Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Big Teeth. Big Dentist Bills.

Now you guys know, I gots me some BIG teeth...


Ok- so that is a slight exaggeration of their size... remember, I am addicted to photoshop and cannot help myself.

Fortunately for my dentist, and UNfortunately for me, I clench my jaw almost constantly and grind my teeth at night. I have been religiously wearing a bite guard at night for 15 or 20 years. I've gone through about 4 of them... the first dentist who treated me said I had the jaws of a pit bull. He recommended a steel bite guard. Ummm great.

My most recent trip to the dentist resulted in a $4,750.00 bill. Apparently the night guard isn't enough. Although I am highly medicated and extremely sedated, I am clenching my jaw in the daytime now. The four molars on the left side of my mouth have cracks in them and could shatter into a million pieces unless I replace the old fillings and add a crown to each tooth.

The dentist acted like it pained him to have to break the news to me... but I swear he was high-fiving the hygienist when I walked by his office on my way out.

He was bragging about his new SUV when I went in for a follow-up visit. I am pretty sure I made a big portion of the down payment on it.

Anyhoo- there is a new set of bite guards (a day-timer and night-timer) that are supposed to not only prevent damage, but actually help me break the habit. Each one costs $500 for a grand total of $1000. BUT!!!! If I get them both at the same time, the cost is only $750.00. 

Omgosh. What a crazy great deal. It's like I am not even spending money... I am SAVING $250.00!!! Hooray! I am a winner!! I wonder what I am going to do with all the money I just saved???


I eagerly grabbed my almost maxed out credit card and ordered the pair. I got them last week. They are tiny little things, no more than an inch long. Both are made from some sort of hard plastic and slip over the bottom front teeth. I am thinking my dentist has grand total of about ten cents invested in materials. But- they work! You cannot bite down on the back teeth and they kind of force you to relax your jaw. It's hard to explain and maybe someday I'll take a picture and show how they fit in. For now- just trust me.  It's a major medical breakthrough.

Here's the problem... I already lost one. DAMN DAMN DAMN. Can you believe it? It was the day-timer. I took it out to have a coke and slipped it in a pocket in my purse. It's gone now.

Maybe I'm not a winner after all...


My inner child is seriously pissed off.

I'll let you guys know if I find it. If not- I am going to have a fund raiser to try to raise the money for the replacement.

Now to the shameless promotion of me and my partner's websites...

Are you going to vacation in the Virginia Beach area? If so, you'll want to check out the Virginia Beach Boardwalk and the Virginia Beach Aquarium! Both are extremely popular Virginia Beach attractions!

I love the boardwalk in Virginia Beach and used to love to go inline skating there. The boardwalk is a great place to ride bikes, jog or just stroll around and enjoy the ocean.

The Virginia Beach Aquarium was recently remodeled and has some fantastic new exhibits. Our website has a great video showcasing the update. Be sure to bring your camera when you visit the Virginia Marine Science Center-- the new 40 foot tunnel displays some of the most beautiful fish in the world.

If you are looking for Virginia Beach things to do, pop onto our website and look around! We have all the best Virginia Beach attractions listed!

Have a great night and wish me luck on finding my day guard.

2 comments:

  1. Lord, woman! Can't believe you already lost one!
    You need one of those chains like Darris uses on his glasses...:-)

    That big teeths picture of yours is AWFUL!!!!!
    Maybe you should think about getting a second opinion with a dentist occasionally?

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  2. $4,750.00 bill !!! Wow, sorry to hear that Mit.

    I just uploaded a photoshop myself, BTW. I like it so far but boy have I got a lot to learn.

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