Yes I am aware of the irony ...
Tuesday night while I was down with the worst of the lurgy I somehow chipped the enamel off one side of a tooth.
Had a very very bad night.
Rang my dentist and got put in for a lunchtime appointment.
After the usual "hang on - after that root canal weren't you going to take a break until after Christmas" followed by "well yeah I had a break - see it broke here".
The dentist got down to work and discovered that I simply sheared the enamel off one side of a tooth. Apparently this is quite rare and we are not quite sure how I did it.
She numbed the area and started work and placed a filling around the outside to replace the enamel. The actual tooth is completely healthy - nothing wrong with it.
Went out to pay the bill and my lovely wonderful dentist waved the gap payment.
In Australia most adults over 30 have private health insurance, but it only pays part of the costs. You the patient have to pay the "gap" between what the practitioners charge and the medical insurance will pay.
My dentist waived a gap payment of $261.00.
I have the most awesome dentist on the planet !!!! Kelly is about 10 years older than me and is a down to earth tell it straight woman. If its going to hurt she says "this is going to hurt". She'll even say "a bit" or "a lot" and she's usually right.
I love her to bits - and not just because she saved me some money from an emergency filling.
After I got out of the dentist I went for a wander around Terrigal. I don't tend to go there during business hours so it was a bit of a treat.
I found a lolly shop!
While I was in Perth with Stephen we found a couple of Lolly Shops and I bought a 3 Musketeers bar and a packet of Junior Mints seeing as you lovely ladies have waxed lyrical about them.
The 3 Musketeers bar tasted far far far too sweet for my taste! The Junior Mints though were right up my alley and I bought an extra two packets and brought them home with me on the plane.
At the lolly shop in Terrigal I found these treats again! I can buy them locally - yay !!!!!
I bought another 3 Musketeers bar (in case my taste buds were affected by the lurgy) and two more packets of Junior Mints - Sisu you bad woman, you have me addicted to these!
A few hours later when I was at home, I was quietly reading web comics and sucking on a square of Cadbury Dairy Milk when a small piece of the new enamel fell out .....
I rang the dentist and because it wasn't hurting I was scheduled in for this afternoon after work.
(Is this the part where I point out that my dentist usually has a 6 week waiting list ????)
Went in this afternoon and Kelly found the issue. My jaw has realigned again and the enamel was sheared because that is where the point of one of my upper canines comes down. So she did a bit of filing down and measuring my bite and checking out my other teeth and making sure there aren't any other stress fractures waiting to happen. Then she repaired the false enamel and I came home.
She did a lot of new work over the top of the original fix-it job - and again she waived the gap fee.
How many times do you hear someone say I LOVE MY DENTIST !!!!!
She even takes my word and doesn't numb my mouth until it really really has to be done ....
Just like my doctor who knows I prefer not to be prescribed antibiotics unless it is really really necessary ...
Happy sigh !!!!
(Now where are those Junior Mints)
16 comments:
Careful on those mints love..wouldn't want any more enamel to shear off there.
Your dentist is great!
These are soft gooey mints with a chocolate covering ..... very very soft .....
Ouch on losing the enamel - woot!! on your dentist and "not sure" re the sweets!
Wow, what a great dentist to find!! It took me years to find the one we have now, and I would expect he may be thinking about retiring - NNNOOOOOOO!!!! Do you have symptoms of TMJ? I've had it off and on for several years now, and it bothers me more when I get stressed.
No on the Milky Way, huh? But it wasn't a dark chocolate mint one, was it?? Most of that is too sweet for me, too - I rarely eat chocolate, except the really good stuff, which I rarely have :)
Okay.......I want your dentist!! That's about the worst thing that comes with moving, having to find a new dentist. We've been very lucky; but your dentist sounds like a dream!!!
I'm not a big fan of the 3 Musketeers myself, personally I'd rather have a Twix. :)
TMJ ????
"Temporomandibular Joint and Muscle Disorders (TMJDs) refers to a complex and poorly understood set of conditions that can cause pain in the area of the jaw joint and associated muscles and/or problems using the jaw. Both or just one of the TM joints may be affected. TMJDs can affect a person's ability to speak, eat, chew, swallow, make facial expressions, and even breathe."
The above from here: http://www.tmj.org/
Junior Mints are great. Especially while at the movie theater. YOu need to put the 3 Musketeer into the refrigerator. Better that way.
AH !!!!! Thank you for that hint! I will do so over the weekend!
Being in the dental profession, I like seeing what people have to say. Nice story Mel. I'd take Junior Mints over a 3 Musketeer any day. Not much for candy bars, just give me a few M&M's and I am good!! Karen, I have some TMJ issues myself. I work for a dentist (well orthodontist) and he won't make me a splint. I am going to have the girls I work with take impressions and our lab person is going to make me one. It is certainly stress related, or just if you grind your teeth at night. I think I am pretty stress free, basically , but still have problems. It's very hard to treat and not many people like dealing with it. We always refer those cases out, hence my Dr. not wanting to give me one!! LOL And in the States, if your Dr. doesn't *participate* the patient has to pay the difference between the charge and what the insurance doesn't cover too.
FFS I want a lolly now... maybe I'll make do with a doughnut.
I wish I had a dentist like yours, but mine is ok too. We have a good deal - he doesn't hurt me and I don't have to hurt him.
Mel, I think I warned you that Junior Mints are addictive. Katie has decided they are her favorite candy too. She has a huge sweet tooth though. Must have gotten that from DH. If I have candy once a month, it is enough. She would sell me to get a box of Junior Mints, LOL.
I am glad your dentist found the problem and didn't charge an arm and a leg to fix it.
Is the 3 Musketeers the one with Dark Chocolate and Mint? That is awesome! Way better than the original one!
Ok fill me in. What are Junior Mints and 3 Muskateers?
Glad about your Dentist Mel. The last thing you want at the moment is another bill. She sounds a great person.
No I have only found the original. I guess the hunt continues ......
What a great dentist! Glad the dental work wasn't more extensive. I do agree that the 3 Musketeers bar with the dark chocolate is much better -- not nearly as overpoweringly sweet. But then, I do adore dark chocolate!
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