Step 1: Admit You Have a Problem

Mid-summer last year I was lucky enough to need a crown put on one of my teeth. That was a fun experience, and if I had an issue with brushing my teeth, it would have cured me instantly. Sadly, I brush, floss, and mouthwash daily, so I had nothing to improve upon.

For the past two weeks that self-same tooth has been rather hot/cold sensitive, so, I called up my dentist and made an appointment for today. They took a look at it, and concluded two things: (1) I needed a root canal; and (2) the stupid popping in my jaw that I had mentioned could be mitigated by not chewing gum! I don't know which is worse news, as I'm a huge gum addict. Ok, it's probably the root canal, since I currently don't have dental insurance. I'm hoping that my health plan at BigNameCompany will kick in my first day of work, otherwise, I get to sink (yet another) $750+ into my infernal mouth. That, coupled with the $2000 I already spent last summer getting a whole ton of work done, means that I'm going to have the most expensive mouth on the block, and I don't even have any 'bling-bling' going on in there! Admittedly, it's money well spent, but, still...it's money I don't currently have to spend.