The people who scrape, poke, polish and drill you 


Are dentists the new capitalist frontier? 

As a kid I remember goin to the dentist and it was all very matter of fact. They yell at you for not flossing, they may drill you if you have a cavity and you move on. We were all taught to fear the "Root Canal".

My first visit to my new dentist was great - after the requisite bleeding, I felt so much better. I knew I had some cavities that needed to be re-filled (they were after all done when I was in middle school). On my way out they offered me fresh baked bread and a chocolate chip cookie. I pointed out the incongruency of these gifts to their profession and they simply encouraged me to brush and floss after eating the cookie. I can live with the 21st Century Dentist.

But every time I go there is a new service like "Bright Smile" - $2000 to make my teeth sparkle like I was in Hollywood.Today it was "Periodontal Tracking." She explained that this service, for the low fee of $30 (which I am certain I will not be reimbursed for by my dental insurance), would allow them to track at each visit if there was receding at my gum line. Interesting. I went ahead and got it, but it made me think about the line between smart dental care and profit-making tactics.

You see, I love my dental experience now, even if it is primarily because of the cookies, but they also make me feel good about not taking good care of my teeth when I was a kid and playing catch-up now to avoid the sad dental state my parents are in. but I worry about the fact that my insurance only covers about a third to a half of each visit, and that they seem to have their minds set on profit. Far be it for me to get in the way of someone's prosperity, but I will if it affects my own!

Placed rat traps and mothballs in my attic in the hopes of dissuading any visitors from awakening me in the middle of the nite again. But I did find where the critters can enter on the side above the A/C compressor. Darnit - they broke a little hole in there. I worry that water is coming in that way too... so now I need to go up there and fill it in with some of that cool foamy stuff you spray out of a can that blocks that entrance so neither water nor creature can be there...

I have done 3/4 of my reason for taking the day off..... I have serviced car and teeth, now off to vet, and I read 1 chapter of Stat 3..... after the vet I can work out and then maybe blow leaves around my back yard before making breakfast burritos for the week!!! WOOHOO!!! 

Posted: Mon - November 17, 2003 at 02:00 PM          
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