GetMeOuttaThisMess Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Wife going in tomorrow to have an extraction and an abutment placed. This does not include the prosthetic tooth/crown. Cost for everyone else? $4380. Wife formerly worked for the periodontist so we're getting a 30% discount. All cash upfront. Specialist is not on insurance. From family within the dental field at all levels, no one worth their salt usually is. Who the heck amongst the general population had $4380 just laying around for dental work, and this is only for ONE tooth? By the way, this doesn't cover the cost of the crown. I asked my mom last week in her care facility if I could bum a molar from her dentures. Geez... Thank goodness we're fortunate enough to be able to cover the expense. The crown? Another former employer. Hope we get a discount there as well. So much for the S&W 686 or Colt LE6920 (hey, you never know when a good firefight is going to break out in the neighborhood). Oh, forgot the other part. While I'm babysitting as she's getting IV sedation, her SUV will be having surgery across the street for rear brakes. Coal in my stocking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality Check 2 Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 I grew up in dentistry - Mom did it for over 30 yrs before we lost her to ovarian cancer. I almost always got free or low cost back in the day. Also got whacked in the head for chewing ice and a thwack for chewing gum with my mouth open. Now, all grown up and grey and living in another state. We HAVE dental insurance. My husband has a problem with an old crown. Our normal dentist said he needs an extraction and an implant. OUR portion AFTER insurance $2800. Went to an endodontist for a second opinion. He just needs the root canal redone. Our cost after insurance $850. We get a new flexible spending account after January 1. That will get done. I am a touch peeved at our dentist for making only one recommendation and not suggesting an outside look. Our dentist doesn't do root canals but learned implants..... when all you have is a hammer.... So, get a second opinion is my motto. We have a billion dentists per capita in a town with no fluoride in the water - people think it is poison or claim an allergy to a naturally occurring element that is part of their body. So, our town has a lot of English looking teeth. The dentists here seem to do ok but I have no idea how normal folks earning likely less than I do in our town can afford ANY dental care. Dental health is tied to cardiac health and chronic inflammation and poor diabetic control with poor dietary choices based on bad dentition and chewing ability. We, as a society, are losing sight of the trees that keep the forest standing and neglecting health. I haven't turned to handing out toothbrushes at Halloween but do include dental health discussions in my physicals on patients. One of my kids has around $6000 in his mouth between orthodontics and maintenance but has ZERO cavities about to enter college. My mom is smiling........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatswain2PA Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 Holy cow....shop around (or move!!). There are dentists here who advertise pulling teeth for $300, and bridges for a couple hundred more....with same day service! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
south Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 I asked my mom last week in her care facility if I could bum a molar from her dentures. S&W 686 This was a lot funnier than the baby Xenu wanted it to be in fact I think it gave me a cavity btw 627 (8 times) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWR Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 dentist insurance is almost as bad as pet insurance if you have issues other than maintenance. I have dental coverage through my wife's job at $75 a month for 2 people. It maxes out at $1000 per year and 2 cleanings per year.. I go every 4 months to see the hygienist. Luckily I have decent teeth. Have had 4 crowns secondary to silver fillings placed centuries ago when I was small. Never had an extraction or a toothache. I think my sister has a mouth full of porcelain but I am afraid to ask! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeOuttaThisMess Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 Holy cow....shop around (or move!!). There are dentists here who advertise pulling teeth for $300, and bridges for a couple hundred more....with same day service! You have to remember that she's been in the field for as long as I've been practicing medicine (I hope to get it right someday before I retire). She knows the local players, and more importantly, who to avoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeOuttaThisMess Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 dentist insurance is almost as bad as pet insurance if you have issues other than maintenance. I have dental coverage through my wife's job at $75 a month for 2 people. It maxes out at $1000 per year and 2 cleanings per year.. I go every 4 months to see the hygienist. Luckily I have decent teeth. Have had 4 crowns secondary to silver fillings placed centuries ago when I was small. Never had an extraction or a toothache. I think my sister has a mouth full of porcelain but I am afraid to ask! I'm in the same boat. When I went in to get a cleaning earlier this year (by a dentist that my wife had worked with through her dental hygiene department where she now teaches) I complained about not getting my money's worth out of some amalgam filings from the 1960's (he did a double take until he realized that I was kidding). I have similar coverage but at a cheaper rate, as is my wife's