Teeth

[stormdog]

I lost part of a tooth this morning. I thought it was an extra crunchy bit of cereal. I'm doing my best to take care of my teeth, and I did get a couple things fixed while I was in the Netherlands, but not everything.

In Canada, even with insurance, dental work still is expensive. Without it, I think I can only go in an emergency, and I don't think this is one. It doesn't hurt. I just have a sharp tooth edge I can feel against the inside of my lip.

This is scary, but not really new in my life I guess. Hopefully I'll hear on residency soon.

Comments

[dewline]

Been there. Once, I cracked a molar on steamed rice.

...steamed rice...

I am holding off on the repair work that I know needs doing, partly because of the anticipated cost - I never got private coverage and have largely managed to cover it "out of pocket" ever since aging out of parental employers' coverage - and partly because I'm waiting on the federal dental programme to kick in for people my age range. I know it's going to make the needs worse to deal with, and unless I land another job like the one that finished last month, I'm going to have to live with the consequences.

[cmcmck]

The crown I mention broke on a potato crisp!

I'm convinced it must have been on the way before that!

[dewline]

It was almost certainly so, in both of our cases!

[stormdog]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this kind of thing too. It makes no sense that teeth get treated like luxury bones, like mental health is luxury health. It's infuriating.

I managed to find a dental program at the local polytechnic school this morning that does low-cost work. They're booking in the middle of May right now, but there was a cancellation this afternoon (that was fast!) and got in for them to look. They won't be able to fix the tooth until May, but it seems like it will be affordable, so that's a relief!

[acelightning73]

I fell and smashed all of the teeth in my upper jaw a few years ago. They had to build me a temporary replacement of the front teeth. And I was eating ICE CREAm when the temporary denture got stuck in the fudge sauce and pulled loose. So now I need all my bottom teeth replaced, and this being the US, and me being on Medicare, that's going to be a big deal.

Medicare was devised as a type of old-age pension. Now, what medical needs do you associate with aging people? Dentures, glasses, and hearing aids, and posssibly wheelchairs and canes and things. Medicare doesn't cover dental, vision, or hearing, at all. WHat sense does that make?

[dewline]

None at all. In my experience, "Medicare" should be for everyone regardless of age, from cradle to grave.

[acelightning73]

Yeah, but that only works in those damned Socialist countries like Sweden or France. In the good old U S. of A, everybody pays their own way.