Last week I bid adieu to tooth No. 19, a molar on the lower left. About this time last year, I made the same farewell to its opposite, and got implants and crowns on the right side. If nothing else goes wrong, my mouth will cost in two years close to what we paid for our house.
Granted, my husband and I got a very cheap house — less than $20,000. But the parallel between the costs keeps hitting me in the jaw.
I'm lucky. I have access to great dentists. I have credit cards and the ability to take out loans. Yet from what I understand, even if I did have insurance, the kind of reconstructive work I'm getting done would still come mostly out of pocket.
So I am not lamenting the lack of insurance. I am not even lamenting, that much, the sorry state of my mouth. What I lament is what this kind of crisis could do to someone without my resources.
Homelessness is often seen as the choice of people who make poor choices with their lives, but many Americans are one paycheck away from losing their housing.
One dental disaster, one medical calamity can put people on the road, couch surfing not for fun but for survival.
Living in a society that values individualism doesn't make it easy for us to see people who need help as worthy. If you have a tendency to judge anyone who needs support, I ask that the next time you brush and floss your teeth, look at that thing that keeps the beautiful sky from falling on you. And say thanks.
Amy Halloran is a Troy writer. Her website is at http://amyhalloran.net.