Nick's Daily Journal: July 17, 2013

After 12 days of tooth pain, I finally got to see a dentist this morning. After three days of making telephone calls in attempt to locate someone to provide emergency dental treatment without demanding payment in advance, on Monday a Facebook friend referred me to a website that listed such dentists. The first of these that I telephoned—several I had already contacted—returned my call even before I was finished leaving voice mail. He confirmed that he required no advance payment for emergency services and gave me an appointment for 9:00 a.m. this morning.

I arrived 15 minutes early at the house the houses his office and follow the directions to enter by the side door. As I came through the door, it was déjà vu—except that this was a real memory. About 15 or so years ago, shortly after I returned to Louisville, I sought emergency dental care and was referred to the same dentist by the local dental referral service. Back in those days I had an excellent income, money in the bank, and fabulous insurance. Wow! What a coincidence!

The receptionist, using my Social Security account number, confirmed that I had been a patient at one time. However, because it had been so many years, I was required to fill out a 2-page information form of very small type. Damn! That form required everything short of the date I first had sex! It took me almost 45 minutes to complete the form.

Then I had another 30 minute wait before I saw the dentist. The examination,

including an x-ray, was fast. The dentist told me that my #12 tooth was abscessed and loose. He said it had to come out and that the cost would be $250 to $350, depending on whether it was a simple extraction or there was any difficulty, payable at the time of service!

I had already told him that that I didn’t have any money and my only insurance is Medicare, which like the Veterans Administration, does not cover dental procedures. So, the dentist gave me prescriptions for a much stronger antibiotic than the one I’ve just finished taken and have extremely strong narcotic painkiller. He said to call for an appointment after I had the money to pay him.

Do I feel screwed? I don’t know—I feel relief and will figure out how to come up with the fee somehow.

The very good news is that the two prescriptions required only an $11.00 (as opposed to $70.00) co-pay with the new Medicare supplemental insurance I have purchased.