Sunday, March 20, 2011

My daughter (4 year old) has a cavity in two teeth . I took her to the dentist and he said it would cost?

My daughter (4 year old) has a cavity in two teeth . I took her to the dentist and he said it would cost $1088 to fix it . I and my husband have dental insurance but did not take dental insurance for both my kids . I did not think a 4 year old would have a dental problem . $1088 is too much for me . Any suggestions
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This dentist wants you to pay $1088 to fix two cavities in what I'm guessing are still primary (or baby teeth) that she will loose in a year or so? More than likely the dentist wants to cap the teeth that have cavities in an effort to preserve the permanent teeth (or adult teeth) still under the gum line. It's a practice many dentist now use (or maybe what they try to "sell" you on) based on removing (pulling) the baby tooth that has a cavity before the adult tooth pushes it out CAN cause the adult tooth still under the gum line to shift, come in crooked or completely mess up the alignment of her adult teeth. What mom wants a child with crooked teeth??? The procedure is to drill out the cavity or rot in the tooth, the hole left is then packed with a temporary filling almost like clay, then a metal cap is fitted and molded over the tooth (much like a adult crown). As her adult tooth comes in, it will push the cap off and usually the baby tooth is pulled by the child in a week. Some dentist will not fill a primary tooth with a permanent filling , stating it's a waste since the child will soon loose the tooth naturally. But how is that any different than the cap procedure other than putting more money in the dentist's pocket. Now if the dentist wants $1088 to place permanent fillings in her teeth, tell him to go make is house payment or alimony payments off someone else. $544 for a child's filling on a primary tooth is not even explainable. For the heck of it, I googled "national average cost to have tooth filled". The national average cost $131. You need to find a dentist who will fill the tooth and prevent the cavity from spreading to the nerve endings and causing her pain. I'm sure there are plenty of parent's at her daycare or your friends who can give you the name of a good dentist who will do the work (on both teeth) for half of the $1088. When enrollment time rolls around get her insured, BUT check with the insurance provider, because many will not cover the cost to cap a primary tooth. Geez, I just had a root canal done on a molar for $945! Good Luck!!
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