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rikibethThe good news: I don't have any cavities.
The bad news: my gums are not in good shape, I have some bone loss, and I grind my teeth a lot. And they strongly recommend a root planing and scaling that isn't covered by my insurance. Yeah maybe after this NEXT year's taxes.
I am fairly pleased with the practice, though. When the hygienist came in, she asked how I was, and I said, "Nervous." I went on to explain that I hadn't been to the dentist in about ten years because of lack of coverage, I knew things were going to be bad, and PLEASE just do the cleaning without a running commentary on how bad things were, and save any recommendations for additional treatment until AFTER all the implements were out of my mouth. Oh, and no lectures about flossing: I don't do it, I know I should, but it hurts like hell even when my gums are in good shape because my teeth are very close together, and I'm open to alternative suggestions like rinses or a Sonicare toothbrush, but flossing is just not going to happen.
She was awesome and listened to everything I said, cleaned things up without lecturing and without causing me too much pain, and even the dentist didn't get all critical on me, just said "this is what you need, this is what it costs, call us when you can."
You know how, when you have an old car, sometimes it's a bad idea to flush out the engine, because the deposits of gunk are kind of what's holding it together, and it'll get rattly if you get rid of them?
Yeah. My mouth feels a little bit like that right now.
But I did the right thing.
The bad news: my gums are not in good shape, I have some bone loss, and I grind my teeth a lot. And they strongly recommend a root planing and scaling that isn't covered by my insurance. Yeah maybe after this NEXT year's taxes.
I am fairly pleased with the practice, though. When the hygienist came in, she asked how I was, and I said, "Nervous." I went on to explain that I hadn't been to the dentist in about ten years because of lack of coverage, I knew things were going to be bad, and PLEASE just do the cleaning without a running commentary on how bad things were, and save any recommendations for additional treatment until AFTER all the implements were out of my mouth. Oh, and no lectures about flossing: I don't do it, I know I should, but it hurts like hell even when my gums are in good shape because my teeth are very close together, and I'm open to alternative suggestions like rinses or a Sonicare toothbrush, but flossing is just not going to happen.
She was awesome and listened to everything I said, cleaned things up without lecturing and without causing me too much pain, and even the dentist didn't get all critical on me, just said "this is what you need, this is what it costs, call us when you can."
You know how, when you have an old car, sometimes it's a bad idea to flush out the engine, because the deposits of gunk are kind of what's holding it together, and it'll get rattly if you get rid of them?
Yeah. My mouth feels a little bit like that right now.
But I did the right thing.
