Ahh, The Dentist

I just got back from the dentist. Truthfully, it’s been nearly two years since my last visit. Previously I’ve always had really great health and dental, but since leaving my last job I haven’t had anything other than basic MSP. I debated getting a plan at one point, but they were all around $100/mo for anything useful, and most of them had a graduated three-year scale before you received full (i.e. 80%) coverage. So it really didn’t make sense financially.

But as a result, I’ve been putting off going, since dropping a few hundred dollars on a cleaning hasn’t really excited me. That said, I finally caved in and decided to get a basic cleaning and checkup done, which cost me around $150. It would have cost a lot more, but I declined all the extras like X-rays and what not, primarily because I’m taking off in a few months and probably won’t call that dentist home when I return.

I haven’t had a cavity in about seven years now. I attribute that mostly to the fact that over the same time period I haven’t really consumed sugar in any quantity. If it’s in a meal, then I’ll eat it. But I don’t add sugar to coffee, and I don’t drink any sugar or HFCS-based drinks.

As expected, I am still cavity free. Unfortunately though I have two ceramic fillings from a long time ago that need replacing, so I have to get that done soon. That will run me $275, but at least then my teeth will be as good as new again before I take off.

So, $425 for two years worth of work on my teeth. That amounts to roughly $17/mo, which is a lot cheaper than most of the insurance plans I was looking at (many of which only cover 50% in the first year or two).