Yesterday morning I went to the dentist for my 6 month check-up. The girl who cleaned my teeth told me that there was hardly any build-up and she commended me on doing a good job at home. I credit the Sonicare toothbrush (the best investment ever and I wish I’d bought one years earlier!) I bought a year or two ago when I was told that I had bone loss due to not flossing properly. At that time, my dentist said there was some medicine that she could insert into the worst areas which may or may not help to get rid of the inflammation & rebuild the bone. I think the cost was $45 per application. I told her to do the 2 worst spots and I’d consider the rest at a later time. Anyway, I was freaking out thinking I would lose my teeth so I went to a specialist who told me stuff I didn’t really understand so I decided to do nothing. So since that time, I’ve been waiting for my dentist to mention about the bone loss again and she never has.
Anyway, when the dentist came in to check my teeth after my cleaning yesterday, she told me that I had chipped part of tooth #15 which is the last tooth on the top left hand side. The thing is that it has a very large filling and if the tooth starts breaking off I could have problems so she advised me to get a crown. After she got done checking my teeth, the hygienist said she needed another x-ray of that tooth so we went back into the x-ray room. As she was pulling my chart up on the computer I told her about the bone loss dilemma a while back and commented that nobody has said another thing about that and I was wondering why. She looked at my chart and said the reason nobody has said anything more is that everything is either the same or better and they would only say something if it was worse. Really? They made a very big deal about it back then so I’m skeptical. Could it have been an easy money-maker? I’m not sure and I want to believe that my dentist isn't like that. I’ve been going to her for many years and I even drive back over to Florissant because I don’t want to go to a new one. I think the hygienists do a good, thorough job on the cleanings and I’ve been to other places a couple of times when my insurance changed where I didn’t get the good, thorough job. One time I remember that the hygienists at the new place only cleaned my front teeth. Another time they only flossed some of my teeth. So, needless to say, I think I’ll stick with the dentist that I know does a good but perhaps too thorough of a job.
My part of the cost of the crown would be $285 which isn't that bad but I don't want to rush into anything so I think I'll wait. It doesn't hurt or bother me at all and I think the tooth has been chipped for quite a while. I'm going to practice Ronnie's philosophy, "if it isn't broke don't fix it!"
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