That sounds like exactly what I'll be doing a couple weeks from now. I visited my dentist this morning because I've been having a dull pain in my right front tooth. My tooth is extremely sensitive to cold drinks, but is not responsive to heat. The tooth in question tests "devital" (basically dead inside), and is non-responsive to repetitive pokes with an ice-cold substance called Endo Ice. This was first discovered during a routine cleaning last summer, and my dentist simply asked me to watch for increased discoloration of the tooth, pimpling of the gums, or tooth pain. The dull pain only started several days ago, so I thought I better have it checked out before it gets worse.
So two weeks from now I have an appointment with an Endodonist who specializes in root canal therapy. He will do further tests and x-rays, and depending on his findings, I may very well have a root canal done that morning. I've always heard that root canals are expensive - - even my mother-in-law in India always talked about her "Five Star Dentist" and his root canal fees. But wow--a whopping $800 for one tooth! Talk about putting your money where your mouth is. And that's just the start. My dentist suggested I return to him afterward so he can bleach my tooth from the inside out for a mere $200 (purely cosmetic, of course). Now for some reason that tooth is bleached beyond the color of the surrounding teeth, I can have the others bleached for $250 per bleach tray. If my tooth ends up obviously discolored from a root canal, I will do what is necessary to whiten it and match my other teeth. But if I don't notice any color change from what I have now, I will leave my teeth "as is".
With all the expenses involved in dentistry, it's no wonder Pankaj wants Samedh to be a dentist when he grows up.
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