Bad Teeth Day

I'm definitely not a happy camper today.

At 3:00 pm this afternoon, I'll be having the delightful experience of back-to-back root canals.

I've reached the age when everything starts falling apart. My warranty's expired, extensive repairs are needed. Root canals, bifocals, hot flashes. Getting old is not for the faint hearted.

This is my third go-round in the endodontist's chair. I grew up at a time when fluoridating the water was considered a communist plot so I didn't have that added protection against cavities. And like most kids, I was not all that keen on brushing my teeth. I've had a lot of cavities over the years and some of those 40 year old fillings are disintegrating.

Still, I consider myself quite fortunate. My husband's dental plan will cover 80 percent of the cost and his flexible spending account will reimburse us for the rest.

Dental insurance is a wonderful thing and I'm glad I have it. Same thing with health insurance. For years I was one of the 40 million Americans who went without both. I never take either for granted.

And one of these days, we may live in a country were everyone can have the privilege of walking into an endodontist's office knowing the procedure is covered.