by Derek—2003.09.12 @ 2138
Melissa had an early morning (8:00 a.m.) dentist appointment today (almost an emergency, really) to see if they can help fix the pain she was having in her upper jaw, back molars. She had been suffering with an intense pain for a few weeks now.
One of the frustrations was dealing with Medicaid. First, we had to find a local dentist that supported Medicaid treatments. When we made the first appointment for Melissa and the kids (who are all on Medicaid) they scheduled them for over 3 months away! I, on the other hand, was able to schedule an appointment the next week.
Since Melissa was starting to have this pain, the dentist conceeded and let her schedule an appointment for today.
When I got home from school, Melissa told me the rest of the story. After digging into her molar, the dentist confirmed that she would have to have a root canal. The tooth was the same tooth she had work done on a few months ago --- replacing the filling. Apparently that dentist didn't notice the problem then. Now it was more serious.
ASIDE: Did you know that an absessed tooth infection can spread into your blood stream, increasing your chances of death? Scary.
So Melissa decided to get the "operation."
COST:
Root canal: $490
Tooth Crown: $530
Melissa came home and cried. The double-edge sword was learning that Medicaid won't cover root canal proceedures (they do, however, cover the cost of just removing the tooth). I was stunned. Where would we get that kind of money?