My endodontic surgery appointment is scheduled for Thursday, December 7th at 2 p.m. on Bay just west of Yonge Street.

The short story is that 20 years ago, I had a root canal. Five years ago when I was ready to get a crown on it, it was x-rayed but my dentist discovered an infection. Turns out the dentist 15 years prior left some cotton in the root canal so a periodontist had to perform gum surgery before I got the crown.

A year ago during a regular check-up I pointed out some swelling in that area. My regular dentist did another x-ray to determine more infection. Although the periodontist had removed the black, stringy cotton and cleaned out the infection, she had clipped all the roots but failed to seal them properly. By that time it was 5 years after the surgery and crown (and she is no longer working with my dentist; gee wonder why).

So now an endodontist (a root canal therapy specialist) will be performing a specialized procedure involving BOTH those surgeries, i.e. do a root canal THROUGH my crown and gum surgery to clean out the infection and properly seal it for a grand total of $2575. Of course if the jaw bone has started to deteriorate, another $500 will cover the gunk he’ll put in there that will induce bone growth. After that heals, my regular dentist will have to repair the hole in my crown. I am also due for a cleaning. The general well being of my teeth has lied in the hands of incompetent professionals!

I finally have an insurance company (through work) that will pay for more than two thirds of the costs, which is really good because I could otherwise lose the tooth.