Wednesday 3 June 2009

In That Nobody Knocked Out All My Teeth

I woke up this morning with a tiny chip in the corner of my front tooth, which somehow apparently happened in my sleep. What am I supposed to do now? Do I have dental insurance in the UK? Can this maybe wait until I get back to the US so that I can entrust it to Connie, my dental hygienist since age 5? Should I stop opening bottles with my mouth?

Luckily, the day went uphill from there.

3 comments:

Bix said...

DO NOT go to a UK dentist unless you are in pain. You aren't covered for dental that isn't emergency (by which I mean you are holding all of your teeth in your hands and have, I dunno, bleeding abcesses). They will ask for a LOT of money up front and (not to offend any Brits reading) the quality of care will be much less than what you are used to. When I used to go to university-wide welfare meetings for graduate students this was always a problem -- what international students are supposed to do in case they need dentistry. I'm sure there are some very nice dentists out there but for the most part I heard horror stories of a. people having to pay hundreds of pounds just to be seen by the dentist and b. level of care being really bad.
So, yeah, if you can wait...
--jamie

Bianca Jackson said...

I don't know the insurance or medicare policy in Britain, but you have to take that to the dentist as soon as possible. A small chip like that can lead to more serious tooth damage. Don't worry, there are many options to repair your damaged tooth. It doesn't necessarily mean that it has to go.

Kevin Durant said...

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear about your tiny chip in your front tooth. It's great that the day went uphill from there though! If you have dental insurance in the UK, I recommend reaching out to them to see if they cover the cost of fixing the chip. If not, it might be worth waiting until you get back to the US and see Connie, your trusted dental hygienist. In the meantime, maybe consider using a bottle opener or other tool to open bottles to prevent any further damage. Hope your tooth gets fixed soon!