Today, I went to the office and spent the day in air-conditioned comfort. I don't know how warm it got today, but it was 95F when I got home at 6:30 p.m. I had an early dinner, changed the bed sheets on my daughter's bed, did a load of laundry, and put away an earlier load of laundry. One of my friends called and I chatted to her for a bit.
Earlier in the day, I had texted my cousin and got the name and phone number of her dentist. He is not covered under my insurance, but I thought I will call and make an appointment to see him to get a second opinion. I haven't called him yet, though.
Spam Alert: Recently, in the past week or so, I have been getting a large volume of spam comments, which has been unusual. They have all said "Anonymous" and I have opened some because I know I've one or two regular readers who comment as "Anonymous". All of these spam comments seem to be links to various sites, but really, I am not interested in learning how to enlarge certain body parts and so forth. Therefore, in these last couple of days, I have been deleting all Anonymous comments without opening them, because I am afraid some might contain a virus or something, and I will continue to do so for a few more days. So, this is to alert those of you who are regular readers who comment anonymously, I might unknowingly delete your valid comments among others. I do apologize in advance if I delete your comments. But, for the next few days, at least, be advised that I will not be opening any anonymous comments.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Air conditioning at the office
- Fans at home
- Phone calls and emails from friends
- Video chatting with my daughter
- Safe commutes
Tuesday's To Do List:
- Go to the office - DONE
- Bring the trash cans in - DONE
- Change bed sheets and remake beds - DID Daughter's bed
- Laundry (bed sheets) - DID one load
- Freeze the overripe bananas (too hot to bake!) - DONE
Wednesday's To Do List:
- Go to the office
- Call cousin's dentist to make an appointment for a second opinion
- Go to the bank
- Put away laundry
- Water the garden
- Change my bed sheets and remake bed
- Laundry
How was your Tuesday? Is it hot where you are, too?
I'm glad you're getting a second opinion. Your health is so important.
ReplyDeleteIt's been very warm here (nowhere near the temperatures you're experiencing) but as I type it is thundering and starting to rain so I think the weather will break today. X
Thanks, Jules. I just want to make sure everything is as it should be.
DeleteEnjoy the rain and the cooler temperatures. Our summer heat is just getting started! Soon you'll hear me go on about how it is 100+ outside!
What are you going to do if the 2nd dentist says he thinks the tooth should come out and offers to do it right then and there? Make sure to find out how much a visit costs out of pocket before you go. He might want to (well, I would think he would want to) take full x-rays too and that wouldn't be covered either. Just think about it carefully in terms of what it will cost you. I thought you were thinking about having the tooth/teeth extracted because you didn't want to incur a more expensive procedure? Maybe I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteThanks for moderating the comments so those of us who subscribe to your comments don't get flooded by spam either! I get those once in a while as well, they're always disguised as a "real" comment with someone complimenting me very vaguely and then posting a link. Or I get emails at my blog email from people suggesting content for the blog based on a link I provided in the past, despite my warnings about such emails being ignored. It's important to stop the spread of those things so delete or ignore away!
I hope you have a good day and the heat doesn't get too uncomfortable for you. I read that it was 120F in Phoenix yesterday and that even planes couldn't operate so they cancelled about 100 flights! That made me wonder how planes operate in places such as India because I've always heard it's so very hot there.
Thank you, Nathalie. You brought up some good points to ponder. Two of the teeth are broken at the gum line - there is practically nothing left to save and nothing to do other than extract them. The dentist I went to wants to do bone grafts and implants, but I would be paying out of pocket for those procedures and I would rather only do the extractions. The thought of bone grafts rather scares me, especially after my radiation oncologist said to be careful because he worried about bone necrosis.
DeleteApparently, the dental insurance I have is a preventive plan. It won't cover any of the procedures I need done, including the deep cleaning! If I go with all the recommended procedures the dentist assigned by my insurance has stated, I am looking at a more than $10,000 bill.
Glad to read that you've been given medical clearance for your dental work Bless. Dentists are pains, they always seem to add on a clean or an x-ray or something or other. You can see the £notes adding up in their eyes.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to have been a little cooler here today and there was a lovely breeze last night, plus the fans all over the house seem to be helping lol. Hope you have a lovely week and manage to get your dental treatment sorted out. Very wise to get a second opinion if you can. xx
Thank you, Suzanne. Yes, this is becoming a very expensive process, especially since my insurance barely covers any of it! If I want any of this done now, I have to pay out of pocket and that is amounting to a small fortune!
