Vent about dentists

I took all three girls to the dentist today. Meghan needs two small fillings, Amanda needs 7 pulpotomy's and crowns and three fillings. These are baby teeth we are talking about here, doesn't it seem extreme? Kara has almost perfect teeth, no cavities, but a really bad cross-bite, it is from her thumb sucking. Her teeth are beautiful despite that

The woman who works there is forever trying to make me get amalgam fillings for the girls, it says it on their charts, NO AMALGAM, but she starts with that spiel" Two amalgam fillings" and I say "You mean Composite, right?" and she says "Oh yea, you are THAT woman, the one that does not believe in amalgam." "Yes, I don't believe mercury is good for my kids, for anyone, and didn't the FDA rule that amalgam is unsafe, especially for children?" (no comment from her) July 2009 we may hear a different story from dentists, just because it has always been done this way does not make it OK.

I get so frustrated with her, just because the girls get Medicare (we have full dental, but it won't cover anesthesia, so medicare pays for that and whatever our other dental does not pay) she says there is no way they will pay for expensive composite, yet they have paid every single time I insist on it. She just thinks I am radical...mercury is dangerous, we get too much already, we do not need to give children fillings with a toxic metal in it, end of story.

And while I am venting, WHY DOES IT HAVE TO COST SO MUCH TO GO TO A DENTIST? The total bill for Amanda with insurance is $3067. Why aren't teeth part of medical coverage? Truly, I want to know, seems like someone made a pact years ago to guarantee dentists would always drive Jaguars...