Tuesday, March 09, 2010

A $10 Dose of Happy

At least I hope I'll get some happiness out of the $10 I just spent for a dose of Valium! Actually, I seem to have been given 5 doses, so I guess it's only $2 a dose.

Why have I suddenly turned into a pill popper? I'm getting my first crown at the dentist tomorrow, and after the last time I had a filling replaced, I decided I couldn't take it-- I've never been particularly afraid of pain, but the idea of my whole tooth being ground down is pretty disturbing. And what's worse is that my dentist has started using some weird contraption that holds your mouth open and that claustrophobic feeling of almost choking makes me panic a bit.
Part of me thinks I should just suck it up and deal with it... but another part of me is very happy to be cradled in the comforting arms of modern chemistry. Let's just hope it works.

I'm only supposed to take one of my pills before my appointment tomorrow, which leaves me thinking about the possibilities for the other 4... I may have to pop another one when I see the final bill for the crown: it's supposed to be about $2,500!

19 comments:

bethh said...

oooh those things that hold your jaw open make me feel pretty anxious too. Please let us know how the Valium goes. I tried Atavan for a flight a few weeks ago - I'm not an anxious flyer, but I AM an aggravated one, and it's supposed to help you not care if there are three toddlers screaming in the row behind you (for one all too true example). I think it helped a lot. Hopefully Valium does it for you - you may not be safe to drive afterward!

Dawn said...

Madame
I hate those squishy blocks they use, but let me tell you, when my jaw starts to hurt or I am anxious I will take that darn thing out- I don't care if it pisses them off. I want to be in control when I'm awake and I will stop them as often as I need to.
But then I never had valium, that's a whole different planet.

Kelly@TearingUpHouses said...

Oh no! Feel better soon.

I think the $2 was probably worth it.

Kelly

mw said...

Do let us know if the valium helps. Dental-phobes everywhere are waiting to hear ... And good luck!

Peter Dunn said...
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Budgeting in the Fun Stuff said...

Yes Peter Dunn, we can read too! The writer is female by the way...

Anyway, I hope Valium helps! My husband has a dentist phobia and I've been looking for ways to actually get him in...he swears they will need to put him under or he wants some Delauded...

MtnMama said...

As someone who worked in dentistry for over 15 years, I have two comments:

1) Take the Valium. Take two. Whatever helps. It's okay, and it's normal to dislike a painful and intrusive procedure.

2) You are getting raped on the fee. Even in NY, it shouldn't cost over 1K. Does it come with a month of houseboy services? Good grief.

Nabi said...

when I got a crown done a few years ago (also in manhattan) it was around $1700 and I thought that was steep! It was covered by my dental insurance after a 20% copay but that wiped out my coverage for the year so that I had to wait until the next calendar year to get more dental procedures.

Whenever I fantasize about early retirement, I think of potential health care costs down the road and snap back to reality. sigh.

Dani said...

I predict that after the procedure on valium, you'd be happy to pay double or triple per dose. Think of it as a health perk, because your stress levels (and thus cortisol, blah de blah blah...) will be lower, not to mention the reduction in mental anguish. Valium is the only thing that gets (and keeps) both my sister and I in a dentists' chair after a terrible childhood dentist. Good luck!

Samual said...
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Madame X said...

I took the Valium and survived the dentist-- I think it was a pretty low dose (5mg) and I didn't think it made that big a difference, but it certainly didn't hurt to take it.

As for the fee, I don't think my dentist is ever cheap, but I've heard of others paying similar amounts for crowns... my dentist always seems to have very cutting edge technology that other dentists don't have yet, so I wonder if that is why she's more expensive... I may have to research this topic for a future post!

Anonymous said...

Bronx Chic..I going to get my 1st root canal and scared like heck. I need anything to cope with this 1 1/2 procedure..love my health but hate the dentist.

Clear Your Clutter said...

I took Valium for the first time last year, when I needed a filling replaced. I am hard to numb and have dental anxiety. Let me tell you, it worked great!

I did ask for more than 1 so I could test it first, to make sure it didn't give me paranoia as a side effect. My dentist gave me 4, just in case.

Well worth it! The experience was still painful, but not traumatic.

myfinancialobjectives said...

WOW that's a hefty bill! I still remember when I had my wisdom teeth pulled I walked out into the lobby right after the procedure all drugged up. That was quite an experience.

Jane said...

I gaze happily at the tiny bottle of Ativan I have for an upcoming flight and smile. $4/pill and hopefully worth every cent. A couple of bucks for our well being is definitely worth it!

credit report said...

Dentist visit can be costly. But if you are paying monthly premium to the dental insurance and not using it, when it adds up also can be costly:( Sorry.
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Abhinav said...

Hmm not a bad idea to go for insurance of your tooth. In Canada also it is very expensive.

Money Honey SF said...

Don't get hooked now on Valium. ;)

Jerry said...

That's pretty cheap for a little bit of happy. I'm assuming your insurance picked up the rest. Hey, when you need it you need it. I hope the bill leads you to find ways to pay it off rather than pop a pill!