@Diana2112 indeed.

Do you have to get an implant? That was when I opted for twilight sedation, even though I had to pay for it.

@Diana2112 oh that is rough! I really need there to be Universal Healthcare that covers everything, including hearing, vision and DENTAL.

My mom has had a terrible time with her dental, due to how she grew up.

When my molar cracked down to the root (sorry) 😬 it could not be saved, obvs. My dentist started me on antibiotics to stop most of the pain, and all of the spitting out of blood. She refused to pull it. She said she doesn't pull molars anymore. So, I had to see an endodontist, get those super detailed up-close 3D X-rays, and then make an appointment with the oral surgeon, whose office was incompatible with the endodontist software so had to repeat the 3D. Had to pay for twilight sedation in 20 minute increments. Implant post successfully placed. Nothing but soft smooth foods for months. I now hate pudding cups!

Finally healed enough to get a crown and have it fitted. My dental insurance had been maxed out by the time I had the consultation with the oral surgeon, so I waited six months after the post placement to get the crown ordered and seated, after the deductible for my insurance reset.

The whole process took a year and cost a ton, even with private dental insurance. What would I have done if I didn't have that?!? It's criminal. I don't think that the dentist should be able to refuse to pull a tooth. Yes, it's best to have the lost bone in the area built back up and all that, but I'm not sure it was worth it. I've had other extractions and they seemed like an easier way to go for back teeth that didn't come in right, or for which there wasn't enough room.

All this to say that I feel for you, and you deserve better in this supposedly modern world.

@kimlockhartga Funny thing is when I lived back in Jordan and had my wisdom teeth out, it was quick-fast, in and out (even though that too was without a local, it was an emergency jobbie), done in less than 5 minutes. I would say "I don't understand why American Healthcare is like this," but I do. Profits. It's all about money and the oligarchs.

Which is why I'm absolutely about me some universal healthcare.

@kimlockhartga I'm a firm believer in the Infinitely Many Worlds Theory, that for every choice that could have been made there exists a different reality where that choice (and every other choice for it) was made instead. So yeah, there is, in my view of the cosmos, other Earths where everyone cares for everyone else.

Contrariwise, there's just as many where it's so... so much worse.😅

YAY MULTIVERSE THEORY!

(Also fun fact, due to just how many combinations of particles there are in the universe, if you were to travel far enough in space, you would, *in theory*, come across an exact copy of yourself somewhere!)

@kimlockhartga I mean... I don't see how anyone can go through something traumatic (of any stripe) and come out the other side thinking "yeah, nah, let's make everyone ELSE suffer now," that don't click with me.

(You can blame King Arthur in First Knight, honestly, the line "I take the good with the bad, I can't love people in slices" absolutely reframed my ENTIRE outlook on life-true story)

@Diana2112 that is so good! What a great line.

The Once and Future King was the first book that got me into Fantasy.