DeleteI think you need to have a conversation with dentist that you only want to have the teeth that can not be saved extracted. Perhaps you could also discuss having a regular cleaning vs a deep cleaning. Any cleaning is better than none.
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot to consider. At this time you need to go in the direction which is going to be the least stressful. Do take up the offer of your cousin/aunt to go with you when this is done.
Yes it is terribly hot here. Perhaps 95 today and low of only 70. Not my kind of weather. I stay in the air conditioning and also use fans.
Only the teeth that have broken off at the gum will be extracted. What is costly are the implants he recommended I do, but that involves bone grafts and so forth. The extractions, themselves, cost only $15 per tooth. I was telling daughter, I have less than 32 teeth as I've had impacted wisdom teeth and one other tooth extracted. Even if I have all my remaining teeth extracted and get dentures, it'll probably cost less than 1 implant! LOL! Dentist was advising me against having a bridge, because that involves planing the adjacent teeth and that will weaken my already weak teeth. But, I think, I will hold out on the implants, at least for now. Insurance doesn't cover implants (I called insurance and checked). Yes, as you said, I have a lot to consider.
DeleteI'm glad you are able to stay in an air conditioned space during this heat wave. I am sitting in front of the fan as I type this. :)
Glad you were able to cool off at work! It has not been crazy hot here, but it has been raining everyday lately. When the sun comes back we should have a nice steaming (literally) hot day.
ReplyDeleteOh, I think a hot humid day is the worst! Our heat is a dry heat, more like the air coming out of an oven than a sauna. :D When it gets hot like this, they open cooling centers for people without air conditioning - senior citizen centers, public libraries, and so forth.
DeleteYou will have to be up front with your dentist. Tell him outright that your insurance will not cover any of these proposed procedures and there is NO WAY you can afford to pay out of pocket. Find out the cost of having a partial plate (or spacer) fitted to replace the loss of those two molars. If he knows you are in no position to pay for bone reconstruction and implants, he may be able to work with you to find alternative treatment. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Actually, he knows what is covered under insurance and what isn't, as that was one of the first things his front office staff did. I then called insurance and verified. I have already told the dentist that I only want to do the extractions at this point and not the implants. It's just that the appointment for deep cleaning kind of threw me off as I had thought we'll do the extractions first and the deep cleaning later. But, as Marylynn commented, above, maybe the deep cleaning first is to ensure that the mouth will be clean before they do anything to minimize infection? Or, maybe he wants to do that first because he fears I might not return after the extractions? :D
DeleteNo easy answers to your tooth problems. I do know that most dentists have payment plans because their work is so expensive and most people don't have insurance. Is there a chance that during the next open enrollment you could enroll for a more comprehensive plan?
ReplyDeleteYes, there is a possibility I might be able to switch to a more comprehensive plan. In fact, I discussed that with the dentist when I saw him last - it's just that the open enrollment is in October and the new coverage won't start until January. I told him I just want to do the absolute essentials right now (extractions and the cleaning) and wait for the rest. I'm probably over-reacting. It's just that I was expecting the extractions to take place first and when they said deep cleaning first, it threw me off and I suddenly felt overwhelmed.
DeleteGood grief bless I've just read your reply to nathalie about it costing $10,000. Personally I would just have them taken out. An extraction at my dentist costs around £90 but I pay a monthly fee which means I'd get a 20/ discount. The bone graft sounds traumatic. Xx
ReplyDeleteLOL, Suzanne, that's what I told my daughter! An extraction is $15; I have fewer than my full 32 teeth. I am just about ready to have all the teeth pulled out and replace them with a full denture! It'll probably cost less than one implant! :D
DeleteWhat an ordeal, Bless. This sounds very stressful for you. To alleviate stress and any imposed deadlines, perhaps you could proceed with the cleaning and then the extractions with your current dentist that already has your preliminary xrays on file. Then shop for a better plan. Even individual private (not employer sponsored) dental plans cover more than your current plan ... and you can enroll at any time. Just something to think about ... as if you needed one more thing to consider! Lol
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, I am probably making a mountain out of a mole hill! Most probably I've got myself all worked up about nothing. But, yes, the deep cleaning is probably something I really need and it'll give us both (dentist and me) an opportunity to see how things proceed and I'll take it from there. The dentist my one cousin recommended is PPO, so, if I go to him, I'll definitely have to wait until I change insurance. Apparently, what I currently have is a "preventive" plan, meant to maintain healthy teeth, not treat any problems!
ReplyDelete