Ouch

So I finally had to go to the dentist to get my tooth fixed. Uggh
I had to get a root canal and a crown...
So here's the back story.
I got our dental insurance last July. So I have had coverage for almost 14 months. I chipped my tooth about 6 months ago or so ... but it wasn't that painful - a bit sensitive to hot and cold but nothing that I couldn't deal with. So - I thought to myself ( I do that often) "I can wait for a few months until my I have had my insurance for 12 months - so it's covered!" Decidedly proud of myself for being so thrifty... I move on with my life. Two months ago a teeny-weenie piece of a filling fell out of said tooth. When I say "teeny-weeny" I mean like the size of a piece of pepper. The kind in the cheap can, not the fresh ground. It started hurting more. So - I looked up my insurance coverage to see what it was going to cost. I WASN'T COVERED YET! Seriously?! I was on an 18 month waiting list. Freaking great!
So - I thought - OK. I just wont chew on that side and I will be extra extra careful. Oh wait - I forgot to tell you that to get the tooth fixed it would be almost $2000.00! Yes - 2K! So obviously I wanted to wait until my insurance covered 50-80%.
Last Saturday we decided to go up to my Mom's in the mountains. I had a cold - so I thought I should chew some gum to help my ears pop (because they were plugged without the elevation). I put a piece of watermelon bubble gum in my mouth. Chew for approximately two minutes. Then it happened. THE MOST EXCRUCIATING PAIN I HAVE EVER FELT IN MY LIFE! And - as you know I've given birth. I broke out in a sweat - my hand shook - my face was numb and hot - I couldn't hear out of my right ear. My neck and shoulders immediately were stiff. I was pretty sure I was having a stroke (or something that serious). Nope. My tooth cracked and hit the root. Sigh.
Needless to say the weekend get away had a major "damper".
Oh - here's a bit of advice. If you do break a tooth (or have tooth pain etc) swish your mouth with one ounce of warm water, and 3 drops of tea tree oil. Yes - I said tea tree oil. No - it doesn't taste good. BUT it helped. It got me through the weekend and kept the break clean and infection free! (It was in my mom's natural remedies book). Too cool!
Anyway - the pain was so bad I had decided I just wanted the tooth pulled. My husband was like " Um.... no. I think it will make you feel self-conscious."
I think he just didn't want a toothless wife! LOL - It wasn't like it was a front tooth or anything. But (and don't tell him) he was right. I'm sure I would have felt very aware of it.
I decided to go to Comfort Dental - because I heard their prices were cheaper than regular dentist's. NOT!
The dentist did a great job - the dental assistant was nice. All of that was overshadowed by the fact that I was informed they didn't have a payment plan (when the guy - DAVID - I spoke to said "they'll work with you for anything.") AFTER they did the work. So- here I am with a swollen face, sore mouth and gums, a temporary crown and a headache when they tell me "That will be $1600.00 please. I almost chocked on my numb swollen tongue. After some arguing and a call to my husband, the Dentist informed me "I have a headache, I've worked hard all day and I don't need this!"
Can you believe that?! HE?! HE HAS A HEADACHE?! Well I'm sure all of you know how I responded. I really can't post it here. Just use your imagination.
We are set up with a payment plan now. :-)
That's all .... just had to rant a bit.