I had a fun post planned for today. It involved a new goal I have for my photography that I set for myself last week. Unfortunately with my toothache, I didn't finish it. So it will come at a later date.
Instead I will update you on this tooth saga. Who knew one little thing can cause so much unrest?! First I want to thank you all for your well wishes! You all rock! I caught up with about half of you yesterday and will try to catch up with the rest of you today.
We have dental coverage through Handy Man's state job. It's a dental group, so you have to see only the dentists in the group. It's very inexpensive, very. We were able to get both of our kids teeth straightened (at the same time) without having to take out a loan! The orthodonist they see is fantastic. The regular dentists? I'm beginning to wonder about.
Tuesday I saw the dentist they assigned to me. After reviewing the Xray the dentist informed me she could not fix my tooth. She said there is a large cavity under an already large filling, which I got in that office about 5 or 6 years ago. I take very good care of my teeth. I brush 2-3 times a day, I floss daily, sometimes multiple times. I do everything I can to avoid the dentist. I have no idea how a cavity got under the filling?!! To complicate things I have a very odd shaped root, which I've heard before about another tooth. She said because of the size of the cavity and the shape of the root she would not do any work on the tooth. She did give me some antibiotics and Vicadin (which I just heard in the news yesterday is really bad for you!).
She also gave me four options, all of them involve an oral surgeon and they all suck big time! I went home to think over the options. I made a decision to have the tooth pulled and called the appointment center Wednesday morning to tell the dentist I wanted a referral to an oral surgeon. I stayed attached to my cell phone except once when I went to the bathroom without it. Yep, you guessed it! She called and left a message while I was in the bathroom around 5:30 pm a good 8 hours after I had left the message. Handy Man didn't hear my phone ring. I called the appointment center right back (you cannot call the offices directly, it's such a pain) They tired the office multiple times only to get a busy signal, they decided to leave a message.
This morning I get a call back from the office asking what I needed. Grrrr, are you kidding me?! I told her I needed a referral to an oral surgeon from Dr. So and So. She hemmed and hawed and finally told me that she was on vacation until Thursday(!!!) but she would check if another dentist in the office can give me a referral. Another dentist can give me a referral!! But only if I go back to the office to see him, he can't just do it over the phone, based on what's already in my chart from my Tuesday appointment. This isn't just a local in the neighborhood dentist. It's a 30 minute drive to get there. I really don't want to go back for an encore performance.
The antibiotic has kicked in and the tooth is not hurting as bad. I haven't taken the Vicadin, the ibuprofen is working pretty well. I have so much to do today and tomorrow. I've decided to give it through the weekend and if I'm back to horrid pain on Monday I'll go see the other dentist, but I can't believe how ridiculous it is that I had to go through all this phone tag and not getting any results. Can anyone say frustrated beyond belief?!
Ridiculous. But do get it taken care of...infections in your mouth can lead to serious overall health problems. I just cannot believe unprofessional they are. Our medical system needs a dose of it's own medicine. gah. I am glad you are feeling better though;)
Posted by: Mental P Mama | July 02, 2009 at 11:09 AM
Sucks! Big time!! Hope it doesn't ruin your weekend:)
Posted by: The Incredible Woody | July 02, 2009 at 05:25 PM
Unbelievable... I think a 'regular' dentist should NOT do root canal or extractions ... I had a 'regular' dentist do a root canal and a year later it had to be redone because it wasnt done properly .. never main the discomfort .. the $$$ it cost pissed me off....
I am not sure you should take the more than ibuprofen, it reduces swelling/inflamation quite well .. and the antibiotic will clear any chance of infection ... tho if you can save the tooth its a smarter move then getting it pulled ...
Hope you do feel better soon!
Posted by: Daryl | July 03, 2009 at 06:49 AM
I actually vote for a second opinion on tooth removal.
Yes, that's some of the worst dental care I've ever heard of, but I can't get past the "lets just pull it" Losing teeth is nothing to sneeze at.
And dental insurance... it blows... all of it. I used all my benefits getting the root canal, now I'd have to wait til January to finish fixing the tooth.
I hate dentists, and I'm sorry they're so incompetant at that office.
Posted by: Asthmagirl | July 03, 2009 at 07:09 AM
fell better and take it easy...i hate the dentist with a passion...
Posted by: deb | July 03, 2009 at 11:41 AM
I can imagine all the frustration that you felt that day. I hope you find a good dental service that won't play phone tag with you for a day. Also, I hope that your toothache has been relieved.
Posted by: Jenna Schrock | January 13, 2012 at 09:02 AM