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Posted

My mother just informed me that she needs 2 teeth replaced with a bridge.  $10k is what it will cost.  That seems a bit high to me.  Am I crazy or is that the going rate for dental work these days?  I’ve never had a cavity so I’m a little ignorant on the cost of dental care.

Posted
My mother just informed me that she needs 2 teeth replaced with a bridge.  $10k is what it will cost.  That seems a bit high to me.  Am I crazy or is that the going rate for dental work these days?  I’ve never had a cavity so I’m a little ignorant on the cost of dental care.

That’s high. Where are you?
Posted

My dear friend and former boss; his daughter is a dentist.  The daughter's husband is an ER doc. 

The daughter works 9-4, 4 days a week.  The husband works graveyard shifts and long hours, and gets covered with shit, piss, and blood on the regular.

The daughter makes more money than her husband.

Raise your kids to be dentists.

Posted
9 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

My mother just informed me that she needs 2 teeth replaced with a bridge.  $10k is what it will cost.  That seems a bit high to me.  Am I crazy or is that the going rate for dental work these days?  I’ve never had a cavity so I’m a little ignorant on the cost of dental care.

Did the guy make Jewish jokes?

Posted
48 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Google says $2500-$5000 per tooth depending on where you live and dentist you go to 

Ok.  I try to make sure my overly gullible parents don’t get ripped off.  $10k felt really high.  I guess I should’ve been a dentist.

Posted
12 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

My mother just informed me that she needs 2 teeth replaced with a bridge.  $10k is what it will cost.  That seems a bit high to me.  Am I crazy or is that the going rate for dental work these days?  I’ve never had a cavity so I’m a little ignorant on the cost of dental care.

Two teeth removed and replaced with implants would be about $6400. That is typically the best way to go. $3200/implant.

A bridge would be about $1000 per tooth or $4000. So basically, you would have a crown in front of the two missing teeth and a crown behind the two missing teeth and a permanent bridge that includes the two missing teeth.

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Posted
Just now, Bevo said:

Two teeth removed and replaced with implants would be about $6400. That is typically the best way to go. $3200/implant.

A bridge would be about $1000 per tooth or $4000. So basically, you would have a crown in front of the two missing teeth and a crown behind the two missing teeth and a permanent bridge that includes the two missing teeth.

They can’t do implants because of bone density or some such shit.  So, she should maybe get a second opinion?

Posted

the costs are even more harsh when you consider how dental insurance works. Sure you get X-rays and cleanings for free, but it hardly helps when you need something expensive like that done.  2k/yr maximum or even lifetime maximum?  50% coverage?  It’s not like health insurance covers crowns or implants. 

Posted
45 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

They can’t do implants because of bone density or some such shit.  So, she should maybe get a second opinion?

Yeah, or send me some radiographs and if you are around take a picture of the area of missing teeth so I can see the width of the bone.

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Posted
14 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

My mother just informed me that she needs 2 teeth replaced with a bridge.  $10k is what it will cost.  That seems a bit high to me.  Am I crazy or is that the going rate for dental work these days?  I’ve never had a cavity so I’m a little ignorant on the cost of dental care.

2JAoVC.gif

 

Lucky SOB, I had a fun 1.5 hour root canal retreatment on Tuesday but the endodontist was a fucking pro. After insurance it was $900.

Posted
21 hours ago, Bevo said:

Yeah, or send me some radiographs and if you are around take a picture of the area of missing teeth so I can see the width of the bone.

The tooth just to the left of my two front teeth had to be removed. It’s been out since thanksgiving. My dentist convinced me that being in the front a bridge was the way to go instead of an implant because they said it would like better.  What are your thoughts on bridge vs implant?

 

I was shocked yesterday when I found out it was going to be $4k after my insurance covered their part. 

Posted
1 hour ago, UT_OB1 said:

The tooth just to the left of my two front teeth had to be removed. It’s been out since thanksgiving. My dentist convinced me that being in the front a bridge was the way to go instead of an implant because they said it would like better.  What are your thoughts on bridge vs implant?

 

I was shocked yesterday when I found out it was going to be $4k after my insurance covered their part. 


Stu!

