Teeth Redux
On Friday I was fortunate to get an almost-immediate appointment with a dentist. He was recommended to me by someone helping unload our 4th and last truck of belongings. That person also happens to be our bishop.
I've often avoided doing business with Latter-day Saints because it can confuse relationships. Here in Idaho, that' going to be more difficult, so I called. They had just had a cancellation and squeezed me in that slot which required me to drop everything and leave. The urgency of the matter is 2 broken teeth. The complexity of the matter is my recent heart surgery as it is advised to avoid dental work for 12 months. Pretty simple, huh?
What followed was the most thorough dental exam of my life - x-rays, 3-D images, photographs (yes simple digital photographs). They took about 3 hours with me on a day they were supposed to leave early. It was pretty amazing and most of the service was free. I suppose they will charge for the x-rays and 3-D to my insurance, but the rest is part of a free initial consultation.
In an earlier post I had mentioned trouble with my teeth over my lifetime. But because of the drugs I'm taking (they think) it is worse than before. Besides replacing my 25-year old bridge which constitutes 6 teeth, he sees a need for 17 others that either need root canals and crowns now, or will in the near future. Plus my 2 remaining wisdom teeth should be extracted (I've been told that before by our dentists in Hesperia). If you do the math, out of 30 teeth, I have 5 that work. The other 25 need something done.
In a few weeks I'll go back for a consultation to see what my options are in conjunction with our insurance coverages.
Can anyone say dentures?
I've often avoided doing business with Latter-day Saints because it can confuse relationships. Here in Idaho, that' going to be more difficult, so I called. They had just had a cancellation and squeezed me in that slot which required me to drop everything and leave. The urgency of the matter is 2 broken teeth. The complexity of the matter is my recent heart surgery as it is advised to avoid dental work for 12 months. Pretty simple, huh?
What followed was the most thorough dental exam of my life - x-rays, 3-D images, photographs (yes simple digital photographs). They took about 3 hours with me on a day they were supposed to leave early. It was pretty amazing and most of the service was free. I suppose they will charge for the x-rays and 3-D to my insurance, but the rest is part of a free initial consultation.
In an earlier post I had mentioned trouble with my teeth over my lifetime. But because of the drugs I'm taking (they think) it is worse than before. Besides replacing my 25-year old bridge which constitutes 6 teeth, he sees a need for 17 others that either need root canals and crowns now, or will in the near future. Plus my 2 remaining wisdom teeth should be extracted (I've been told that before by our dentists in Hesperia). If you do the math, out of 30 teeth, I have 5 that work. The other 25 need something done.
In a few weeks I'll go back for a consultation to see what my options are in conjunction with our insurance coverages.
Can anyone say dentures?
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