![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Dental Woes...
Jul. 25th, 2005 10:14 pmOkay, well I was reading a friend's medical woes post, and started to respond with the below... as I went on it seemed that it might make more sense to write my own entry...
Revised... For several years I have been without any sort of health insurance, including dental. Now dental care can be quite expensive, as we all may know. during the month in which I was not working it became necessary for me to find a dentist- I had a minor infection. 'Course in the after thought category, I now wonder if it was a tooth infection or lower sinus infection (one that would affect my lower jaw/teeth area).
Anywho... I found someone and went for the emergency appointment- wait, timewise this was the last week I worked. In any case, I had the appointment, got meds and made a follow-up appointment in two weeks to get a cleaning/x-rays and to come up with a treatment plan. The result of that appointment was a bit scary. Turns out my teeth had not fared well in the 10 years or so since I'd seen a dentist. (the dude who took out all 4 of my wisdom teeth doesn't count- but only because he didn't look at any of my other teeth.)
The end of it was that I would need 7 fillings and one of my back molars looked like it would need a root canal, though it also had a cavity. The doc and I talked about doing the root canal later on- since at the time affording one was out of the question. Since it was going to have a root canal we also discussed NOT filling that tooth.
So we set up the treatment plan, and the beau and I were able to borrow money through a 'medical need' plan or something. The treatment called for me to have two separate appointments, a week apart, to take care of all seven fillings- one for each side of my mouth. When I got there for the first set we again talked about not filling the root canal needing tooth because it just seemed like a waste of money. We also talked about my delaying getting the root canal because of money issues. The first appointment went well, though afterwards I was stunned at how much filling material he used, and was very displeased with how cold sensitive I had suddenly become. I called the dentist's office and was assured this would pass.
After my second fillings appointment I got home and realized that he had gone ahead and filled the root canal needing tooth. Without talking to me about it first. We had arranged a treatment plan and this would have been an additional cost. Oooh, I was mad. I talked to the receptionist and she explained that apparently when he was in there it looked better than he thought so he went ahead and filled the tooth- saving me from needing the root canal and wasn't I pleased? Umm... no. No consultation, no money to pay for this added filling, not pleased. Additionally, I'd had x-rays that made him think I needed a root canal, so how could he tell by looking at it directly that I wouldn't need the root canal?
So I argued with the receptionist about how I wasn't going to pay for this since I hadn't authorized him to complete the procedure. Yeah, I kept saying that I hadn't authorized it, he and I discussed NOT filling it, etc. Then I arranged to speak to the Doc the next day (I had JUST started my job and was on my lunch break). Next day I talk to the receptionist again, she spoke to the Doc in the meantime. She said he agreed to 'refund' me the money (that I hadn't paid) for the filling, though he wanted me to come in to get the root canal needing tooth checked on because it still needed to be done. I just frowned and thought 'nice story switch.' The day before it was 'this saved you from needing a root canal' then it was 'oh, you'll still need it.'
Suffice to say that I will not be returning to this dentist in the future. Also, my new job has fabulous dental insurance.
Oh, and that cold sensitivity that was supposed to go away? Yeah, not so much. For fun add in the teeth on the other side too! Stupid dentist.
Revised... For several years I have been without any sort of health insurance, including dental. Now dental care can be quite expensive, as we all may know. during the month in which I was not working it became necessary for me to find a dentist- I had a minor infection. 'Course in the after thought category, I now wonder if it was a tooth infection or lower sinus infection (one that would affect my lower jaw/teeth area).
Anywho... I found someone and went for the emergency appointment- wait, timewise this was the last week I worked. In any case, I had the appointment, got meds and made a follow-up appointment in two weeks to get a cleaning/x-rays and to come up with a treatment plan. The result of that appointment was a bit scary. Turns out my teeth had not fared well in the 10 years or so since I'd seen a dentist. (the dude who took out all 4 of my wisdom teeth doesn't count- but only because he didn't look at any of my other teeth.)
The end of it was that I would need 7 fillings and one of my back molars looked like it would need a root canal, though it also had a cavity. The doc and I talked about doing the root canal later on- since at the time affording one was out of the question. Since it was going to have a root canal we also discussed NOT filling that tooth.
So we set up the treatment plan, and the beau and I were able to borrow money through a 'medical need' plan or something. The treatment called for me to have two separate appointments, a week apart, to take care of all seven fillings- one for each side of my mouth. When I got there for the first set we again talked about not filling the root canal needing tooth because it just seemed like a waste of money. We also talked about my delaying getting the root canal because of money issues. The first appointment went well, though afterwards I was stunned at how much filling material he used, and was very displeased with how cold sensitive I had suddenly become. I called the dentist's office and was assured this would pass.
After my second fillings appointment I got home and realized that he had gone ahead and filled the root canal needing tooth. Without talking to me about it first. We had arranged a treatment plan and this would have been an additional cost. Oooh, I was mad. I talked to the receptionist and she explained that apparently when he was in there it looked better than he thought so he went ahead and filled the tooth- saving me from needing the root canal and wasn't I pleased? Umm... no. No consultation, no money to pay for this added filling, not pleased. Additionally, I'd had x-rays that made him think I needed a root canal, so how could he tell by looking at it directly that I wouldn't need the root canal?
So I argued with the receptionist about how I wasn't going to pay for this since I hadn't authorized him to complete the procedure. Yeah, I kept saying that I hadn't authorized it, he and I discussed NOT filling it, etc. Then I arranged to speak to the Doc the next day (I had JUST started my job and was on my lunch break). Next day I talk to the receptionist again, she spoke to the Doc in the meantime. She said he agreed to 'refund' me the money (that I hadn't paid) for the filling, though he wanted me to come in to get the root canal needing tooth checked on because it still needed to be done. I just frowned and thought 'nice story switch.' The day before it was 'this saved you from needing a root canal' then it was 'oh, you'll still need it.'
Suffice to say that I will not be returning to this dentist in the future. Also, my new job has fabulous dental insurance.
Oh, and that cold sensitivity that was supposed to go away? Yeah, not so much. For fun add in the teeth on the other side too! Stupid dentist.
