A Thousand Dollar Tooth For That Million Dollar Smile
I love cheese. I simply adore the taste and feel of cheese. The ooey-gooey taste of cheese melting in my mouth, the joy it brings to my taste buds. One day I was eating a soft and cool to the touch type of cheese, kind of like a sandwich cheese. I was waiting for my buds to spring to life as I devoured the cheese, but something happened.
Instead of the soft texture of the cheese, I felt something hard in my mouth, something that was not supposed to be there. I spit it out and saw a crown as it dethroned my mouth. I was shocked and a little horrified as we were many miles away from home. Will I feel pain? Will I be able to eat? We still had many more miles to go before we reached our destination.
Totally unexpected. Have you had something unexpected that may have brought fear or anxiety into your life? This did to me. It was least expected as it did not feel loose, no pain and no worries.
And on top of this, I lost the crown as I tossed it in my purse in a sandwich bag and apparently I threw it out as I was cleaning out my purse. Horrors!
When you are traveling, you may feel that your health is in good order and you are ready to see something you have not seen before.
But life happens.
Reality comes smacking at you and all of a sudden you have a health problem, a visit to the dentist is necessary or you might even have to turn around and go back home to take care of this sudden problem.
Once we got to our destination, I immediately contacted a dentist. I do not have dental insurance in any state but my home state. Since I lost that precious crown, and having no dental insurance, I paid a lot of money, talking about $1000 plus. For a crown???
I thought about it. Could I wait until I got back home (5 months out) and get a crown for a much cheaper price or should I pay the fortune for a little crown. I chose to get the expensive crown as I did not want to effect the area where I lost my crown. Plus it could have affected the structure of my jaw, so I chose to swallow the large expensive pill and get it done.
Could you wait for a procedure or just do it right where you are at?
It is an important decision only YOU can make.
Here are some tips I can share with you:
Prepare yourself for anything that can go wrong, as it eventually will.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. It will be ok!
If it is a minor health issue or even dental, contact a professional at the destination you are at. I was pleasantly surprised with so many dentists to choose from, even in a small town.
If it is a major health or dental issue, you will have to make a decision to either stay and seek help or go back to your home base to visit your personal physician.
Mechanical issues will flare up when you least expect it. Find someone local to take care of your mechanical needs.
Remember, it is only temporary. If you have to leave that amazing destination you had oodles of plans for, you can always go back, even if you have to put it off for a year.
Not only was the dentist friendly and helpful with my loss of a crown, he actually made a better fit for me, even though I had to endure shots. Ouch! Time does run slower in a small town compared to a metropolitan area, and I had to wait for my crown a bit longer, but now I can tell you it was worth it. I can chew on both sides of my mouth and not worry about effecting my gums or anything else. I can smile with ease!
Having a setback while you are fulltime rving will happen, and do expect it to happen, but like I said, it is only temporary and a part of the journey.
What setback have you had on your travels?