On awesome dentists...

[chezmax]

Wow, I had the awesomest dental appointment ever yesterday. Yes, I know that seems like an oxymoron, but really, it was great!

I woke up Friday to discover that one of my tooth (or fillings?) had chipped or cracked, and I had a delightful sharp edge right between my two front teeth, which I couldn't keep my tongue away from. So my tongue was slowly getting cut up. It was mostly just annoying.

I called my dentist Friday morning and left a message (they're closed on Fridays) that my teeth were unhappy. They called me back on Monday at 8 am, and offered me an appointment *right then*. I turned them down, cause I didn't have access to a car, and by the time I walked or bussed down, the window of opportunity would be gone. So they scheduled me an appointment after work yesterday.

So, I went in, and the dentist stuck a mirror in my mouth, and said, "Hmm. This might not even require freezing to fix. Shall I try?" and I was like, "SURE!", cause really, I hate having my face frozen for four hours, especially before dinner. (Although I ate something before going in just in case...). Anyways, he started drilling out between my teeth and it didn't hurt at all, and pushed some stuff into my mouth, and less than 5 minutes later, he had the UV light in my mouth curing my new filling. Damn he's fast!

The whole ordeal took less than 20 minutes, including waiting for the dentist and paying. Out of pocket expense after insurance: $10. And just to make a good day better, the timing was such that I had to wait no longer than a minute for the bus to take me home.

Time was totally on my side yesterday.

Comments

[balatro.livejournal.com]

Especially in the US when you look at what the dentist CHARGES then see what the insurance allows them to charge.

[chezmax]

How so?

[balatro.livejournal.com]

Because if you didn't have insurance you're f**@!. You'll see line items like... root canal (or the technical term for the procedure) $700 allowed to charge $250, insurance covers 80%, you owe $XX. Without the insurance you get to pay the full $700, not the negotiated price. And that's just one line item.

I think my first root canal and crown cost me like $300-400 out of pocket? Versus like $1000 for the procedure and $700 for the crown or some such.

[chezmax]

I *think* it's illegal here to have different rates for insured and non-insured customers here.

[balatro.livejournal.com]

PS: 8120/8130 now? Or wait? :)

[chezmax]

Well....

One can always wait and something better will *always* be along. Just look at Apple :> And although I of course can't comment on any future unannounced products...

Of the existing products, and if SureType appeals to you, go for it. You can only have WiFi or GPS which sucks (personally, I find GPS moderately more useful, but that might be because my data is paid for). I don't know anyone who's unhappy with Curves if you want something bigger.

But like Apple, I'm sure you'll always find something you want more once you buy :>

[balatro.livejournal.com]

I'm rather surprised that I did like SureType on the 8100. I could hold it in one hand and crank out messages efficiently. I had a Curve for a week but couldn't get into it as much.

[chezmax]

The form factor of the pearl is definitely nice for carrying around. SureType started to annoy me with the (unfortunate) colocation of the 'u' and 'i' on the same key. There are many words that are the same except for the 'u' and 'i'. After getting frustrated with this particularly issue, I sent an AIM to someone expressing my frustration (using Suretype) and SureType predicted: "SureType can sick a duck." I'm sure you can figure out what I intended to type. :)

However, these days the BB rumour sites have some interesting articles.

[balatro.livejournal.com]

Lucky SureType :P

[balatro.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooo. I'm turned on. :)

[nobodyhere.livejournal.com]

Some dentists will give non-insured customers discounts to be nice.

[chezmax]

Yes; when I was a student, my dentist gave me 10% off as a 'impoverished but regular customer' discount.

[fallyn-angel.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about that, but I do know they can't charge more to someone that DOES have insurance than one that doesn't, just because they have insurance.

Actually Ontario (well, all provinces but Alberta) have a fee guide that comes out each year stating the reasonable charge for every procedure they could possibly do. And since insurance companies always pay based on that, most dental offices stick to the fee guide prices, or thereabouts.

[taffer.livejournal.com]

Prices sound similar to up here, although our employer insurance is generally only 50% for expensive stuff like crowns/root canals. OHIP doesn't even cover check-ups and cleanings, which is retarded.

Speaking of employer health insurance, I learned yesterday that Google in Ireland has "one of the best" coverages, and they only cover 30 Euros per person per year for prescriptions. WTF.

[insaint.livejournal.com]

And even then crowns have to be plain metal before they're covered. God forbid you want to put something in your mouth that actually looks like a tooth.

[wjl.livejournal.com]

i've heard that the $250 represents what they actually want to charge, but the $700 is what they have to claim they want to charge to get the insurance company to let them charge $250.. still a broken system, but slightly less ridiculous, maybe? :)

[dancinglights.livejournal.com]

This is generally the case, and part of why good dentists will charge lower rates to uninsured patients. There is an entire industry in the US dedicated to resolving these disputes between insurance companies and medical professionals; my father worked for such a company briefly before moving to a non-profit hospital to do the same job and earn back his soul.