I have had some recent dental work done, trying to avoid gum surgery. My dentist wants to bridge a couple of my teeth and put veneers on in order to prevent reoccurring problems and to prevent my spaces between my teeth from making my teeth shift and/or become crooked. The problem is, after insurance, my out of pocket expenses with be roughly $5000! I cannot afford this high of a bill, but I'd really like to have the work done. I dont want surgery, I dont want to let the problems return or get worse and I would love a beautiful white smile, Any advice?
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I would ask what options you have other than veneers. Veneers are purely cosmetic and have no restorative benefit. They will not prevent recurring decay or new decay from developing. However, for an esthetically nice smile, it doesn't come cheap. Your out of pocket is so high because no insurance will cover anything cosmetic. Sorry!
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Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Dental care and general Health Care question?
A friend at my church doesn't have "dental care" as part of his benefits package. Therefore, he doesn't take his family to get periodic checkups. THIS totally baffles me. EVEN IF he isn't covered by "insurance" (which I remind you, YOU PAY FOR in your premiums), 6-month cleanings and check-ups are only about $75 each, or $150 a year. I KNOW he can afford to pay by the fact that he smokes, how he dresses, the sports his kids are always signed up for, and the "toys" he buys (camper, scooter, "stunt" bikes for his boys, etc). In my mind.... $150 a year to keep your teeth is pretty darn cheap! So here's the "deeper question"..... Knowing he COULD get the care, but doesn't because it's not provided for "free" at his place of work.... am I supposed to support a government solution that somehow causes ME to pay for him, and/or risk screwing up the care I have and am VERY happy with? HOW do you think we should help uninsured" people like him?
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You pay if it is offered. It is usually separate. You didn't say how many kids he has. So if you take 150 x 4 or 5 that is a lot of money. How much does he make. Can he afford an extra amount out of his budget. I have several suits I wear that look expensive but they were purchased some time ago. You can't judge based on clothing and toys. Why does it bother you about his teeth. You aren't paying the bills. I'm glad you aren't someone in my church you sound very judgmental. That being said, health insurance reform is important. There are many people who would love to have insurance but can't afford it after being uninsured for a time. I can't afford to pay for insurance that doesn't cover preexisting conditions for a year So would have to pay premiums for a year and still pay for any doctor visits that are connected to a preexisting condition. We need to have some reform to bring down the cost of insurance. Tort reform and cap on payments, letting insurance companies compete across state lines, knocking out the pre existing condition clauses. That would get us a long way in correcting what is needed in our health insurance needs. The government wouldn't have to do more than what it is doing to help the poor.
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You pay if it is offered. It is usually separate. You didn't say how many kids he has. So if you take 150 x 4 or 5 that is a lot of money. How much does he make. Can he afford an extra amount out of his budget. I have several suits I wear that look expensive but they were purchased some time ago. You can't judge based on clothing and toys. Why does it bother you about his teeth. You aren't paying the bills. I'm glad you aren't someone in my church you sound very judgmental. That being said, health insurance reform is important. There are many people who would love to have insurance but can't afford it after being uninsured for a time. I can't afford to pay for insurance that doesn't cover preexisting conditions for a year So would have to pay premiums for a year and still pay for any doctor visits that are connected to a preexisting condition. We need to have some reform to bring down the cost of insurance. Tort reform and cap on payments, letting insurance companies compete across state lines, knocking out the pre existing condition clauses. That would get us a long way in correcting what is needed in our health insurance needs. The government wouldn't have to do more than what it is doing to help the poor.
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dental issues i need someones advice?
i went for my dental checkup she took xrays according to her all my molars have cavities which i have no problems with my teeth. for the first time i thought i was going to have a check up with no cavities. it was a surprise to me for my dentist to tell me this. although i asked where are my cavities she wouldn't response then, i asked are they big cavities her response was i don't know until i dig in which that scared me. i have insurance i think i need a second opinion my teeth do not bother me at all even when i eat candy. i been flossing and brushing diligently. then she left without explaining the cost and i had questions she was gone i left Pretty upset . any advice do you think their trying to pull a fast one
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STAR, not ALL cavities show on x-rays, if you floss and eat candy the cavities are most likely on top of the teeth and this doesn't show on x-rays. If in doubt always get a second opinion.
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STAR, not ALL cavities show on x-rays, if you floss and eat candy the cavities are most likely on top of the teeth and this doesn't show on x-rays. If in doubt always get a second opinion.
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Dental implant ?
