I have to say, the experience at this clinic has been disappointing. I started with high hopes and made a call to get in as soon as possible as I was having tooth pain. The lady on the phone got me the first opening they had, and I felt relieved. It has been a while since I have seen a dentist due to the lack of benefits and crippling depression. Depression is a trip in its self, because not only is your mind barely working but you let your physical care go as well. I knew something was seriously wrong with my tooth and that this was all on me.
I get in to the office and the ladies are helpful and supportive. I fill out the health history and write down the medications I am on. Anyone with a medical degree can easily look at those medications and know that something is going on with my mental health (the fact that I also ticked that I have a history with mental health might be an indicator as well). I am brought to the back - and during the rest of the time felt like I was a small child and I had done something very bad. There was a lot of silence and uncomfortable moments. I could have brought up my depression, but I didn't feel comfortable in that moment. Any other professional I've seen over the years has always given me the safety to explain my story - but perhaps not everyone has the same bedside manner as the professionals I have had the experience of working with. The doctor looks at my X-ray - the tooth needs to be pulled. I take a breath and say okay... what now. He explains the process of pulling the tooth and then having the bridge. I go to the front and the lady shares that the extraction will be covered and that they put in for the other work which could take weeks. They book me in for about two a half weeks later and ask that I get the paperwork when the coverage comes through.
Fast forward to the Friday before the procedure - I am reminded of the appointment and to bring in the paperwork. This was a confusion on my end, as I thought she just meant for the bridge work. I didn't realize that they had included the extraction onto the claim to my insurance with the bridge as well.
Side note - They put in for all of this once in September, and then put in again to my insurance but it was about 600 dollars more this time (on October 1). I'm still confused.
I manage to make it to another dental office who is able to see me right away. They look at the tooth and share that there are HEALTHY roots and an extraction is not needed at all. Simply a root canal now and a crown within the next year. Not the near 4000 dollars in bridge work that had been sent in to my insurance provider - instead these procedures were completely covered. I was also prescribed antibiotics to take before the root canal.
Antibiotics are necessary when you have an infection in your tooth... as the numbing will not work when there is an infection. So I am curious if this office was going to have me come in for an extraction when the numbing would not have worked....