Dentist

While visiting in the States last month I managed to squeeze in a visit to my dentist. I still pay for my stateside health insurance, though it only covers overseas costs when considered "an extreme emergency" (I read this as: arm falling off). I popped in on a Friday - it's a lovely office in south county St Louis that, not only keeps records of my dental visits, but also little tidbits of my personal life. I always thought it was charming during my visits when the dentist and assistants would ask how home repairs were going, or how a vacation went. They knew all about my previous experiences overseas, so when I called a few days in advance for a fast booking, they were more than obliging.

Unfortunately, this was the result.
Yes, a gaping hole. Apparently it had broken off at some point in the previous months. I'd noticed a little difference when I chewed, but put it down to .. well.. not really caring since I wasn't in any pain. Since I was only in St Louis for the day the dentist couldn't fix it, and insisted I get a crown upon returning to Bahrain.

So, after coming home and catching up on jet lag, I finally made an appointment at the nearby hospital. I requested the female dentist, just because I could, and she was a lovely little lady from Iraq. Her husband was a doctor in the same hospital, and they had two boys, the youngest of which just graduated high school. She looked at me very strangely when I showed her the above photo... I'm guessing she thought I took it myself, as her dental technology seemed about 20 years behind. She did an initial exam, took x-rays, and put in a filling (yay for no crown!). The total bill - about $150.

I decided to give my own (fish eye) camera a shot and see if I could see the difference... no such luck.