Praise then darkness, and creation unfinished

I went to the dentist yesterday to get my teeth cleaned, and on my way out made a follow-up appointment. When I got home, I realized that they'd given me an earlier appointment than I thought, or wanted, so I had to call them today.

I also got halfway through filing a claim for insurance reimbursement last night, before realizing that I didn't have the right paperwork. In the process, I found out how to file a claim for the glasses I had made a couple of months ago, which I'd thought would be complicated.

Those forms require a National Provider Identification number, which can be found online. Praise wikipedia! Googling didn't find me the relevant website, but the Wikipedia article has a link to it. The website is searchable by anyone, if you have the provider's name and location, and "Arlington, MA" was sufficient, without the street address.

Having talked to the dentist's office, I now have a 3:00 appointment for my next cleaning, and have submitted the insurance claim.

I had a follow-up appointment with the dental surgeon today. An assistant took one X-ray, and then the dentist tightened one of the two posts that will in due course support implants. I'm supposed to go back in January; at that appointment they are going to remove a little bit of gum before making an impression of my mouth.

This appointment was back at the office in Watertown Square, with the same receptionist, but new management so I had to fill out a bunch of forms about things like my current medications. The sign now says "Call Dental Center," rather than "All Dental Center"; I guess they wanted to change the name as litte as possible.

One odd bit: they had the news on in the waiting room, and I heard someone on CNN say there was "only half a fortnight" until Election Day. Yes, technically a week is half a fortnight, but I wouldn't have expected a CNN announcer to say "fortnight" at all, and I wouldn't expect anyone to say "half a fortnight." If he had started to say "half a month," that was an impressively smooth recovery.

I took the 71 bus home, so I could stop in Harvard Square and get ice cream at Lizzy's; I had been completely out of chocolate ice cream, and almost out of black raspberry.

I went to the dentist's office to have them fit/place the dental "partial" (a.k.a. "flapper") this afternoon.

The process was alternately boring and uncomfortable-to-painful: they put the thing on, I told them that it hurt or was too tight, they took it off and polished a little bit, then repeat.

We stopped when I thought it might fit okay, although it seemed a little tight. It's hard for me to be sure, because some of the times when they pushed the thing down within my mouth hurt. So I may be feeling irritation from that, rather than the thing still being too tight.

I have an appointment on Friday morning, to adjust the fit if necessary. They told me most people need to come back once or twice to have the fit adjusted. If I don't think it needs adjusting by Friday, I can just cancel that appointment.

They told me to try to wear it for an hour today, two hours tomorrow, and increasing from there: "try" meaning that if it hurts, take it off. Also, to put it on Friday morning before I go to the dentist's office, even if it's uncomfortable.

The partial doesn't come with any sort of storage box; if I need to take it out, I can put it in a plastic cup, or a box, or whatever else is convenient. So I will need to find something that's going to keep it safe from being knocked over by the cats, or by me, Adrian, or Cattitude.

I confirmed that they will call me in four months to make the next appointment for the implants, I don't need to call them.

I just learned that they are closing my current dental office (which is in Watertown Square) in about a month. They're suggesting patients either go to Westborough, which is out past 495, or a Gentle Dental in Belmont, but my current dentist will be working entirely in Westborough. I can get to the Belmont office about as easily as to the Watertown one, but it looks like I'm changing dentists anyway, and am looking for suggestions.

I'm in Brighton, near the ends of the B and C branches of the green line, and being reachable by transit is more important than distance in miles as the crow flies.

I want somewhere that still takes some level of covid precautions (masking, air filtering, and/or good ventilation), and that won't have a problem with me only masking in the dental chair.

The dentist affixed the permanent crowns today (to replace the temporaries I'd had for several weeks). He told me that if they feel too high once the anesthetic wears off, call them so I can come back and have it fixed. That is apparently a quick and easy procedure, but necessary; they won't improve on their own.

I asked about the other tooth he had told me in January would need to be crowned. The dentist says there are "about four" other teeth he wants to put crowns on, but none of it is urgent, and he suggested waiting until the "next insurance year," and discussing it again in October, while I'm there to have my teeth cleaned.

I once again found it oddly restful that the dentist and his assistant were talking to each other in a language I don't know (Russian, maybe), perhaps because it meant that they were obviously not addressing me.

I also made multiple phone calls about prescription refills and medical records; my goal for tomorrow is to not make any such calls.

Starting to eat dinner confirmed that I need to go back to the dentist to have him polish the top of at least one of the two crowns.

I went to the dentist's office today for a cleaning, and to have X-rays taken (since it had been a couple of years). The X-rays show that I will need crowns on at least two teeth, and I am going back in three weeks to have crowns put on two of my lower left teeth. Fortunately, all I need is the crowns, no implants or root canals.

The cleaning was less painful than usual; the hygienist thinks this may be because I'm halfway through a course of doxycycline, which they use to treat gum problems. If so, I'm glad the doctor prescribed that specific antibiotic, which she did after I told her that I've done well with tetracycline in the past.

Also, I just got an automatied message saying that yesterday's screening mammogram is normal ("no evidence of malignancy").

I had periodontal work (a.k.a. deep cleaning) last Wednesday and today (the hygienist did one side of my mouth on each day). Topical anesthesia only, at the hygienist's suggestion, which I accepted because that wears off quickly rather than lasting hours. Today's was a bit more difficult than last week's, but doable.

Does anyone know of a Boston-area dentist whose staff are still masking consistently. I'm in Brighton, but willing to travel a bit, preferably by T.

I just called my dentist and asked about covid protocols, and the person said "covid protocols?" as if nobody had asked her that in ages. I explained I wanted to know what their rules about masking are, and was told "if you want to wear a mask you can." I said "thank you, I may need to reschedule" and hung up.

The receptionist called back (thinking we'd been cut off accidentally?), and said the doctors were masking, and the hygienist when I asked about that. However, the rest of the staff aren't, but "you can ask them to wear a mask" and "everyone is vaccinated."

The reception area/waiting room at that office is small, and by the time I asked anyone working there to put on a mask, they would have had several hours to spread any virus they happened to be carrying.

On the one hand, this is not good; on the other, would another medical practice be any better here?
My appointment is next Wednesday, so I have some time to brood think about this. I may call and ask to reschedule for the first appointment of the day (any day), to reduce possible exposure to other patients. Even if the staff are all vaccinated and boosted, it's unlikely that all the other patients are.