Tooth and consequences

I found out earlier this week that I have an abscessed tooth, which is going to require a root canal to save it. Alternatively, I can wait a few years while the tooth turns black and then falls out. The dentist asked me if I remembered any blow to the mouth or other event that might have killed the tooth, saying it may have been five or more years ago that it happened. Nothing comes to mind.

In addition to that, I also have a few tiny cavities forming on my molars. He took a bunch of digital pictures and brought them up on his laptop to see for myself. Sure enough, they're tiny but distinct. He said I can treat them now and get small fillings that are pretty much invisible, or wait while they grow and eventually have a mouth that looked like his, at which point he opened up and gave me a good look. Every visible molar in his mouth looked completely metallic. It also turns out he was a fighter as a young man, and his perfect front teeth are all false replacements for the ones that got knocked out. No wonder he got interested in dentistry.

I hadn't been to the dentist in about 18 months, because I didn't have insurance for about a year, and then I had to wait for my new job's insurance to kick in. I kept up the same routine I'd followed since moving away from home, brushing my teeth every day and never flossing. My last dentist told me repeatedly I should floss, but every time I went in for a cleaning he and his assistants always told me I was doing a good job keeping them clean. If they look great, and I'm keeping them clean, why change?

This new dentist actually took the time to explain to me about gum disease and a bunch of other stuff that my old dentist never had. Now granted, this meant we didn't have time for my cleaning, which is why I was there in the first place (I go back for that this Tuesday), but still, this is the kind of individual attention so obviously lacking in most of the health care industry these days. And if I didn't have insurance, maybe I'd be angry with him for coming up with all these expenses that could save me future costs in both pain and money. But his mouth cost him $20,000. He told me to think of the stuff I need to have done now as an investment in my retirement, and I think he's right.