Dental Nightmare

The dental appointment at the Makahiki Clinic has come and gone. The usual cleaning, radiology, and examination for $150 was completed. The attending dentist completed the examination. There are five between-teeth cavities including the wisdom tooth that is long over due for extraction. The one troublesome molar that underwent a root canal definitely has a fractured root. In addition, the erosion has worsened. No surprise.

The attending dentist is new and very thorough. The suspicion is that all of the problems were evident over a year ago, but the previous dentist was lackadaisical in methodology. Obviously, professional complacency is passed on to the patient through costly, albeit preventable, procedures. Total expense may be $1,000 or more.

Many of the experiences detailed in the old journal, “blog,” and in Notes are commonplace for the poor and destitute. Insofar as dental care is concerned, there is little wonder why the poorest classes, including the homeless, are missing teeth or toothless.