Wisdom Woes

I need to get a wisdom tooth out, but my last experience with a wisdom tooth extraction was so traumatising, I didn't want to go back to the same oral surgeon. It took him over an hour of drilling, pulling, and bearing down until my jaw was about to pop out of its socket, and afterwards I could barely open my mouth for days.

So I went looking for a different oral surgeon, and I thought I'd found one who was experienced and trustworthy (doesn't it seems a lot of dentists these days do all sorts of procedures on you that you don't need so they can charge your insurance company?). I called the dentist's office to check whether or not he accepted my type of insurance (even though I'd gotten his name from my health insurance directory), and was told by a rather curt receptionist to call back at 11 a.m. when the insurance lady would be in. So I called back, and was assured that they accepted my insurance. Okay, then. I made the earliest appointment I could, for a whole week later.

I called them again the day before my appointment to verify the procedures for insurance, and they told me everything was in order. I took the subway (almost an hour's trip) out the next day for my appointment at 1:30 p.m., and my mother took time off work to be with me. I got to the dentist's office and was told by the singularly unrepentant dental assistant that they had stopped accepting my dental insurance as of that morning!!! I asked them (quite reasonably, I think) whether they hadn't had my cell number, which I knew very well I had given them. No smile, no apology, just, "We told you, we only found out this morning." Call me funny, but I consider "morning" to be between 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 a.m. Being that the appointment was for the afternoon, I don't think a call would have been too much to ask for. And who was this dental surgeon? David M. Blank, DDS, at 120 East 34th Street in New York, NY.

So, I'll need to make a new appointment somewhere else, and probably have to wait at least another week before I can get this tooth seen to. Just when I'd gotten my gumption up to get it out.....now I have who knows how long to scare myself thinking about it. All of you out there with smaller teeth/longer jaws/wisdom teeth that don't need removing, you don't know how lucky you are!!