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drscottWe went over to Lou C's for dinner and were joined by Frans and Lou's roomie, Wade. I'd never met Wade and her turned out to be a charming, slightly loopy linguist, just my kind of foil. He studies variations in pronunciation for a local speech recognition-based company. After the fine if somewhat delayed (due to coals that went out!) dinner (steak, chops, lots of wine) we squished into Lou's smaller hot tub for more conversation.
Mike had had too much to drink to drive, so I drove us home in the pickup, which I'm not used to.
Today I went to the dentist. We switched over to a very cheap dental insurance plan now that we pay for it all ourselves, but it seems to be working out -- it's an assembly-line operation in a strip mall, but the dentists are competent if recently-minted. For $170 a year for both if us we get two cleanings and exams each plus coverage of "necessary" items at low out-of-pocket charges; for example, today's large filling was $60 out-of-pocket.
The operation itself didn't go totally smoothly; when removing the clamp around the tooth after finishing, part of the new amalgam chipped off, and he had to redo the whole thing, meaning another 15 minutes of holding my mouth open. But it's better than Tufts Dental, where I used to go -- there they would often have to wait awhile after each step to be checked by the instructor.
Because I grew up pre-fluoridation, I have fillings in almost every molar. This filling was the first old one I've had too have replaced because of deterioration; probably all of the ones I got in my teens will be going soon, so that's another 10 or so to do in the next decade. Ick. My one tiny gold filling (which I got at Tufts because each student had to do one gold foil filling even though they are rarely used) will probably last forever.
Mike had had too much to drink to drive, so I drove us home in the pickup, which I'm not used to.
Today I went to the dentist. We switched over to a very cheap dental insurance plan now that we pay for it all ourselves, but it seems to be working out -- it's an assembly-line operation in a strip mall, but the dentists are competent if recently-minted. For $170 a year for both if us we get two cleanings and exams each plus coverage of "necessary" items at low out-of-pocket charges; for example, today's large filling was $60 out-of-pocket.
The operation itself didn't go totally smoothly; when removing the clamp around the tooth after finishing, part of the new amalgam chipped off, and he had to redo the whole thing, meaning another 15 minutes of holding my mouth open. But it's better than Tufts Dental, where I used to go -- there they would often have to wait awhile after each step to be checked by the instructor.
Because I grew up pre-fluoridation, I have fillings in almost every molar. This filling was the first old one I've had too have replaced because of deterioration; probably all of the ones I got in my teens will be going soon, so that's another 10 or so to do in the next decade. Ick. My one tiny gold filling (which I got at Tufts because each student had to do one gold foil filling even though they are rarely used) will probably last forever.
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Date: 2004-08-18 03:01 pm (UTC)After a couple of lack-of-anaesthesia events at my dentist when I was in high school, I didn't see a dentist again until 1987. My new dentist completely convinced me that it's possible to have dental work done in a pain-free environment. I feel asleep during a root planing, for goodness' sake. Now I enjoy the entire process. But then, I've always been able to work with my mouth wide open while drilling.
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Date: 2004-08-18 03:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-18 03:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-18 03:48 pm (UTC)…
He took out his trusty drill
And told me to open wide
He said he wouldn't hurt me
But he filled my whole insiiiide
Dr Longjohns
Don't you ever go away
'Cause you thrill me
When you drill me
And I don't need no novocaine today
…
no subject
Date: 2004-08-18 03:51 pm (UTC)