92791BDA-7C35-41AB-AB3B-72A037B86C9B.jpeg.f77a80de730643fc916bbe7221f0fe85.jpeg

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Posted
1 hour ago, UT_OB1 said:

The tooth just to the left of my two front teeth had to be removed. It’s been out since thanksgiving. My dentist convinced me that being in the front a bridge was the way to go instead of an implant because they said it would like better.  What are your thoughts on bridge vs implant?

 

I was shocked yesterday when I found out it was going to be $4k after my insurance covered their part. 

That isn't true if the implant is placed well - but to make it look like it is coming out of the tissue you will need a healing abutment and a removable partial denture or a temporary coping during the 3 months that it takes for the bone to into the implant. That adds some to the cost. The problem with a bridge is that over time you will lose bone under the fake tooth. So, initially it will look good but long-term it will not. And if you don't clean well under the bridge then the two teeth supporting the fake tooth could fail at some point.

As an aside, front teeth are tricky with shade matching. Typically, you want to use a local lab that is very good at it. A lot of time dentists want to do all 6 front teeth so they look uniform because of this issue. But, a good lab can typically prevent the need to do that. The shade matching may cost a couple of hundred dollars, but it is worth it.

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Posted
1 hour ago, msbesq said:

Is it safe?

All the technology came from orthopedic surgery and has an over 30 year proven safety record in dentistry. They are made out of titanium which is the most bio-compatible metal with a contact allergy rate of about 0.5%. Given a good site and a healthy patient, the success rate is extremely high - over 99%. Smoking, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, periodontal disease, oral hygiene and surprisingly GERD decrease the success rate. The biggest risks are implant placement - on the lower jaw there are nerves that need to be avoided and on the maxilla, towards the back of the mouth, sinuses are often very low with minimal bone between the tissue and the sinus.

Single implant placement on a good site usually takes about 30 minutes of actual work. It is very quick and recovery time is minimal. It is much, much less traumatic than having a tooth extracted. Even highly anxious patients generally don't have an issue. And if that may be a problem, then an anxiolytic like Valium or nitrous oxide is used. I rarely need to do work under general anesthesia and I see special needs patients every morning.

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Posted
4 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Where do you practice?

North Austin - Special Needs Adults

For special needs children, I can help you find someone and provide a referral.

  • 1 year later...
Posted

bump

Didn't want to start a new thread for this. 

Anyone ever had a dentist that seemed to pile on excessive work for you to milk your insurance? 

 

I started going to my current dentist about 3 years ago after a very very long time of never going to any dentist. However I took good care of my teeth and don't really have a sweet tooth so I never had anything bothering me. But I wasn't surprised when they told me I needed some fillings (like 4-5) since it had been so long. Over the course of the next few years, every time I went in there they seemed to find more cavities that needed filling, and we're talking tiny little composite fillings that seemed unnecessary to me. Recently I started noticing her start to schedule fillings for me that were never even discussed with me. I always had good insurance so basically never had to pay for shit which is probably why I never really made an issue out of it. Today I get a call from them to remind me of my next appt next week, which they tell me they have 3 hours blocked off for. I'm like "the fuck?". Turns out it's for a crown....... a crown that the dentist never once told me I needed. This would be a 2k bill that I would have to pay half of out of pocket. I promptly told them to fuck off and that I no longer wished to be a patient of hers any longer. 

Am I crazy? Or is this something that happens? I bet over the last 3 years I've gotten like 15-20 fillings done by her and I long suspected that she was milking it because I had such good insurance (my company ins changed this year to a crappier one). Now that I'm starting to have to pay a lot more, the party is over. 

Posted
1 hour ago, NorthLoop said:

bump

Didn't want to start a new thread for this. 

Anyone ever had a dentist that seemed to pile on excessive work for you to milk your insurance? 

