Everybody loves going to the dentist, I know.
I never feel lovelier.
It may be worse than my yearly pap. (Sorry guys. All three of you who read my blog.)
Getting work done seems to me to be a civilized form of torture. You know, something they'd do on Alias, but with TV's to watch and a potential co-pay.
I had an experience last week I HAVE TO share!
I went to a brand new (to me) dentist here in town, by referral from a close friend.
She loves the staff, and has had a lot of work done there.
(Maybe that should have been a clue.)
I went there for a cleaning, and they truly were very nice.
But by the time I left, the nice man told me I needed three crowns and five fillings!! Take that in for a moment...crowns are multiple visits and incredibly expensive.
Three of them. And five fillings.
That's bound to be atleast $3,000, if not more. Right out of our pocket.
I think he basically wanted to re-do everything in my mouth, and then some.
I was fighting tears as I blindly made my appt. for the first torture visit.
But as I pulled out of the parking lot, I called my dentist at home. These are people I've known almost all of my life and I still know their office number by heart. They are amazing, sweet Godly people who live in my hometown, Magnolia.
I told them what he said and that I thought I needed their second opinion.
She squeezed me in for the very next day, and told me this happens all the time.
There are plenty of dentists doing superfluous work on us innocent victims.
So I drove an hour to see my beloved, honest dentist, and you won't believe it...
He said he didn't recommend doing ANYTHING to me! Not one thing.
I was apalled. And relieved of course.
I can save about $3,000. I think we'll take a vacation.
Now let me say here, I know there are different schools of thoughts within dentistry.
The call as to whether or not to mess with a tooth is far more subjective than I think we realize. The only reason I am not putting this first dentist's name on here is because I am giving him the benefit of the doubt, that he is part of an extremely perfectionist school of thought within his profession, and this is not motivated by greed.
But it might be.
(E-mail me if you want to know if he's your dentist.)
All this to say- GET A SECOND OPINION.
Or just drive to my wonderful dentist in Magnolia in the first place.
That's what we'll be doing from now on.
