Went to the dentist today. That’s not what the ouch is about. It’s been 10 years. **That’s** what the ouch is about. I’d been putting it off until I had money, or barring that, insurance. Well, I don’t got money, but I got this here dental card when I started working full-time. I figured it was time for a visit. The co-pays are going up in January, so I’m trying to get my visits in ahead.
The news is bad, but not so bad as it might have been. I have 6 cavities.
Ouch. They’re little ones, but still. They can put in the fillings 3 at a time (they’re evenly distributed on each side, and they can only do one side at a time).
Plus I have wisdom teeth. I’m still working on why God gave them to us, if we all have to have them pulled. Or, for the evolutionists–what advantage do teeth fulfil that don’t fit in your mouth right? Seriously, if anyone out there knows, post a comment. The best theory I can come up with so far is that they’re designed to fill in the gap when the teeth further up the line fall out.
Fillings are going to cost me $107 out-of-pocket. Twice. I haven’t even been to the oral surgeon yet about the eye-teeth, but Constance tells me that hers cost around $300.
So that’s $500.
Plus I have $500 more of wedding ring to pay off.
Oh. And did I mention that I have to spend $300 to get my car up to NC inspection standards?
Valerie’s Car needs a new timing belt: $300
And I need new glasses, since my old ones broke: $200
Ouch.
Can I have a raise now?
neumatikos 
Yes my dear friend, Ouch! Ten years is a long time for not visiting the dentist, fortunately you have not suffered from any extrengious pain caused by your wisdom teeth or any of your cavities resulting in forcing you to go see your dentist. The question you raise about why we still get these so called “wisdom teeth” is a good one. Wisdom teeth are third molars. Normally people have three permanent molars that develop in each quadrant of the mouth; upper, lower, right and left. The first molars usually grow into the mouth at around six years of age. The second molars grow in at around age 12. The third molars usually will try to grow in at around age 18 to 20 years. Since that is considered to be the age when people become wiser, third molars gained the nickname, “wisdom teeth.” Actually, they are no different than any other tooth except that they are the last teeth to erupt, or grow into the mouth. They are just as useful as any other tooth if they grow in properly, have a proper bite relationship, and have healthy gum tissue around them. Unfortunately, this does not always happen as I am sure you can personally relate to.
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just my oar — but if the wisdom teeth aren’t causing you any problem [read pain] — I’d ignore them. Plenty of people don’t have theirs removed. — and I thought you said you’d paid off the ring?
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Nope. The ring is not paid off. 🙂
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Actually, one of the wisdom teeth has a cavity in it too because he can’t get bach there to brush proplerly. It wasn’t counted in the list of 6 cavities.
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if it is a visible tooth why would it need to be surgurically removed. I had mine out because they were impacted [growing sideways] and if you had known my mouth as a small child it wouldn’t have surprised you…..actually considering how many teeth they took out to make room for what was left….I needed those wisdom teeth!
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Two teeth are all the way through. But one of them has a cavity. The nurse says the cavity can’t be filled, but I can take that with a grain of salt, since the predisposition of the entire medical field seems to be that God made wisdom teeth to put oral surgeons’ kids through college. But, if I get one tooth removed, it causes problems for the one on the other side, since teeth supposedly grow until they meet resistance.
On the other side, the teeth aren’t impacted, but neither are they all the way through. This means that there are spots on the tooth that I can’t brush and food can get stuck in there. This means that cavities are nearly inevitable. The argument there is that, if you’ve got to get one tooth removed, and the others are only a matter of time, you might as well get them done at once and save money.
I’ve got time. I’d like to see if I can get copies of my x-rays and do some research. I’m also going to look into whether the initial visit to the oral surgeon is covered by insurance completely or partially. If completely, then I’ve got a built-in free seccond opinion.
Believe me, if there’s a way I can safely avoid having teeth removed from my mouth, I’ll be finding it.
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