Would You Drive 375 miles for a Dental Appointment?
All my life, I have taken good care of my teeth with regularly scheduled dental cleanings and checkups. So today I went to my bi-annual dental cleaning appointment, a round trip of about 375 miles. You must think I live in a very rural area without a dentist nearby, but that is not true. There are many dentists in Raleigh, NC area where I live.
Currently, I do not have dental insurance, so I kept my appointment with my dentist in Charlotte, NC, a round trip about 375 miles. Even with the gas expense, it was more cost effective for me not to change dentists at this time.
When seeing a new dentist they want to take current x-rays, perform a full examination, do the dental cleaning, and give a recommendation of needed dental procedures. All this doesn’t come cheap, about $300 or more. Some dental offices require two appointments: one for the examination and recommendations; another for the dental cleaning.
Once you are an established patient, seeing the Hygienist for a dental cleaning will cost $100 or so. Having a good Hygienist who takes the time and care needed to do a thorough cleaning is important in helping to minimize dental problems that might develop later. Not all Hygienist are equally skilled and caring, so find someone you like and trust with your dental health and keep regularly scheduled appointments with them.
Driving the long distance to my dentist did have another benefit. On the way back, there was an evening milonga in one of the towns I drive though, so I stopped and enjoyed some tango dancing. I was planning to go anyway, so I was able to combine the two trips. Tango is often danced in close embrace, so having good dental health will be appreciated by your partner.
