They don’t have a County Hospital for dental emergencies. Explains why so many poor people have obviously bad teeth. Cracked smiles. Black, green, brown smiles. Great gaping spaces. No porcelain crowns or fancy bridgework. Hell, no prophylaxis.( I always loved that word.) Dental work is freakin’ pricey. This is one of those obvious facts that are just beginning to sink in as I now have gone well over a year without a clean and check. Even before I lapsed, I became very vocal in what I would or would not permit according to price. X-rays, again? “No thank you.” Replace that filling? “Well, actually, it seems to be doing fine. Despite the fact that it’s 20 years old.” Hey, just like everyone else, dentists have to make a living. However, as I fail dismally in that regard, dental maintenance has taken a back seat to eating. So, instead, I obsess over my teeth. I fear that tiny fissure in my front tooth will soon make like the San Andreas fault. There seems to be a sensitive spot on the back of my front lower tooth. It looks slightly dark like decay. Oh my. There’s a black speck under the amalgam filling in my rear molar. Hey, that filling is only four years old and it was damn expensive! When all these dental imperfections manifest into their utmost, devastating destiny, I will remember with aching melancholy the swirling water of the spit bowl.
1 comment:
I like to say that flossing is my dental insurance. Unfortunately, flossing doesn't cover the cost of having a tooth extracted and replaced. Happily, neither does most "real" dental insurance.
Paying nearly $2k for less than an hour visit at the dental surgeon has made me seriously reconsider my line of work, however.
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