the Price of Special Dental Procedures

On a tooth that I had previously had a root canal and crown completed on, I started having major pain and swelling. My dentist took x-rays and determined that I had an infection in the bone surrounding that tooth. There was a space between the crown and my tooth that had allowed food particles to get in and cause and infection. This infection was eating away at my bone and could cost me my tooth if left untreated. She scraped all the food and infection out of the space and flooded the area with sterile water. She then filled the tooth with an antibiotic plus bone growth stimulator paste. She did this three separate times until the space overflowed. Once hardened, I was allowed to go home with instructions not to eat or drink for a couple of hours and to flush the area out with warm water after every meal with a special curved syringe and to brush the area with a special curved, mascara-looking brush.

She saved my tooth. While she was on vacation, I had gone to another dentist who said the tooth could not be saved and needed pulled. She said it was nonsense and I still have the tooth. She was gentle and answered all my questions thoroughly. The only thing I did not like was that my insurance did not cover this procedure. For some reason, they put it into a cancer treatment category that required prior authorization. I know this is not my dentist's fault, but hated having to pay for the service myself due to a technicality.

Know your insurance inside and out before having any treatment if at all possible. ALWAYS get a second opinion before having a tooth extracted, as some dentist are pull happy.