The Health Care Reckoning Roaring Toward Us
Sometimes, a toothache is more than a toothache — it’s a wake-up call
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
It was a pain like nothing I’d ever felt. The type of pain you don’t wish on your worst enemy — so severe it caused me to hunch over, eyes watering, as it shot from my tooth through my left cheek and into my head.
At the beginning of the week, I had noticed a slight discomfort on the left side of my mouth, but dismissed it. By Wednesday, the discomfort became more noticeable, but I shrugged it off — I had had my annual cleaning in August, and walked out with a sparkling smile and no cavities — then popped a couple of Advil and continued about my day.
After a night spent tossing and turning, I woke up with the intention of calling my dentist for an appointment, only for an overpacked schedule to interfere. But a little after 8 p.m. that night, while watching the dueling town halls of Biden and Trump, I let out a sudden scream — not out of frustration with the lies of President Trump, but at the excruciating pain. In a flash, the discomfort I had been feeling went from manageable to I might not make it.
I couldn’t even think about my…
