Who IS that man sticking his fingers in my mouth???

Do YOU know who has their fingers in YOUR mouth? Do you REALLY know???

I thought I knew, but I didn't! Before going to the dentist last week, I had done my homework...I had asked a co-worker which dentist she would recommend. Satisfied that I could surely trust her judgment on the matter, I had called that office and requested an appointment with Dr. D, ASAP (had a tooth that had split in half, remember?). Well, they asked me about one day and I had replied, "Don't you have anything any sooner? They had said, "Well, we could get you in tomorrow morning..." I quickly replied, "Great! I'll take THAT appointment!"

Upon arriving at the office last Monday, I had presented myself at the front desk with the words, "I have an appointment with Dr. D...my name is Monica C." They handed me a thick stack of paperwork and that kept me quite occupied until they called me back a few moments later. The dentist that came into my room was younger than I had expected (knowing that this dentist had been my co-worker's dentist throughout her children's lives (now teenagers)), but it was just a passing thought. He introduced himself leaving his last name off altogether...just said, "Hi, I'm Dr. Kim"...except that it sounded like he said "Dr. Tim"...no matter, my hearing isn't the greatest any more and I am certainly accustomed to less that stellar pronunciation!

Dr. Kim did a great job on my teeth. I liked him. So, this morning when I showed up for my dental appointment and announced, "I have an appointment with Dr. D. My name is Monica C," I was not prepared for the quizzical look both receptionists shot my way. One, carefully explained to me that Dr. D was not in the office this morning. I was inwardly feeling a little perturbed. With feigned patience, I asked, "Um...why was I scheduled to come in TODAY then?" They glanced at the schedule and said, "Well you DO have an appointment...it is with Dr. J." Now, I was getting more tense, "Why would they schedule me for follow-up work with a DIFFERENT dentist than the one who began the work? I would prefer to stay with Dr. D!"

The receptionist politely explained that Dr. J was who I had seen last week. It seems that Dr. J, who just introduces himself as "Dr. Tim" to his patients was the young doctor my first appointment had been scheduled with. Not quite sure why the original receptionist who had found me an earlier open slot had not informed me that she was switching me (a new patient) from Dr. Kim D. to Dr. Tim J...but she had and I hadn't been the wiser!

I have yet to meet Dr. Kim...but, Dr. Tim has really thin fingers and is quite gentle and seems conservative in his approach to dental problems...so, we are a good doctor/patient match....even though he was the "wrong" doctor!

Oh...and the really good news?...for now, at least, I am skating past without a root canal! Yeah!!! I was expecting to be shelling out several hundred dollars, instead, it was just $15 for a really big filling. I'll probably have to have the tooth crowned another 3 or 4 months down the road (after waiting long enough to make sure it is okay not doing the root canal...it was a borderline call), but I am happy as can be! Yep, Dr. Kim/Tim and I are going to get along just fine! (I go back next Friday for a permanent crown on the other side.)

Another pleasant surprise...along with SALARIES that are among the lowest in the entire country (I think!)...turns out that DENTAL work is ALSO much less expensive here than it was in Kansas City. Grant and I were expecting a crown to cost about a thousand dollars...but, in Bolivar, they run $400-$500 apiece. Pretty much proportionate to the the drop in salaries both Grant and I took moving here. Nice to see that in some regards, the cost of living truly IS less here than it was in Kansas City. (Our gasoline prices are usually among the very lowest in the entire country, too...and quicker to drop, while slower to rise back up!)