So... I still have all of my teeth. It turns out the "emergency" appointment I had at the oral surgeon on Monday was a consultation.
(I'm still not quite sure what the point of an "emergency consultation" is, but I'm trying to present facts and not whine or complain or be huffy. What good is that going to do?)
Anyway, during my consulation, I learned that my bottom two wisdom teeth are impacted. The doctor says that he needs to take out the top two as well, since they continue to grow if the bottom ones aren't there to stop them. He also said that the standard for the procedure is to knock me out under IV sedation.
...and then the doctor left and they pointed me toward the scheduling desk. The girl there informed me that the insurance company has to approve the extractions in advance, and that the approval process takes 6-8 weeks, and that my insurance won't cover the top two teeth or the IV sedation.
(I'm still trying to present facts and not whine or complain or be huffy. What good is that going to do?)
I guess I really don't see the point of having the doctor take out perfectly healthy teeth, expecially if I have to pay for it. It's not that we can't afford it, I just really don't understand why it's medically necessary. Does anyone have any insight on this?
I took my last amoxicillin tonight with dinner. It really knocked out that infection. In fact, I'd say the pain is about 90% gone (I still get a twinge when I poke it with my tongue or if I smile too wide). I have an appointment with the real dentist at the end of September for a cleaning/check-up, and I anticipate the whole wisdom tooth thing happening some time in October.
This concludes the entry in which I tried to present facts and not whine or complain or be huffy. After all, what good would that have done?
4 comments:
I, on the other hand, was pissed as a mo fo. But I got a speech as well, so I vented later to others.
Maybe you shouldn't read my last entry then.... or maybe you should.... I dono.
Maybe you should just call me.
If you don't have your top teeth removed, they'll keep growing until they find their "lower partner" teeth. If there aren't any lower teeth, they'll grow until they hit your bottom gums, and you'll bite yourself when you eat! Daddy did that for years!
I had a dentist tell me the same thing 6 years ago. But I only allowed him to pull one of them, the one I was having problems with. The other 3 wisdom teeth haven't given me any problems.
Maybe your insurance won't cover the top 2 wisdom teeth and IV med. because they know it isn't necessary?
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