coverage. First time I had a cleaning by a male hygienist (one of her former students). They typically have one every other year or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBanner Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 My dental plan covers 70% of everything and my wife just had a crown placed---still cost us $780. Crazy. I think there is a lot of up-coding and up-proceduring in commercial dentistry, especially the storefront, same-day type places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeOuttaThisMess Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 My dental plan covers 70% of everything and my wife just had a crown placed---still cost us $780. Crazy. I think there is a lot of up-coding and up-proceduring in commercial dentistry, especially the storefront, same-day type places. Wish I could make a rationale argument but the thought has crossed my mind as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reality Check 2 Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 I have ONE crown in my mouth and am truly a white knuckle dental patient - sorry Mom but being a study patient all those years gave me dental PTSD..... The dentist who wanted to do the implant on my husband says he "doesn't like my crown. It doesn't sit right" - no infection, no pain, no nothing. Said he wanted to replace it. It was done in Texas years ago and gives me zero symptoms. I said he had a snowball's chance in hell of digging in my mouth unless there was an exposed nerve. Now, with my husband's issue - I strongly suspect "making business" by suggesting procedures that require a lot of cash input - money making..... Sad I guess patients with insurance who come in twice a year and their bills get paid aren't enough to make him enough money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKPAC Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 60 Minutes did an expose years ago about how some dentists are crooks. Once a tooth is drilled and filled, or pulled, or crowned, there is no evidence that the procedure wasn't necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewconvert Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 dentist insurance is almost as bad as pet insurance if you have issues other than maintenance. I have dental coverage through my wife's job at $75 a month for 2 people. It maxes out at $1000 per year and 2 cleanings per year.. I go every 4 months to see the hygienist. Luckily I have decent teeth. Have had 4 crowns secondary to silver fillings placed centuries ago when I was small. Never had an extraction or a toothache. I think my sister has a mouth full of porcelain but I am afraid to ask! That's nothing more than an indemnity plan. If it maxes out at $1000 a year you are better off putting $75 a month into an account and paying for cleanings out of pocket. Barring a very unfortunate first year you'll be ahead after year two, even paying out of pocket for cleanings. Even at $100 a cleaning you are paying that insurance company $900 a year for $400 of services. After two years you have covered the $1000 they would pay out for a non-cleaning event and it would still be YOUR $1000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthehorizen Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 I have had several encounters with dentists whom I believed were crooked. My confidence in this profession has waned. Fortunately, I have very good dental insurance but that doesn't change the fact that dentists are the new "tin men." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetMeOuttaThisMess Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 I see dental insurance like I see major medical insurance. It's great that they cover two preventive visits/year but as in the case of my wife the $4380 major procedure/surgery charge will ultimately cost us $2265. Her cost for coverage is $0. Don't know as of yet what the crown/implanted tooth will cost. Mom is changing her mind on donating one of her denture molars (#31). : -) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runforhotdogs Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Wife going in tomorrow to have an extraction and an abutment placed. This does not include the prosthetic tooth/crown. Cost for everyone else? $4380. Wife formerly worked for the periodontist so we're getting a 30% discount. All cash upfront. Specialist is not on insurance. From family within the dental field at all levels, no one worth their salt usually is. Who the heck amongst the general population had $4380 just laying around for dental work, and this is only for ONE tooth? By the way, this doesn't cover the cost of the crown. I asked my mom last week in her care facility if I could bum a molar from her dentures. Geez... Thank goodness we're fortunate enough to be able to cover the expense. The crown? Another former employer. Hope we get a discount there as well. So much for the S&W 686 or Colt LE6920 (hey, you never know when a good firefight is going to break out in the neighborhood). Oh, forgot the other part. While I'm babysitting as she's getting IV sedation, her SUV will be having surgery across the street for rear brakes. Coal in my stocking. Maybe it's because the crown machine itself cost $100-150k and the dentist has a $300k student loan. Dentists are not making hand over fist contrary to what people think. Dentistry has the highest overhead costs for any health field. You cannot even practice without having a full staff and equipment, hand piece, water filtration system, vacuum pumps, etc. Then again, the perio can charge way more for the same procedure then the general DDS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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