Thread: Dentist still expensive with insurance!

(((HUGS)))

I know EXACTLY how you feel... thats why I got all mine pulled and got dentures. $1800 and that was the end of my dental bill! (ok, except for the 2nd set of wisdom teeth that came in, but thats another story LOL)

Partials are more expensive than a whole plate but I don't know if they are more expensive than root canals. On our insurance, extractions are covered 100 percent so we would only have to come up w/ 40 percent of the partial. Call your ins company and ask them what they will and won't cover and at what percent.

I've mentioned this before and it is always blown off... but my oral surgeon told us that root canals are almost never needed, it just happens to be one of the most expensive procedures. So, they cause lots of unneeded pain, when there are usually cheaper options. If your dentist won't do what you want, it's time for a new one.

Oh, and feel blessed they will let you pay it off over such a long period of time. Most of the dentists here won't take payments at all and the ones that will take 2 lump sum payments.

I so feel your pain. I had my left front tooth and the 4 behind it removed and a partial made. The partial (with 4 teeth) was 1200. To be honest.....I never wear it. I CANNOT eat with it. It doens't fit snug enough up against the roof of my mouth and it moves when I chew and food gets up underneath of it. It looks natural but is a total pain in the butt. Please go with the bridge if you can afford it. I have too many teeth missing to do a bridge and it would have been an 8 or 9 tooth bridge to get it secure enough. At 500-600 PER tooth, 4000-5400 was too much and that didn't include the surgical extrations (another 1000). I even have double insurance!!! (I pay 120 a month in dental ins premiums! ugh!)

I rarely ever went to the dentist when I did not have insurance. Only when I absolutely had to, which was usually too late to save the tooth and I would just pay for a cheap extraction (all rear teeth luckily). But then my front teeth started to go bad, so I was forced once again to make the dreaded visit. Now I have insurance and even with that the estimate I received was almost $9000! I cried when I left and didn't go back for about 6 months. I told him there is no way I would ever be able to afford that so go ahead and pull all my teeth and give me dentures. He said that was a little drastic for my age (35 at the time), so, he looked over my mouth and came up with an amount that was still not affordable, but what can you do. I ended up paying about $1000 out of pocket only to fix my front teeth, I still haven't worked on bridges for the rear. The dentist says the fillings are a temporary fix and that I will need to think of other options in 3 - 5 years. I don't think it should be legal to charge people so much for something that hurts so much.

But I know what you mean about dental insurance coverage, what I don't know is if the procedure prices keep increasing or the insurance companies just keep covering less.

first off each year you usually get a certain amount of money on your dental say $1,000. So make sure that if necessary you spread to next year as well. I would ask to get my front teeth fixed first. You could always get a 2nd opinion on cost but so true dental is so expensive. Good luck

After insurance, I still paid at least $2000 on my mouth last year and that was just for fillings and a root canal. Luckily my dentist would hold my checks until the insurance company sent me checks. The leftover I was able to make payments on...finally paid it off in February when we got our tax refund. Now we're having a similar issue with dh this year and he just refuses to get the work done since we can't afford it (even though we now have double dental).

I went to my dentist last month for a cleaning and they didn't even file the insurance. I kept waiting on my check to come in from the insurance company and it never did, so I finally had to call and make them file it. I'll only get like $70, but heck...that's still a lot of money especially when we're paying for insurance.

I went to my dentist last month for a cleaning and they didn't even file the insurance. I kept waiting on my check to come in from the insurance company and it never did, so I finally had to call and make them file it. I'll only get like $70, but heck...that's still a lot of money especially when we're paying for insurance.

My mom had dental insurance and that ALWAYS happened, it got lost in the mail, went to the dentist instead of her, etc

I Used to Get Worked up That DH didn't Have Dental insurance .......

but Now I know that it is A Waste of money and Doesn't "cover " much Anyway
Sure if You ONLY go for the Two Free Cleanings a Year , it Seems Great ......

I have Not Gone to The Dentist in Almost 3 years.


Because I HAve Been taking My 3 kids and Footing their Big Dental bills

I
Have Now set up a "dental" Savings account,
That way the Money Is usually there...............


I am going to the Dentist in the NEw Year ,
But I am switching Dentists.

Another BIG reason I Haven't gone Back Is Because of the Lectures when I Do Go.


"You Need to brush Better."

You need to Floss better"

You NEED to Come Every 6 months "

" you really should Get a Crown on this tooth"


"You really Need to Get X rays this Time"

Etc, Etc.

I'm Going to Tell the New Place Flat Out ,

Unless every one Of there services is FREE of Charge ,
Please , Please < I don't Need the Extra Stress of Them telling Me What I Already Know.

DRIVES ME CRAZY!