Day #13: Give When You Have a Medical or Dental Crisis

Day #13: Give When You Have a Medical or Dental Crisis 1

I left the girls with Stephanie at 3:00pm this afternoon and headed to the dentist. I had a crown on my front top tooth that had come loose.

I expected my visit to be quick. The crown was not damaged. I had previously had a root canal. I thought I just needed the tooth to be adhered back and I would be out of there.

Reality, however, was different. The reason my tooth had become loose was because the root canal had snapped. My choices were a bridge that anchored to my nearby teeth (not appealing) or an implant and eventually a new crown.

A sinking feeling in my gut swept over me as I realized how much money we were going to have to spend.

At about 6:30pm, the dentist finished the surgery. He gave me a prescription for Amoxicillin and one for Vicodin. I headed to Walmart. We are learning they have everything - including a pharmacy.

At 9:00pm, my prescription was ready and I drove the 25 minutes back to our campground.

I opted out of the Vicodin, but for the record, Walmart is the place to buy Amoxicillin. It was $4 - cash price.

When you have a physical problem, it is easy to become consumed by it. The pain. The cost. The potential embarrassment. All this afternoon and evening I was reminded how devastating a physical aliment can be for a person.

I was tempted to post an image of what I looked like without my front tooth - the ugly gaping whole, but it is really gross so I decided not to. I can only imaging how handicapping it would be to live everyday like that. But some people do. Some children do.

Stephanie and I decided to make a small donation ($10) this evening to the Tomorrow's Smile program through the National Children's Oral Health Foundation. Tomorrow’s SMILES provides comprehensive restorative functional and esthetic treatment for promising at-risk teens without the financial means to pay for the services.

7 comments on “Day #13: Give When You Have a Medical or Dental Crisis”

  1. I am so sorry this happened to you. I have had some dental problems recently and really it sucks.

    My first thought was "Wow! God is consuming all of their budget so that when they go through all of their money faster than planned they really have to rely on Him." Who knows, but really. Your in the best hands possible...His.

    Feel better Tim!

  2. "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
    and he will reward him for what he has done."
    Proverbs 19:17

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Sounds like God is going to give more than just you a beautiful new smile. ;)
    A smiley face seemed appropriate!

  3. Tim, I would highly recommend the implant. The difference in cost will not be that large when you consider a three unit bridge ~ $3,500 depending on area (geographic) and the implant ~ $3,000 then $800 for the crown, in addition there is potential for further decay with a bridge, then failure of the bridge (as you saw with the crown). A bridge can also cause your bite to change. I empathize with you and agree thank God for dentists. I'll be praying for you. You are in the safest hands :)

  4. I think my dental history has put a handful of dentists and orthodontists children through college...and maybe beyond. It seems so minor, but healthy teeth and a health smile are huge in our society. Thank you for the link to Tomorrow's Smiles...I'll check it out. And feel better!

  5. Ugh. So sorry for this unexpected expense...and that you have to go through the dental drama. I, too, have a crown on my front tooth and have had some pretty frustrating adventures in trying to get it fixed over the years. I am thankful you were able to get in to a place, and will be praying for peace and no anxiety regarding these little financial hiccups you are experiencing. Thankfully we have a God that knows exactly what we need.

  6. Please don't remind me that I need to go to the dentist... it's such an event for me - I have a mild heart murmur so I have to take obnoxious amounts of antibiotics or they won't treat me, I have syncope which is another risk that freaks dentists out (and me too by the way!)

    You are right - it is very easy to be consumed by your own need when something like this happens - but I have the insurance and financial resources to deal with it - there are so many others who don't, it's good to remember that.

Our family spent 2011 traveling the USA in an RV, striving to intentionally "give every day" for the glory of God. We interviewed CEOs of nonprofits and served alongside over 40 organizations and churches.

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- To spend intimate, quantity time with our family.
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- To bring publicity to good causes and good people.
- To live with intentionality, as if this year was our very last.
- To observe the needs in our country/community – and then do something about them.
- To give – every day.

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