Saw the dentist today after 15 years without

I went to the dentist today. I hadn't been to a dentist in about 15 years. I broke my tooth the other day so I couldn't really put it off.

I have dental insurance from two different insurances. Only one of them covered this dentist. The amount that the insurance contributed was so little as to be not worth the money spent over the years for the insurance. I have decided that it makes more sense to get basic HMO dental insurance and use it only for teeth cleanings and then pay cash to see an expert dentist. I wouldn't bother with any dental insurance at all except that it is mandatory.

The dentist I went to seemed like an expert. After having so much bad dentistry in the past, I hadn't gone to the dentist for 15 years. Those bad dentists made me choke on bleach, gave me crowns that trapped food between my teeth, caused additional decay and fell off. They gave me incomplete root canals. They were painful and they took a long time to do the work. Meanwhile, dental technology and techniques have improved. You can get crowns and fillings that you can't even see. The dentist I saw today knew what he was doing. There was no pain. He made the crown during the visit. It fits perfectly. I can't even tell it's not my original tooth and he'd never even seen my original tooth.

So that will be my plan. Cheap HMO dental insurance for teeth cleaning and cash paid to an expert dentist for the complicated, expensive stuff.