Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The verdict

Going to the dentist AGAIN yesterday just left me with more decisions and things to think about. After talking to the ortho, my dentist decided to look at the lower teeth again. They decided that the size of the fillings in the lower left are large and that I will eventually need to have crowns put on them. The fillings in those teeth were just replaced less then 7 years ago (that's how long I have had this dentist, and he replaced them, just can't remember when). So they aren't that old. So my dentist said that I could either have it fixed orthodontically or with one or two crowns. I asked him what was best for my teeth in the long run... putting time, money, pain, everything like that aside. He never really did answer that. But he said that I will eventually need to crown those two teeth. He can just crown one of them and make up for the two spaces. I have NO idea if insurance will pay for these crowns since the teeth are fine right now. So they have sent in a pre-authorization. At over $800 a tooth, I want to know how much I will have to pay before I give the go-ahead.

Here are my choices as I see them:

  • Fix the lower spaces with InvisAlign and run the risk of messing up my bite (don't want to do that)
  • Put crowns on one/two teeth (depending on what insurance will pay). I REALLY hate the thought of grinding down teeth that are still healthy to put the crown on. And in 10 - 20 years from now I will need to have these crowns replaced. How much more of my tooth will be left for them to grind down then? But, this will save my teeth from possibly breaking, which would lead to me getting a crown... or worst yet cracking which would lead to having the tooth pulled and the whole stud process again (once is enough!) (But if I didn't have this space I wouldn't even be thinking about what "could" happen. I would just be going on my marry, and if something happened, dealing with it then)
  • Do nothing for now and wait until I get a cavity from the space. I could also get gum infections because of food getting wedged in there and my CONSTANTLY having to floss or something to get it out.

For right now, I have 4 - 6 weeks to wait for the pre-auth to come back. In that time we will move the top teeth and I will be back to my dentist to get more done with the implant. It really just is too much to think about sometimes. Here I thought that once the braces came off and I got the implant I would be done. But I really think that until I put my foot down and say "NO MORE" they will come up with something else that needs to be done. I have to decide how much time, pain, and money I am willing to spend and after that just say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!".

That's the new news for now. I go on Tuesday to get my top InvisAlign. Yeah, "braces" for a THIRD time. My sister is going to be SOOO jealous. (she has ONE crooked tooth and wanted braces as a kid. The ortho said it was just cosmetic so my parent's did get them for her. She was jealous when I got mine as a kid, even more jealous when I got them as an adult... and now for a third time. She is going to FLIP. Hey, she's an adult now, she could pay for them herself. But after paying for her son's braces, I think she has changed her mind). I'll let you know how Tuesday goes.

5 comments:

Heather said...

a big OY VEY!!! It never does end, does it?! Ugh. Good luck in making your decision...I wish I could help but I'm thinking good thoughts for you! xoxo

Tara said...

Thanks, I need the good thoughts! I'll keep you updated on what I decide to do.

Michelle said...

OMG! I can't believe you're now having to deal with this. I wonder if alot of us will have to deal with this after our bands come off? I never gave this any thought. Hmmm. I'm going to ask my Dr's about this.
Keep your chin up, everything will work out!!

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I don't want to freak you out or anything, but did your doctors rule out Acromegaly early on? With the lower-jaw prognathism, POTS, and other stuff going on, have you had your GH/IGF-1 (Growth Hormone / Insulin-Like Growth-Factor 1) levels tested? The jaw surgery and all really did a nice job, but if for any reason the original issue was from elevated GH, you may find yourself in a similar situation again in 10 more years. Just thought I'd ask.

bridget said...

Oh boy, Tara. Good luck with everything. You're a trooper. But hey, you look fantastic.
I have a friend who has always "wanted" braces and claims to be jealous of mine. I try not to be irritated by it. Sometimes it's difficult. :)