Happy Valenteeths Day! [toothless series]

On February 11th I had my 2nd root canal done, on Janky Clawtooth. Not much to write about that. It went the same way as the root canal for Stanky Shortstump. I didn’t take any before and after photos because unlike the visual difference of Stanky after the root canal, Janky still looked… janky.

root canal #1 [toothless series]

On Wednesday I went to get my first root canal. It took about an hour and a half. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. It just sucks having to sit there for so long with your mouth opened and not being able to swallow. My neck and head got sore from the chair I was in. Other than that, they numbed me up real well and I didn’t really feel anything. It actually looks like I have a normal tooth! Except that it’s gray and still pretty small. But it looks better than a chipped tooth!

on the way to the dentist

dental update [toothless series]

I went to get a 2nd opinion from the dentist I used to go to growing up. He told me the same thing, 2 root canals, but explained the process and the reasons much better than the other dentist. He printed out a Treatment Plan for me which includes everything that needs to be done and the cost of each thing. It even included an illustration of my teeth! I’ll eventually scan the printout and post it up on here.

My abscess came back and this time it was due to Stanky. I was prescribed more antibiotics. I finished them all yesterday, but the abscess is still there. My Dentist said that Stanky should be the first to get a root canal done. So tomorrow I will go in for visit 1 out of 3 in the process to get my teeth fixed. The 1st visit will be the root canal on Stanky. The 2nd will be the root canal on Janky. And the 3rd will be crowns for each of them.

Breakdown of costs:
Root Canal – $550 each
Post & Core – $255 each
Porcelain Crown – $830 each

The reason I decided to go with this dentist over the discount dentist is because this dentist offers CareCredit, which is basically a credit card for medical procedures with no interest rate. I wasn’t eligible for it until I had my dad be a co-applicant on it. Thank goodness for that. Or I would have had to come up with the money in cash or just not get my teeth fixed.

Honestly though, I’m going to miss these little fellas. I’ll update tomorrow after my first root canal.

The Janky and Stanky Show [toothless series]

I’ve named my two broken teeth: Janky Clawtooth and Stanky Shortstump. I will be referring to them by their proper names from now on. So please, introduce yourself.

Yesterday I had an appointment at Community Dental Care which is a dental clinic for low income people. My appointment was scheduled for 9:30, but I didn’t get called back into a room until 11:00.

Prior to my appointment, Janky and Stanky have been experiencing extreme sensitivity to cold. Especially when riding my bike around in the ungodly cold weather (which probably isn’t that very cold, but compared to our 70 degree xmas weather and my distaste for winter weather, it’s cold!) The area right above Janky and Stanky going up into my nose has been painful and they have been throbbing more than usual.

The dentist could tell just by looking at my x-rays that I had an abscess in Janky. He gave me Amoxicillen for the infection and recommended that I get 2 root canals. He stressed to get a root canal done on Janky as soon as possible to avoid infections in the future and that Stanky can wait a little while if finances are tight. The clinic estimated the cost of the root canal to be $450 per tooth. I was so tired, weak and hungry that I wasn’t thinking clear enough to ask all of the questions I needed to ask. I asked him if a root canal was all I would need or if I would need fake teeth and he just kept saying a root canal was all and they would build up my tooth, but he never mentioned if that would cost more. I’m going to call the clinic on Monday and get all the answers I need. If $450 is the cost per tooth to get them all fixed up, then I think it will save me a trip to Mexico. I’m not sure though. I still have a lot of research to do and questions to be answered.

going to Mexico? [toothless series]

Now that my jaw is fixed, it’s time to fix my teeth! A friend who used to live in town sent me a message on myspace the other day informing me that her mother is a missionary in Mexico and gets dental work done for way cheaper than what US dentists charge. She told me that she is taking a roadtrip to Mexico in February and that I can come along with her and see her mom’s dentist. I talked to some other people and they think it’s a good idea. I also read a few stories (below) about people who have done this. I am going to go to a dentist here to get a quote and some x-rays done and then see if I can find a cheap plane ticket down to Baton Rouge (where my friend is located) and calculate some numbers. New teeth are on the way!!

• Going to the dentist in Mexico. – By Molly McCloy – Slate Magazine
  (tags: dentist brokenteeth dentalwork)
• HOWTO: Get Your Teeth Fixed in Mexico || kuro5hin.org
  (tags: dentist dentalwork)