Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit national health policy news service that is part of the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation<\/p>\n
(By Mike Salmon for Kaiser Health News)<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want numbing gel?\u201d the dental technician asked me as she prepared to plunge into my mouth.<\/p>\n
In the entire history of dentistry, from caveman days to now, who has ever said no to more painkiller? Smear that gel around like spackle! She did. And then ground and scraped. And scraped and ground, for a full hour and a half.<\/p>\n
Ninety minutes later, I was writhing in a different kind of pain. The office assistant handed me a bill for $930. That was $900 for root planing and $30 for the numbing gel. I had to bite my gel-numbed tongue to avoid asking why they stopped there. \u201cSir, would you prefer we do this while you lie on the floor or would you prefer the Chair Package?\u201d \u201cCare for our Adequate Lighting Option?\u201d\u00a0 Continue reading article here…<\/a><\/p>\n Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit national health policy news service that is part of the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation<\/p>\n
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