in the waiting room for about an hour). The hygienist violated my mouth with the cleaning. Serious ouch. She explain that my gums were a little swollen and tender, then asked if I was on any medication. I told her I was only taking my thyroid meds, and she asked which kind. I then found out she used to take the same medication for thyroid issues. She then explained that the medication and the illness have an impact on my gums and mouth. Remember how I received my first cavity 6 months ago? Yeah, blame the meds. Luckily I came back with a clean bill of health this time around. She told me to start rinsing with warm salt water and switch to a softer toothbrush. Besides that, I'm fine.

While I was getting my cleaning done, Gary was having a discussion with our dentist about insurance and other coverages. See, I want to get my that one front tooth fixed since part of the bonding fell off. The best option was to go with porcelain veneers for both front teeth. The cost for something like that is $1000/tooth, and since it's cosmetic, it's not exactly covered. Gary also needed a couple of fillings done for his mouth (from older cavities back in the day) and a veneer for another tooth. Years ago when he had a few cavities, they were done with cheaper material, therefore they eventually fell apart. The cost of fixing all of those would have been around $1400. To add to that, I grind my teeth at night and often wake up in pain. The recommendation was a mouth guard- around $400. Total cost of everything? Around $3800. Possibly more because of negotiated rates.

So, our dentist and others in the office decided to talk to the insurance company to see what they could do and if we were covered for anything. They finally got off the phone and said, "Well, if you want to do all of those procedures combined, the insurance will cover most and we'll give you a discount."  New total cost of everything?  $500. Good part of my day!

Let's just say Gary and I have been very pleased with our new dental company. It was even better hearing many thank-yous from patients as they were leaving the building, praising the dentist for the good work. It was amazing they were working with us to help us afford so much. The dentist himself, Dr. David Abri, is very very kind and considerate as well.

I haven't gotten my veneers yet, but will get it soon. Hopefully an appointment within the week. I'm glad we switched over. Hygienist needs to calm down a bit with the cleaning, but everything else is great.

Anyway, I need to stop wasting away my only day off on this darn computer. Time to go out and do something. Bye!