A burst of activity and the dentist.

[jdbakermn]

In a surprising burst of activity, yesterday I got the ball rolling on a mortgage refinance (courtesy of Mr. Obama's "Making Homes Affordable" initiative), scheduled a dental appointment (it's been 3 years, basically since I bought my new house and haven't gotten around to finding a new dentist), and scheduled an eye exam (um, same reason as dental

Comments

[kelkyag]

Getting a second opinion before getting a lot of expensive work done, especially if why some of it should be done hasn't been explained, seems like a good idea to me.

[jaedian]

I had a bunch of work planned at my new dentist. None of it was urgent, although a filling turned into a crown with waiting.

My insurance only pays 50% on a crown and it maxes out each year, so it only covers one crown per year. So spacing it out makes financial sense. But if you wait until the old filling fails you might need many in one year. Not to mention needing a root canal instead of a crown.

the amalgams don't last forever, I think about 10 years on average. They are prone to leak and have decay under them, but it is hard to see next to the bright filling. So this all sounds reasonable to me, if they aren't saying it needs to be done ASAP.

As for the scaling, how deep were your gum pockets when they examined you?

And if it makes you feel better get a 2nd opinion. There are good and bad dentists. And some are more proactive than others.

[algorithmancy]

My dad's a good dentist. He's out of the country until June 1st, but feel free to call him and ask his opinion when he gets back. Email me for his number.

He talked a dentist out here into giving me a gold onlay instead of a crown where I had broken a tooth.