Saturday, January 24, 2015

Portugal Pictures and a Trip To The Dentist

Pedestrian only street in Lisbon, Portugal


I wanted to share a couple of unseen pictures from our April trip to Portugal to help me get through the January blahs.  We traveled last April and if you weren't reading this blog at that time there are a lot more pictures of our trip posted in the months of April and May on this blog - just go to the blog archives on the left sidebar.  It seems like years since that trip but it was only 9 months ago.  It was a fabulous trip and I highly recommend anyone who wants to travel a reasonably priced place in Europe with friendly warm people, tons of history and great scenery to go to Portugal.  We plan to return some day, perhaps with a combination trip to Spain which we have not seen yet and possibly to other parts of the country.

I went to the dentist this past week for a checkup.  It had been 2.5 years since I was at one last and that was in Alberta.   Hubby and Mom had both gone to this dentist and so I knew he was both nice and reasonably priced.  Why the long wait?  I have no tooth issues and hate going to the dentist.  I don't really know anyone who likes it but I actually hate it.  I am not scared, but the experience is right up there with cleaning the oven and ironing (my two most hated chores).
Cafe where we had lunch in Cascais, Portugal
Surprisingly, he said everything looked good and only charged me $120 for the checkup and full xrays.  I do have one tooth that is cracked and needs a crown at some point in the next couple of years.  I was made aware of it about 3 years ago but it hasn't bothered me so does not need to be dealt with immediately.  That bill will be $1000 unless I need a root canal as well then likely closer to $1500.
Beautiful courtyard at Tomar Castle, Portugal
We self insure so I am going to start saving for the crown now.  That sounds expensive and some would think that we should buy extra insurance for prescriptions and dental.  I have investigated insurance but based on our usage and preexisting conditions not covered or extremely limited by insurance we are better off to self-insure at this point in time.  What shocked me the most is that I am 100% certain we paid twice as much in Alberta for the same services.  I am not sure how dental billing works, but assumed all dentists charged the same.  He only charged me $30 for x-rays!  I was surprised at how low it was.  In Alberta we had dental plans through both our employers and mine after hubby quit his job so I paid and got reimbursed but remember bills of $250-$300 every time I walked in that door.

I have a cleaning scheduled in February but know that will be lower costing than Alberta based on hubby's cleaning this fall.  It makes me wonder if everyone shouldn't shop around for cheaper dental rates!  Anyhow, I am happy with this dentist and based on his demeanor and low prices expect to drag myself at least once or twice a year there.

Thanks for everyone's kind thoughts regarding my January blahs.  There is some turmoil in our home right now with my Stepdaughter and things are not going as well as we had hoped. Likely there will be further changes to our household in the near future and that is causing large amounts of stress but hopefully things get sorted soon - for now I am taking things one day at a time.
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10 comments:

  1. Alex MJanuary 24, 2015 at 11:01 AM

    Sorry to hear things with your stepdaughter are not going as smoothly as you'd hoped. What a bummer!

    I am due for a checkup but haven't gone since I had insurance about 2.5 years ago. I just got dental coverage. TBG had already gone this month and had to have an exam prior to his upcoming surgery in February.

    Truthfully, I did feel like spending $$ out of pocket for a cleaning that would take less than five minutes. I keep my teeth scrupulously clean and you get charged the same for a cleaning whether your teeth are great or a mess.

    Now that I'll have insurance, we're both going. Even though TBG just went, he's going again so we can get as many covered visits in as the plan allows. If I pay for it, I want to use it! If I don't have it, I don't go to the dentist unless I have to.

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    1. CheapchickJanuary 24, 2015 at 1:00 PM

      I tend to agree. I think I will push it between visits and limit cleanings to 1 per year although Dentists always seem to push twice a year.

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  2. LorraineJanuary 25, 2015 at 1:52 AM

    We pay about $30 a month for dental coverage. We need it as my husband's mouth has put us in the red many times in the last 35 years. We finally decided on a dentist in our area and we're all going for a checkup in a couple of weeks. We used to go twice a year without fail but it's been about 18 months since our last visit with our Pennsylvania dentist. She was great. I don't like going, but I know it's important so I do it. Sorry to hear about the turmoil. It seems that as much as we try to simplify our lives, there always something that manages to complicate it again.

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    1. CheapchickJanuary 26, 2015 at 2:16 PM

      You are so right about life. We will gain peace again. It might just not be on the timeline or how we expect it to shake out.

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  3. Moving with MitchellJanuary 25, 2015 at 4:11 AM

    So glad to see this beautiful shot of the Arco da Rua Augusta. I was in Lisbon on business for a few days in 2008. The street didn't look so vibrant and well-maintained then.

    And I want to LIVE in Tomar Castle. To think we live right next door in Spain and haven't been back to Portugal yet.

    So sorry for what you're all going through at home.

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    1. CheapchickJanuary 26, 2015 at 2:16 PM

      Arco da Rua Augusta was very clean and vibrant when we were there last April. The square at the end out by the water was also very busy - we stopped and had a drink there. I could live in the Tomar Castle too - so beautiful!

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  4. JaneJanuary 25, 2015 at 3:36 PM

    I hope you get things sorted soon at home - what a huge stressor...and not much fun either. You just never know how things are going to go. Now that I'm no longer insured by the school board I asked my dentist to go every 9 months instead of every 6 months. If things still look good then I may switch to once a year. If I need something big, like a crown, I'll go to the dental school. A friend is getting a root canal done there for about 1/4 the cost of a fully licensed dentist and she's very impressed with the quality of work.

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    1. CheapchickJanuary 26, 2015 at 2:15 PM

      We don't have a dental school near us or I would do the same. I am surprised you don't get benefits after retiring from teaching.

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  5. Sonya AnnJanuary 25, 2015 at 4:08 PM

    I enjoyed the pics from your trip. A trip away is better than a trip to the dentist.
    I'm sorry about the turmoil with your stepdaughter. They are a joy at this age. It gets better, it just takes time. Oh and alcohol helps. We ran into one of the dad's of my daughter at the store. He went on and one about how rotten his kids are. We stood there one upping each other. I'm pretty sure they all suck. You aren't alone, my friend.

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    1. CheapchickJanuary 26, 2015 at 2:14 PM

      You are correct my friend. It has escalated very quickly in the last month from things going along ok (we thought) to 10 on the rictor scale. Things are about to get shaken up.

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