A Tale of Six Cavities

A few weeks ago, my friend Shawna and I bought a Groupon for dental X-rays, an exam, a cleaning, and a take-home whitening kit. We really just wanted the whitening and cleaning. Bear in mind, before Tuesday, I hadn't been inside a dentist's office in far too many years. Ever since I was a little girl with eight cavities (my dad bought me Starburst like all the time), I have been absolutely terrified of the dentist. So I knew going in that I would have a few cavities. If I had known just how traumatic this appointment would be, though, I would never have let Shawna talk me into getting the Groupon.
Tuesday morning, I woke up all ready for my cleaning and whitening. No nerves at all. Until we actually got to the office and I was called back. The chair, the machines, the gloves, the smell---all these combined to make my heart pound furiously and my palms sweat. I wanted to back out then, but as I followed the hygienist to the chair I would be occupying, I passed Shawna, who seemed to be doing just fine. She was leaned back, relaxed in the not-so-stylish sunglasses they make you wear, and actually talking to her hygienist. So I knew I could do it too.
And I did. I wasn't afraid of the pain (I mean, I was only getting X-rays and a cleaning). I was afraid of finding out how many cavities I had. I was guessing five, maybe six. Well, six was right, but in addition to this horrible news, I found out that I probably have to have three---yes, you read right---root canals! This is not good news for a girl who freaks herself out about getting a filling. The root canals are not definite at this point, but the dentist told me that if I leave the cavities untreated for a month, I'll for sure be looking at all three root canals.
In addition to scaring me with the news of how bad my teeth are, the dentist also asked me if I had ever had braces.
"No," I said. "Do I need them," I hesitantly asked.
"Well, your teeth are just really close together, and your front teeth are a little uneven because of the crowding," she told me cheerfully. Much too cheerfully.
I was devastated. I know I don't have perfect teeth, but I never thought I needed braces. And that wasn't all. She then told me that I needed to have my wisdom teeth extracted and suggested I think about getting Invisalign braces after that.
Apparently my teeth are so crowded that a toothbrush can't work its way in between them. And because I am a lover of sweets, sugar was just trapped in my mouth. So she told me that with diligent [read: obsessive] flossing, I may be able to get away with just filling the cavities. However, her tone told me that wasn't a very likely probability.
Once she was finished delivering the bad news about my chompers, she proceeded to discuss my treatment plan...aka: money.
Let it be known that I am an overly emotional girl. I have always known this, and I just deal with it. So it was not at all unlike me to burst into tears when the receptionist gave me the printout showing that in total, all the dental work I need done would cost me $4000.
I didn't mean to start crying. But from the time she told me I was a likely candidate for a few root canals, I knew it was going to happen.
The thought of the pain, the stress of paying for all this, and the realization that my teeth are apparently awful just pushed me over the edge, and the poor receptionist had to deal with a blubbering baby. Luckily, she was super sweet about it.
When I finally calmed down, she set up an appointment for me, handed me my goody bag of toothpaste, mouthwash, a toothbrush, and floss, and told me everything would be okay.
I'm still not sure I believe her.
Shawna's news wasn't much better than mine. Since we both had a $25 gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse, we decided to treat ourselves to a steak lunch to lift our spirits. After driving twenty minutes out of the way, we pulled up at Outback. As soon as we stepped out of the car our mouths started watering. We were immediately disappointed, however, when we read the sign stating their hours of operation. For some ridiculous reason, they didn't open until 4:00. It was 12:30.
That's just how the day went.
Four thousand dollars worth of dental work and no steak lunch make for a terrible Tuesday.
Wednesday turned the week around, though. I survived another deadline day at work, and Shawna and I ran one and a quarter miles at the gym then biked five. We figured that even though our teeth may be bad, our bodies didn't have to be.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go floss. Good day.