If only that word was familiar to me because it was given to me in my 5th grade spelling bee. Alas, I learned it the hard way. If I was asked to spell it, I would stand in front of the class and say:
Apicoectomy...8 9 5 D O L L A R S...Apicoectomy
Or I might simply say it as I've heard it all week. From the emergency dentist visit on Monday morning "looks like you might need an apico(ectomy*)," or again later at the Oral Surgeon's off "yes, you'll need an apico...or we can pull the tooth." And again when the office manager called to say my dental plan will cover the apico for $825 or extract the tooth for $70.
Knowing that I had an already overcrowded mouth which resulted in nine (9!) teeth pulled when I was 12 or 13 pre-braces. Four of the nine were adult teeth. Take away my four wisdom teeth eight years later, and I was left with 24 teeth. Since an implant would cost about $3500 when all was said and done, I thought it best to save the tooth for the total cost of $895 (included $70 consult with surgeon.)
So there I was this morning, sitting back in a very comfortable dental chair and counted my way through 85 Hail Mary's before he snapped off his glove and said "Done." I did not feel a thing. Even the initial needle was nothing, thanks to the to the numbing gel they use nowadays. As of now, 7.5 hours later, the only pain felt was in my wallet.
And so my message to all you folks afraid of the dentist...
#1 - there is no pain anymore. Novocaine works wonders.
#2 - take care of the teeth now and save on financial loss for later.
#3 - the $70 extraction would have cost me more than the implant if I couldn't afford that . Dentist let me know that bottom molar, side teeth, and teeth in upper jaw (apico was done on bottom root canaled tooth) all would shift over time.
Go now. Don't walk. Run--------> DENTIST
I know that I immediately made Logan's next appointment for his dentist. So, make that call today if yo haven't seen your dentist in the last 6 months. And if it's been more than six years...make that call yesterday!
Apicoectomy...8 9 5 D O L L A R S...Apicoectomy
Or I might simply say it as I've heard it all week. From the emergency dentist visit on Monday morning "looks like you might need an apico(ectomy*)," or again later at the Oral Surgeon's off "yes, you'll need an apico...or we can pull the tooth." And again when the office manager called to say my dental plan will cover the apico for $825 or extract the tooth for $70.
Knowing that I had an already overcrowded mouth which resulted in nine (9!) teeth pulled when I was 12 or 13 pre-braces. Four of the nine were adult teeth. Take away my four wisdom teeth eight years later, and I was left with 24 teeth. Since an implant would cost about $3500 when all was said and done, I thought it best to save the tooth for the total cost of $895 (included $70 consult with surgeon.)
So there I was this morning, sitting back in a very comfortable dental chair and counted my way through 85 Hail Mary's before he snapped off his glove and said "Done." I did not feel a thing. Even the initial needle was nothing, thanks to the to the numbing gel they use nowadays. As of now, 7.5 hours later, the only pain felt was in my wallet.
And so my message to all you folks afraid of the dentist...
#1 - there is no pain anymore. Novocaine works wonders.
#2 - take care of the teeth now and save on financial loss for later.
#3 - the $70 extraction would have cost me more than the implant if I couldn't afford that . Dentist let me know that bottom molar, side teeth, and teeth in upper jaw (apico was done on bottom root canaled tooth) all would shift over time.
Go now. Don't walk. Run--------> DENTIST
I know that I immediately made Logan's next appointment for his dentist. So, make that call today if yo haven't seen your dentist in the last 6 months. And if it's been more than six years...make that call yesterday!
*Apicoectomy: also known as root end surgery, is an endodontic surgery procedure involving the surgical removal (ectomy) of the tip of a tooth root (apex), and the sealing of the root canal. The purpose of an apicoectomy procedure is to fight an infection in the tissues surrounding the tip of the root and save the tooth from extraction.
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