False teeth are looking pretty, pretty good

Today I had a dentist appt where they were supposed to fit me for a new crown on the tooth that just had the emergency root canal last month. They started prepping me and I just felt like something wasn't right so I spoke up and asked them if they had gotten the report from the endodontist and they said yes, so I asked them when that report was dated and they responded "June."

I told them the tooth I needed the crown on was the one I just had the root canal done on, but they kept insisting I needed the crown on the tooth behind it. I made them take an xray to show them the root canal that had just been done and she agreed that it needed a crown, but she still insisted the one behind it needed one too because it was chipped and there could be problems with decay and I could lose the tooth (why I had never been told that tooth needed a new crown, I don't know -- or maybe they did and I forgot). So I had already paid $390 for the wrong tooth, so I asked how much more to just do both crowns at the same time? She said it would be the same price (so another $390), but that they would check with insurance just to make sure.

After a few minutes she came back and said it would be 20 minutes to hear back from insurance and why don't we go ahead and get started on the one I had paid for and I said sure (because I'm an idiot), so they started drilling. A few minutes later the front desk lady came in to tell me that according to my dental records (on file with our insurance), the dental work done on the latest root canal tooth was done in 2005 and they only will pay for new crowns for the same tooth every five years -- so I would have to pay full price, no help from insurance.

I asked the dentist if what was there now would last until next year and she said no way, which is what the endodontist had said too.

So, my one-hour one-tooth appointment turned into a two-hour two-tooth appointment and my benefits card is now completely maxed out and I used over $300 on my hubby's benefits card too -- and we have yet to get the bill from his ER visit a couple of weeks ago, so who knows if there'll be enough left to pay it on the card as well.

Next year we're both getting $3,000 benefits cards.

I am going to appeal the insurance decision. I have no idea how to, but I will figure it out.

Meanwhile my face is swollen and sore and I have two temporary crowns causing me grief in my mouth. And I have accepted that I will never, ever, be able to not ask the question, "You know not to give me Epi, right?" No matter how hard I try not to, I always end up asking.