 

I started going to my current dentist about 3 years ago after a very very long time of never going to any dentist. However I took good care of my teeth and don't really have a sweet tooth so I never had anything bothering me. But I wasn't surprised when they told me I needed some fillings (like 4-5) since it had been so long. Over the course of the next few years, every time I went in there they seemed to find more cavities that needed filling, and we're talking tiny little composite fillings that seemed unnecessary to me. Recently I started noticing her start to schedule fillings for me that were never even discussed with me. I always had good insurance so basically never had to pay for shit which is probably why I never really made an issue out of it. Today I get a call from them to remind me of my next appt next week, which they tell me they have 3 hours blocked off for. I'm like "the fuck?". Turns out it's for a crown....... a crown that the dentist never once told me I needed. This would be a 2k bill that I would have to pay half of out of pocket. I promptly told them to fuck off and that I no longer wished to be a patient of hers any longer. 

Am I crazy? Or is this something that happens? I bet over the last 3 years I've gotten like 15-20 fillings done by her and I long suspected that she was milking it because I had such good insurance (my company ins changed this year to a crappier one). Now that I'm starting to have to pay a lot more, the party is over. 

Ask for your records from them, and take them to a trusted source. My mom has been out of the game for about 20 years but she can probably eyeball test it for you if need be. 
 

The new dentist is gonna need your records anyway 

Posted
29 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I’ve got you beat. Just had multiple dentists recommend I crown ALL of my teeth before the wear is so severe that they don’t have enough left to crown. 

you should probably quit meth first

Posted

My dentist of 20 years retired suddenly and I went to the group that took it over since I already had an appointment scheduled. The experience was night and day. They told me I had 2 cavities that they wanted to fill that day and then tried to sell me on some scans and cosmetic work. 
 

So if anyone has a good dentist is S. Austin please pass a name along. 

Posted
31 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

My dentist of 20 years retired suddenly and I went to the group that took it over since I already had an appointment scheduled. The experience was night and day. They told me I had 2 cavities that they wanted to fill that day and then tried to sell me on some scans and cosmetic work. 
 

So if anyone has a good dentist is S. Austin please pass a name along. 

I'm Houston based but let me ask my mom 

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Posted

I have so many dental stories and expenses over the years that I could (and should) write a book.  Actually I had to sign a non-disclosure after cosmetic dentistry gone wrong.  I made him give me back $30k on unsatisfactory veneers.  Of course it cost me $50k to fix them.  (not my teeth).  

It sums up to:  

There's three things that I don't go cheap on: tires, tits, and teeth.

Saving a buck on the most mechanical thing in your head and body with hardened friction surfaces is a fools errand.  Pay whatever it takes to be comfortable and happy.

Tires are the same.  Contact patch is all that is keeping you on the road.

Tits I added for fun.  A perfect set of knockers get a lot more nekkid time than googelly eyes with scars.

Posted
6 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

Am I crazy?

Yes. 

But you are probably right about the dentist. I went in a while back for a checkup and had eaten popcorn a few days before and had a piece stuck between my tooth and gum that I couldn't get out. They said my tooth was infected and needed to be pulled immediately. I told them to fuck off and it was fine a day or two later. 

Every single time me, the wife or kids went there they said we needed something that was going to be several hundred dollars.
We're looking for a new dentist.

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Posted
1 hour ago, thunderlounge said:

@victory88

what gives?

It’s so hard to say.  There are offices that do exactly what some of you guys are stating, many tend to be corporate and hmo offices but I’ve also seen fancy looking private practices do shit work and over treat.  There also some providers that are more aggressive and want to drill into every small cavity, while others will wait till it grows and becomes an issue.  The providers that over treat piss me off because it makes the honest and good clinicians have to work even harder to build patient trust with patients that have been wronged.

With that said, I could retire tomorrow if I had a nickel for every time a patient came into my office and blamed anyone and everyone for the issues in their mouth when it looks like they haven’t brushed their teeth in 20 years.

@NorthLoop dm me and I can send you my email.  Ask for all your x-rays, chart notes, any intra oral photos, signed treatment plans and consents for every appointment and send them to me.  They may give you a hard time and at most can charge you maybe $40-50 dollars for sending you your records.  If they are telling you that you need a crown, there likely is a large cavity, a small cavity under a very large filling, or a fractured/worn down tooth.  If the x-rays don’t match up with their recommendations, you have every right to file a board complaint and you should.  If your dentist is being dishonest, you can easily make his/her life hell.  

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