Make Up Your Mind

It's 3:30. I have two patients waiting and this is the conversation.
I love the patient today. She had an old gold onlay with a fracture and lots of decay underneath. She knows she grinds like a grist mill and has had good luck with gold restorations. So today we're reviewing her options, again.
"Well, Jeanne, you can have another gold filling but, because I have to remove alot of decay, the new filling will be bigger and you will show more gold."
Jeanne looks in the mirror, holds back her cheek, and evaluates the situation.
"The other option, is to have a porcelain crown, but I will have to remove more tooth structure to place a crown." I show her a model of a tooth that has a crown that comes off. She can see the preparation of the tooth and the porcelain that covers it.
"I want gold but I don't want it to show." She pouts.
"You're tying my hands here. Your choice is esthetics vs. function. You choose."
"I guess I'll have gold. I don't want any more tooth drilled. I don't want to show it, though."
I do believe it is time to get out of this business.