I’ve said many times that one of the true dividing lines in this country, and it’s becoming ever more evident is our teeth. I broke part of one of my back teeth over the weekend and I spent the next couple days alternately contemplating financing an extraction and praying for death. I haven’t had dental insurance in years.
I could feel something jiggling around back there, but I couldn’t get at it without seeming to strike pain at very nerve of my tooth. When I had insurance I would have called the dentist there and then, but of course I don’t. So for two and half days I’m trying to get the jiggly part out of there and hoping like hell it will stop hurting after that, and not expose the nerve entirely instead. Ah, the wonderful world of self-dentistry!
But, that’s the reality for working class people with no dental coverage. When that piece finally came loose I was so relieved. Had it happened differently, I would be over 200 bucks down to a GE Care credit account right now. I have credit, I don’t have a couple of hundred bucks to get a tooth pulled hanging around. I know I’m not alone here.
I still have the jagged remnants of two upper teeth back there. They should be removed, but they’re not going to. Not until the time they break and it’s not a little piece. Because there really are two Americas. I live in the one where tooth-hurty ain’t necessarily time to go the dentist.
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it doesn’t hurt, so all is well~
in any comprehensive health care policy. It’s incomprehensible that it’s not since dental and eye health are an integral part of total health care.
Is there a dental or hospital near you that might have a program with a sliding fee scale that you could access?
i finally had my 4 right upper molars that were just shards and finally a nerve was exposed and i had to get them all pulled. it was a horrible afternoon but when it finally healed, no more pain! but i’ve got no molars on my upper right side now. def have poverty teeth…
glad you escaped teh nerve issue cuz that is painful…