alexist

Top left bicuspid feels distinctly wrong. It's hard to explain, but it's almost like a shot of Novocaine weariing off.

Naturally, our dentist has gone private. Not that it would matter anyway:
1) The NHS considers this a back tooth and I do not: I have already paid for a white filling on it. I/my parents have spent far too much time and money on my teeth for my smile to be spoilt for lack of a simple white filling and I'm not going to cheap out now. (For those who don't know--my top front six are crowns. AND I had 7 years of braces before that.)

2) As of 1 April, the new charging scheme comes into effect. I'd be lucky if it was a "complex treatment" (fees cap is now lower) but screwed if it wasn't. The new standard charge for a filling is £5 less than my dentist charges for a private white filling.

3) With my luck, it will require some strange variety of treatment which the NHS does not pay for.

And I need my bottom wisdom teeth out, but I'm delaying it till the dentist tells me I can't. I'll have to go private as there is no way in hell I'm doing it without general anaesthesia and I don't think you can have that done on the NHS. I do live near a (reputedly-good) clinic that does oral surgery (as well as plastic surgery, so people seeing you go in don't know if you're having a wisdom tooth done or breast implants) but I'd still be a bit nervous anyway. I had a regular oral surgeon in the States. (It says a lot about my teeth that I can make this statement.) I'm nervous enough about a possible root canal. I still haven't shaken off all my American stereotypes of British dentistry--and I'm sad to say that I've seen enough bad work done here to give credence to some of those stereotypes. Plus it would probably be done by the regular dentist rather than an endodontist.

(Before I get numerous comments from enraged Brits, I think I've had enough dentistry, both good and bad, to make judgements on it.)

(oooh, interesting. NICE guidelines are that pathology-free impacted wisdom teeth should NOT be removed on the NHS. I was told by both my dentist and an oral surgeon that mine should be removed. One had its roots at such an impressive angle even I could spot it on the X-ray. The cynic in me wonders, of course, how much of this decision was made on cost grounds. And does pain count as "pathology"? Not that mine hurt, but their definition doesn't appear to include it, so I'm curious.)

My bottom left 2nd premolar is also hurting me again, though last time that was just irritated gums. This time it hurts if I press the root, so I'm suspicious.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2336001057263201649

Puppies! lots of PUPPIES! And one cat. :)

(from baaaaabyanimals, of course)