I couldn't stand worrying about it anymore, so I gave up and went to the dentist. I felt a little odd choosing her on the basis of her website, but it turns out my impression of her website was my impression of her in person: warm, friendly and someone I will enjoy working with. Reluctance to drive the 45 miles to see Dr. Bob was preventing me from getting good dental care. And after eleven years in Iowa City, I should find myself a dentist. I can't bring myself to replace Dr. Davis, though.

She looked at my teeth, and my hole is just wear and not a cavity. It's in one of my six-year molars, and looking at the way my teeth fit together, she thinks I ground my teeth between six and twelve, when my 12-year molars came in and reduced the pressure. I don't remember grinding my teeth, and I don't know if I do it now, but there is wear on certain parts of my teeth where they come together. I'm supposed to pay attention and see if I still do it, though I don't know how to tell if I grind my teeth when I'm sleeping. Wear my mouth guard to bed?

At any rate, since it doesn't really hurt, she said there's no real pressure to get it fixed now and I can wait until January when my new fantastic dental insurance kicks in. They only started offering basic coverage last year, I guess; when I did the math on the normal coverage, I didn't think it was worth it and didn't notice when this new deal came up. This one will pay up to $500 of dental work for less than $10/month. I'll exchange $120 for $500 any day.

Now I just need to decide between silver and white, which is basically a decision between practicality and vanity. The silver lasts longer and is cheaper, and the white doesn't show up as much. Figures. I never get a cavity my whole life, and here I am with a hole in my tooth.