By a show of hands, who hates going to the dentist? Up until a few years ago, I mostly just hated the dentist because I was so nervous they were going to tell me I had a cavity. I never had a cavity until about three years ago. Granted...before that, I went six years without seeing a dentist because I didn't have the insurance. Once I got my big-girl job, I still didn't have insurance, but at least I could pay for the visit. So I go. And boy, did my hatred for the dentist grow exponentially. This time, I also realized I was not a fan of dental hygienists. Usually they are so nice and gentle, and make the dentist visits less painful. Not this one. Maybe she was mad at me because I had six years' worth of tooth gunk that she had to clean. That's what I thought, because she KILLED my gums. I was so sore for days. But I had her again when I went six months later, and guess what. She still hacked at my mouth. I cringed over the next two years every time I saw her coming towards me in the waiting room. But I digress...
So, this visit after six years of no dentist was catastrophic for me. My mouth got shredded by the hygienist, I had to fork over hundreds of dollars for a complete set of x-rays, AND I was told that I had six cavities. What, WHAT??? That's right...I think I did a quadruple-take. I mean...the only tooth pain I had going in was from my wisdom teeth. I was essentially teething, and needed them taken out. But then the dentist informs me that I also need to have six cavities filled. No, I wasn't happy, but I trusted that she knew what she was doing, and that she had my best interests at heart, since she knew I didn't have insurance, and very minimal means to pay for much more than a visit. Plus, didn't she know I have this HUGE needle-phobia??? I mean, seriously. The only thing worse than having a needle in my mouth is the fact that I don't like nitrous oxide, so I am completely aware that there's a needle in my mouth!
I had to have the cavities filled in intervals, because they were in three quadrants of my mouth. So she did a quadrant at a time. The first two quadrants went as smoothly as can be expected. The third quadrant had three cavities, so I was in there for a good amount of time. That was three years ago, and I still have tooth pain from it. Something went wrong somewhere and she could never figure out what it was.
A few months ago, my jaw popped. It was SO painful that I was told I should see a dentist. Now that I have insurance, I just had to use someone in the network. So I went to one that comes highly recommended. He said there was nothing permanently damaged from the jaw pop, and eventually it'll feel better. I have since gone to him for a cleaning and a complete set of x-rays again. Guess what! They came back totally clean! And guess what the crazy kicker of the story is! The last time I had gone to the other dentist, she had told me that I had another cavity and it needed to be filled. I never did get it filled before I got insurance, and once I did get insurance, I went to this guy.
So...what exactly happened to my cavity??? I didn't realize they could disappear! Oh wait. It's because they don't. I was swindled. I didn't have insurance. I wasn't going to question the x-ray or the cavity. I didn't know any better, because I don't know what I'm looking at anyway. It makes me sick to think that I could have had perfectly healthy teeth manhandled, that I paid all that money out of pocket, AND I had needles in my mouth all those times!
But mostly, I just want to warn all of you to be extra careful. If you don't have insurance, please take extra caution because you could have the wool pulled over your eyes. Or maybe just the wrong teeth pulled. (P.S. This same dentist apparently pulled TWO wrong teeth from my sister's mouth...had I known that, I definitely wouldn't have gone to her!!!)
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