Confessions from a girl who used to have nice teeth

So yesterday I went to the dentist. You are thinking 'big deal'. But this was a big deal for me because I have not been to the dentist in years, 8 to be exact. But I am back in the saddle again and wanting to get my beautiful healthy smile back. My teeth are very nice and straight, mostly because my parents spent a lot of money on them when I was younger. And now, according to the dentist, I need a lot of work done. $2,500 worth the work done that is, after insurance. But the dentist goes to our church and is in our life group, so he is going to try to do little things like combining appointments to make it a bit cheaper on me. But also, he said, some things can wait until the new year, when I will have more insurance (I only get $1000 a year). But the things that need to be addressed now are getting my teeth cleaned, which I am going tomorrow to do because insurance pays for all of it. Then I will have to wait at least until the end of October to get x-rays done and the 2 fillings and a crown I need on my upper left side. This will cost me roughly $585 because I have to pay for half of fillings and crowns. After that I need roughly 8 other fillings in my mouth. I am going to have to get a job to pay for all of this! I could kick myself because if I had just kept up with my teeth then I might not need so much work now. Sheesh...