DENTIST OR PINBALL ? ?

[Caveoftreasures]

Dentist or Pinball.  Dentist or Pinball.   Dentist or Pinball.         I keep saying this to myself over and over and over again.

I am sitting outside the Dentist 2 days ago. My mouth is farking killing me. I have taken enough STRONG pain killers that the amount of drugs should have killed me by now.
I am still in pain. I have turned into a 41 year old man who would sell his children and give away the wife for free just to get out of Pain. You know the type of pain, its that nasty dental tooth ache pain that hurts like a bitch, and u know its going to get alot worse before its gets better. Should I put up with it and hope it goes away, or do i go inside the dentist, knowing that the next pinball money/cash I have saved will be gone within 15 minutes of sitting in the dentist chair. $ 2 grand gets me a nice pinball, $ 2 grand at the dentist gets me next to nothing. Dentist or Pinball. The Dentist wins, the pain is too much.

I know the minute the dentist opens, I am going to hit that door like a man possessed. I dont have an appointment, I am not going to take the
"come back in 2 days time please sir, we are all booked Up" routine. I have been up all night, 8 hours of hell, and i need a dentist NOW.  

What happens next. I am told at 8am that I have to come back at 3 pm, its the best they can do. I am shattered. I aim straight to a bottle of jim beam, more pain killers, and the hope that something magic will happen. 2 Hours later, I get a call, "we have a spare spot, come in straight away.". I was there in a flash.

The receptionist is greeted by a man who has had half a bottle of straight bourban before 10am, I am in my pyjamas and I have had a whack of pain killers. I must look like the local junkie.
30 minutes later it was over. 3 needles, a mouth full of numbing stuff, a quote for $3600 to save 1 x lousy tooth, and a chemist form for anti-biotics. Did it all fix the problem ? NO.

My mouth is still killing me, and until i decide to waste $3600, or get the tooth pulled in a couple of days time, I am full of pain killers and a friggin sore mouth.
I am guarding the pinball collection like a guard dog, the dentist aint getting it all yet. Anyone got a money printing machine ?  

[Pintoxicated]

Had the same thing recently.  Ended up at casualty (nothing else open really on a Sunday in the bush) just to get some anti biotics to kill the infection.  Dentist a few days later just to refer me to a specialist so he can say, yep I agree, that wisdom tooth has to come out, make a booking and we'll see you then.  A few weeks go by and got it pulled out in the chair.  No more pain and no more hassles.

just get the bugger pulled out, will be cheaper in the long run I'd say and for your pain and suffering - buy yourself another machine. 

Win - win.

[MartyJ]

Easy fix.

Tie a piece of string around sore tooth.
Tie other end of string to the flipper (glass off)
Stand back until string is tight
Hit flipper

(joking of course) - blood on a playfield may be hard to clean off which I'm sure Beaky wouldn't want to do no matter how much you pay him.

[Retropin]

Oh i hear ya Brett!! I hear ya buddy!!!!

I was blowing a raspberry on my 2 yr olds tummy the other day... felt a "click" and my bloody 3 tooth bridge fell out. This is all my 3 front teeth and now i look like a gypsy.
Havent been to a dentist yet.. but i klnow the $$$ are gonna kill me.
Ive even been onto Ebay and can buy all the stuff to fix it myself for nix!
I did get a quote for this some 15 years ago... $3000 a tooth i was told... you know i had the whole lot done in london for 200 quid! And that was not subsidised.
Dentists are a friggin rip off... im back in China next feb time and if i can glue them on till then, ill have the work done over there.
Go get the tooth pulled mate... come to China for business and have the prosthetics ( if any) done there for a fraction of the cost

[Caveoftreasures]

Actually, quite a few people are saying Thailand is also a bargain for Dentistry. Apparently about 30 percent of the Aussie cost at most.
( I can hear people saying "Thailand" is also great for "other things" as well, but not my cup of tea. I will stick with the anglo saxon gals). lol

Why is Australia so crazy and overly expensive for dentistry. I wish we had a member who was a dentist who could explain it. Its well over $600 an hour for the labour plus supplies when getting treated by a dentist. If u are a dentist, I say "good luck to ya" cause if u can charge it and get it, well done.

Its sorta like a vet with a cat with 2 x small crying kids with the parent in the surgery, you just know u can probably get at least $600 to fix the cat.lol 

[Redback]

I know some people go overseas and get the work done.

A lot of countries are cheaper.  I know Bulgaria is one.  Maybe Fuji.

I was on a plane to Canada and the girl next to me worked for a Dentist.
A root canal over there is a grand.  I had just paid over two for one here in Oz.

They should shake up Dental here.

Shop around pricing isnt regulated and varies depends where you go.  I've heard Portland is cheaper, lol

Red

[robm]

Actually, quite a few people are saying Thailand is also a bargain for Dentistry. Apparently about 30 percent of the Aussie cost at most.
( I can hear people saying "Thailand" is also great for "other things" as well, but not my cup of tea. I will stick with the anglo saxon gals). lol

Why is Australia so crazy and overly expensive for dentistry. I wish we had a member who was a dentist who could explain it. Its well over $600 an hour for the labour plus supplies when getting treated by a dentist. If u are a dentist, I say "good luck to ya" cause if u can charge it and get it, well done.

Its sorta like a vet with a cat with 2 x small crying kids with the parent in the surgery, you just know u can probably get at least $600 to fix the cat.lol 

If Dentists are anything like Gyno's then the (seemingly) excessive fees would be to cover their insurance.  15 years ago a knew a Gynocologist in a town of 40 000 people that had medical indemnity insurance that cost over $100k per year.....So its not thier fault - its societies fault for wanting to pass the blame to someone always.

Different story with vets - while the fees seem again quite high - their capital and insurance costs are quite high. I have two good friends who are vets and they certainly don't earn super high incomes - particularly for the hours they put in.

In response to the main topic - go for the extraction under a general - i had all 4 wisdom teeth out, no pain, no swelling (i was religious about keeping ice,saline wash and painkillers up) and 5 days off work!

[goodolddays]

Sorry to hear about your pain Brett .. sounds like a real bitch .. funny story about when you went back later in the morning  .. I'd get it pulled out if I were you.

[spook]

I feel for you mate and I hope the pain gets sorted out real soon .... damn dentists, at the rate they charge they sure must have a lot of pins!