Adventures in Dentistry (My 1st Peace Corps Story of Scary Medicine!)
The past two weeks I've been scrambling to all the medical tests done to get my medical clearance to serve in Latin America. In my haste to get my visit to the dentist over with, since I've never had a cavity (about my only crowning, or non-crowning as the case may be, achievement to this point ) and thought I just needed a clean bill of health, I went ahead and called a store front operation with a goofy name who could get me an appointment the next day.
In the dingy waiting room lobby, after signing in, I overheard one of the dentists haggling with a patient through the thin walls, "It's 2300 with the plan, otherwise it's 6000." I got a bit nervous hearing this, and it echoes in my brain over the next hour of waiting, and my gut started telling me I probably should just leave. I finally met the dentist, a big, lumbering guy who I got a bad feeling about from his mannerisms and style of introduction. I explained that I just needed the PC evaluation form filled out and x-rays, and he said something like "sure, I'll just need this overnight, it's a long form, after I get your diagnosis." I got more nervous when he said "diagnosis" since it presupposed finding a problem (although I guess it could be used less frequently in the context of diagnosing health).
And sure enough after reviewing the x-rays he said in practically one breath "everything is good, but you have two small cavities, schedule Mr. Lesser for treatment as soon as possible. I'll give you the form after treatment." Because I wasn't used to this terse pushiness and taking my form almost as a hostage, I went with my gut and said firmly that there was another dentist I already had who I would go to for any treatment, and that I only came to have the form filled out. It turns out I should have told him that I'd rather knock my own teeth out with a rock á la “Cast Away” than for him to get a drill within ten feet of my mouth.
I further told him I would pay for the exam and the x-rays if he filled out the form and go for treatment to the other dentist, but then he said it would be "unethical" and then abruptly walked away and said "no charge."
Today, I went to another dentist (who as a very good professional actually spent more than three minutes looking at my mouth, and filled the PC form out right then and there in every detail), and found out one possiblity as to why he had such a bizzare reaction to the concept of a second opinion -- there were no cavities to be filled! I must've had a piece of black jack gum stuck back there that unbeingknownst to me caused misdiagnosis of cavities, or among the other less heartening possibilities, not everyone who has a scrap of paper and wears the garb is worthy of trust.
I'm pissed off!!! But breathing a sigh of relief. My advice to everyone, find a good Mormon dentist, who is in demand enough that you have to wait a few days.
In the dingy waiting room lobby, after signing in, I overheard one of the dentists haggling with a patient through the thin walls, "It's 2300 with the plan, otherwise it's 6000." I got a bit nervous hearing this, and it echoes in my brain over the next hour of waiting, and my gut started telling me I probably should just leave. I finally met the dentist, a big, lumbering guy who I got a bad feeling about from his mannerisms and style of introduction. I explained that I just needed the PC evaluation form filled out and x-rays, and he said something like "sure, I'll just need this overnight, it's a long form, after I get your diagnosis." I got more nervous when he said "diagnosis" since it presupposed finding a problem (although I guess it could be used less frequently in the context of diagnosing health).
And sure enough after reviewing the x-rays he said in practically one breath "everything is good, but you have two small cavities, schedule Mr. Lesser for treatment as soon as possible. I'll give you the form after treatment." Because I wasn't used to this terse pushiness and taking my form almost as a hostage, I went with my gut and said firmly that there was another dentist I already had who I would go to for any treatment, and that I only came to have the form filled out. It turns out I should have told him that I'd rather knock my own teeth out with a rock á la “Cast Away” than for him to get a drill within ten feet of my mouth.
I further told him I would pay for the exam and the x-rays if he filled out the form and go for treatment to the other dentist, but then he said it would be "unethical" and then abruptly walked away and said "no charge."
Today, I went to another dentist (who as a very good professional actually spent more than three minutes looking at my mouth, and filled the PC form out right then and there in every detail), and found out one possiblity as to why he had such a bizzare reaction to the concept of a second opinion -- there were no cavities to be filled! I must've had a piece of black jack gum stuck back there that unbeingknownst to me caused misdiagnosis of cavities, or among the other less heartening possibilities, not everyone who has a scrap of paper and wears the garb is worthy of trust.
I'm pissed off!!! But breathing a sigh of relief. My advice to everyone, find a good Mormon dentist, who is in demand enough that you have to wait a few days.
brainfart by Daniel at
10:01 PM
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