I should total this up…the initial treatment was about $500, then the crown was about $800, then the root canal was $1,450. So…coming up on $3,000. A nice new computer, a downpayment on a new car, or the size of my annual bonus after taxes on a good year. All of that wasted on a tooth.

I pay first, then my insurance company pays me whatever pittance they feel I deserve. My insurance, knowing how useless IBM’s insurance is, will likely cover about half of the cost. Better than nothing, I guess, but not the gold-plated health plan covering 80-90% of dental fees that a government worker funded by my tax money would likely get.

Am I bitter? No, not really: the work needed to be done, some of the cost is covered, and I’m in a position to afford the rest. Lots of people in the world aren’t so lucky. But the beer sounds really good. Assuming things go as planned, I should be past the point of needing extra painkillers by Friday, so I’ll pick up a case then 🙂

My favorite part of the process was the pain test. I told the endodontist that I was having a hard time figuring out for certain where the pain originated. It was definitely on the same side as my recent crown work, but radiated all over the jaw, sometimes even coming from the upper jaw. I already knew that tapping didn’t seem to generate a pain response. Cool water would, but in several teeth. The impression I got was that this is not uncommon: I guess the nerves are inter-connected and, once part of it gets aggravated, the pain becomes generalized. Anyway, Dr. Cambruzzi nodded after my explanation, walked away, and came back with an incredibly sophisticated diagnostic tool- a forcep with a little chunk of ice. Two seconds later, it was absolutely clear where the pain was originating: and I hadn’t even bitten through the forcep!

It maybe sounds a little cruel, but it worked perfectly: it was totally clear to me which tooth harboured the worst pain. As I say, I won’t feel sure that the problem is “corrected” for a week or so, so I’m not yet willing to be really thankful. However, so far, so good…