Boo! Hiss!

It seems very likely that there is a root canal in my future.

Two days ago, I got a large mouthful of cold air and one of my back teeth gave a little Zing! Today I went to the dentist and after a lot of prodding and poking and "Does that hurt when I do this?" this is what I was told.

• Although the X-ray of my back left molar didn’t show anything, his diagnosis is that there is most probably the beginning of nerve death in that tooth or possibly the bicuspid next to it.
• There is no cavity in either of those teeth.
• I have to go and see a specialist on Thursday for a diagnostic test that will cost $98. This test will find out which tooth {or maybe both teeth} is causing the pain.
• If I choose to let the specialist do the root canal{s} the cost of the diagnosis test is included in the price of the root canal. Even with this, the price of the surgery will be within spitting distance of $1000. For each tooth if they both require it. I have no dental insurance.
• My current dentist will do a root canal at a very slightly better price if it is the bicuspid. He doesn’t do molars {too many roots}
• And the icing on this particular cake is the fact that now I have a metal hip, every visit to the dentist means antibiotics. Yes, even a cleaning because I specifically asked.

When I got home there was a message from the physical therapy place saying that they had contacted Medicare and that the cost of further physical therapy was covered. I called the surgeon’s office and left a message for the nurse that I needed a referral faxed to the physical therapy place.

QUOTATIONS:

"Step by step. I can’t think of any other way of accomplishing anything."

Michael Jordan

If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed.

— David Viscott