Fucking Dentist

My mother has an irrational fear of doctors. She always thinks they are going to hurt her, instead of help her. Needless to say, when I was a little girl I never went to the doctor unless I was REALLY sick - like on death's door sick. As an adult, I am not fearful of doctors. However, I seem to have a learned habit of avoiding doctors. I never go the doctor unless I am in extreme pain or I am pregnant. This applies to all doctors - general practitioners, gynecologists, dentists.

In general, I think people tend to overuse their health benefits. However, I definitely under use my benefits. I recently received a summary from my insurance company of my health costs over the past year. Ummmm...my costs were $0. My kids, on the other hand, used thousands of dollars in health care. And I am in the process of adding Porgie to our dental insurance, because she is 3 now and should probably start going to the dentist on a regular basis.

While laying wake one night last month, I decided that I need to start using my insurance. I am not a kid living in the ghetto anymore. I am an adult who pays a shitload of money for health insurance. I need to get my money's worth! Do I want to end up like my mother, who is plagued by numerous health problems?

I decided to make an appointment to see the dentist. I had two chipped molars, which I knew needed to be repaired. However, instead of just fixing the chipped teeth, my dentist wanted to replace several of my metal fillings. He claimed that the fillings were pulling away from my teeth, letting saliva and liquid into the teeth. He explained that as water expands in the teeth, it can crack them and cause chips (like the two chipped molars I already had). So I agreed to have 4 of my fillings replaced that day.

This was the worst freaking mistake I ever made. First of all, my teeth no longer feel like they fit together properly. Second of all, my jaw has been hurting for a WEEK. And finally, I have sharp shooting pains in one of my teeth whenever I eat anything crunchy. WHAT THE FUCK MR. DENTIST?

I knew going to the doctor voluntarily was a bad idea. Maybe my mother was right all along.