Time to see the dentist again
It’s been a week since I went to the Oral Surgeon’s office and now it is time for me to return to the dentist’s office. The extraction seems to be healing nicely but the bump mentioned by the oral surgeon may not be gone entirely.
Up the slippery ramp
Again I was dressed, lifted by the patient lift into my wheelchair, and I waited for my driver. Fortunately, he was on time and I attempted to get into the van. The door and ramp worked well, but it was raining. When it rains the ramp is slippery and sometimes I slide all over the ramp. The ramp is designed for additional traction in the rain but it is often not enough to prevent me from sliding. I tried again to go up the ramp, and the second time was the charm. It worked and I was in the van.
Where is the dentist’s office?
Off we went to the dentist’s office. Again I had to direct my driver. In all fairness, this driver had not been to the dentist’s office. I had a different driver the last time I went to the dentist. The dentist is near the Oral Surgeon’s office, but still, I had to direct the driver all the way there.
How much is bridge work?
Once at the dentist’s office, I was told by the receptionist that it would be $500 for the bridge work. The receptionist said I could talk to the dentist about it.
Dental work in a wheelchair
Shortly thereafter, I went into the dentist’s room. There is a dental chair there, but I stay in the wheelchair. The dentist worked on me in the wheelchair. I do not know how to make my chair go back (the dentist tried to figure it out, but he couldn’t recline the wheelchair, either), so I had to hold my head back when the dentist works on me.
A pillow, maybe
He tried to put something behind me, maybe a pillow, but it kept falling down. I sit in the wheelchair and I am held in the chair by a seatbelt, so I cannot turn around and see what was behind me. This, of course, makes going backwards very difficult.
What will my dental insurance cover?
I discussed the $500 charge. Generally, my dental insurance covers most everything. I asked the dentist whether the dental insurance covers bridge work. He said that it wasn’t for the bridge work, it was for the tooth. The tooth is not due for replacement for 5 years. That would mean the tooth would be covered under my dental insurance in 2020. Apparently, unless I want to wait 2 years, I would have to pay the $500.
It’s the right or the left
The dentist then gave me the choice whether to work on the right or left side of the mouth. I was not sure that the bump had completely healed so I decided to have him work on the right side. The extraction is on the left side.
Injections, two cavities, and a temporary
He gave me two needles in my mouth. Then he went to work on a different patient in another room, and after about 25 minutes, he returned to work on me. The right side of my mouth was numb, and he proceeded to fill two cavities, and put on a temporary crown.
Pay the money
After the work was done, I went to the receptionist, confirmed my next appointment, and paid the $500 for the tooth.
Again, a slippery ramp
I navigated my way out of the office, and the van door and ramp came out onto the sidewalk. Again it was raining, and I slipped around on the ramp. I got into the van on the second try.
It’s in the turkey sandwich
We went home, and I was transferred into my hospital bed. The dentist did not tell me this, but I decided to wait 4 hours to let everything set before eating. I started to eat a turkey sandwich, when all of a sudden, I felt something hard in my mouth. This could not be the turkey sandwich, I thought. I stuck my fingers in my mouth and found myself holding the temporary. I put it in a safe place, for the next dental visit, which is soon, and I continued eating.
The effects of the injections
Usually, the numbing effects from the injections goes away after a few hours. This is what happened. The pain from the needles goes away in a day or two. Well, not this time. It was painful to open my mouth all the way for the next 8 days. Then, the pain finally went away.