AARRRRGGGHHH!

[flea]

What's it about? What it's always fucking about around here, folks - dentistry. Casper went in today. At her cleaning 5 months ago they said she had one cavity. We switched dentists (for various unrelated reasons). These ones say two crowns, possibly root canals, and 8 additional fillings, and sealants, and the treatment plan comes to more than $2000. WTFF? We JUST paid these people $1000 for Dillo's fillings. How can she have developed this much more tooth decay in 5 months, during a time when we have been working pretty hard to brush teeth appropriately? This is the kid who cooperates! Who brushes her teeth and has been to the dentist regularly! And had clean checkups until that one 5 months ago. How did we get to 2 crowns?

mr. flea, who did the honors this time, was too stunned to do much but make an appointment.

AND I can't even post about it on Facebook because my mother is there now and we lie to her about this. Because I'd never hear the end of it, otherwise. She is EXTREMELY holier than thou about dentistry, being married to a dentist.

Comments

[katie-m.livejournal.com]

Root canals? What is she, six? That's crazy. (By which I mean to imply that I find it hard to imagine it's the fault of your dental hygiene.)

[nestra.livejournal.com]

That seems awfully excessive.

[calligrafiti.livejournal.com]

Root canals? I didn't know you even could do root canals for kids.

[hecubot.livejournal.com]

I think I might get a second opinion.

Some dentists have to pay for new summer homes and are more aggressive in their diagnosis than others.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Ay yi yi, that's scary & infuriating. Crossing fingers for you & Casper that some (or all) of it can be avoided.

dentists

[cygnet (from livejournal.com)]

I am currently working with a highly regarded dentist who is very committed to mouths being in as ideal a condition as possible. She recommends progressive and thorough treatments. She found MANY things to repair in my mouth that my previous dentist had not. I struggled with whether I believed her advice because it was **mucho** bucks worth of stuff she wanted to do, and I had thought my mouth was a pretty healthy place. So I told her she needed to prioritize the work and spread it out over a couple of years to fit within my insurance limits. (In the long run, I think her advice was mostly right. My mouth is pretty darn happy these days.)

While it may be advisable, in the best of circumstances, for Casper to have all that work done - I'd suggest you press pretty hard about whether she needs it all at once, or if some can be deferred without too much risk.

[haphazardmethod.livejournal.com]

WTF? Just chiming in to say, yeah, another opinion would be useful.

[mearagrrl.livejournal.com]

Wow, that does all sound pretty crazy!! Especially for teeth that are just going to fall OUT!