I had a dental implant done a year ago and the crown place about 6 months later. The dentist said everything healed really nicely... My problem is now. The gum around the area is swollen and bleeds when I floss. I floss it a lot because I am so paranoid about food getting stuck in there. Well, something is definitely wrong. I moved recently and am now 2 hours away from the dentist that did the surgery. I am willing to drive to have him look at it but would like to solve this on my own if possible. I rinse with warm salt water, peroxide ( at night), mouthwash. I even got a night guard because I know I clinch my teeth at night. I'll be damned if I pay one more cent for this tooth. 3000 dollars has gone into this and I think one of the reasons I am avoiding going to the dentist is because I don't want him to charge me. Insurance pays nothing. Sorry for the mouth ful. Anyone else had this problem with theirs?
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I would recommend going back to see who did your surgery. Your gums sound like they are inflamed. I would continue with brushing and flossing as you normally do. Your dentist may consider placing you on a rinse called Peridex to help with the inflamed tissue. If you are unable to take the time to go to the dentist that you started with, you may also see a dentist that is closer to you, but i am sure there will be a charge along with it. I know implants are very costly but if you spent $3000 on it already isn't it worth to have it checked to make sure that everything is ok rather than taking a risk and losing your implant?
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I would recommend going back to see who did your surgery. Your gums sound like they are inflamed. I would continue with brushing and flossing as you normally do. Your dentist may consider placing you on a rinse called Peridex to help with the inflamed tissue. If you are unable to take the time to go to the dentist that you started with, you may also see a dentist that is closer to you, but i am sure there will be a charge along with it. I know implants are very costly but if you spent $3000 on it already isn't it worth to have it checked to make sure that everything is ok rather than taking a risk and losing your implant?
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Can I transfer dental records and x-rays to a surgeon and skip the initial visit?
My husband made me an appointment at Aspen dental for the first time. Trusting his decisions, I went, had my x-rays and examination done, and made and appointment for the 29th to have my wisdom teeth extracted. The appointment and x-rays were done 2 weeks ago, so they are very current. The thing is, a series of events have made it so I do not want Aspen dental anywhere near my mouth! I'm going to cancel the surgery and find a new oral surgeon. The thing is, my insurance won't cover another first examination/set of x-rays in the same year somewhere new! So the question is, do you think that an oral surgeon will go off of my x-rays and files from Aspen (which I would have transferred) and be able to skip the first examination? Since the first examination will produce the exact same results as the files that I will have transferred?
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My gut says no, because experience tells me that they will want to do their own examination, for their own records and just in case the first dentist missed something. However, it would do no harm to call the office ahead of time and ask.
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My gut says no, because experience tells me that they will want to do their own examination, for their own records and just in case the first dentist missed something. However, it would do no harm to call the office ahead of time and ask.
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Upselling at a dental office?
Okay, so I went to the dentist, which I normally do twice a year. I had been seeing a dentist regularly who always just cleaned my teeth filled one cavity the last time I was there and that was it. I went to a different dentist last week because my insurance changed and it's closer to my house. From the minute the dentist walked in they were trying to tell me that I needed braces, that I needed 8 cavities filled, that I needed a deep cleaning, and visits every 3 months instead of every six months. I found this very surprising because wouldn't my last dentist have realized that?? So my question is, do people at dental offices ever try to "up sell" their services or products? Or do they ever tell you that you need something even though you may not really need it? Anyone who has every had this experience or that works in a dental office please help!
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yes some of them do! i have worked in a few dental offices and have seen it many times... they are almost as bad as mechanics. they also get special "perks" for refering you to other places for dental work, so some do that a lot too. the biggest one they do is, "you need your wisdom teeth pulled cause they are impacted." well, everyones teeth are turned in while they are in the gums until the yget ready to break the gum and come in as visible teeth... a lot of ppl dont know that so, when a persons wisdom teeth havnt come thru yet, in the xray, it shows they are turned laterally instead of vertically. well, everyones teeth are that way until they come thru the gums... but, a dentist know that ppl genreally dont know that so ppl belileve that if they dont get them pulled, they will continue to grow that way. but the reality is, if your wisdom teeth are coming thru fine, and arent causing any discomfort, and not crowding the rest of your teeth. they are fine.
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yes some of them do! i have worked in a few dental offices and have seen it many times... they are almost as bad as mechanics. they also get special "perks" for refering you to other places for dental work, so some do that a lot too. the biggest one they do is, "you need your wisdom teeth pulled cause they are impacted." well, everyones teeth are turned in while they are in the gums until the yget ready to break the gum and come in as visible teeth... a lot of ppl dont know that so, when a persons wisdom teeth havnt come thru yet, in the xray, it shows they are turned laterally instead of vertically. well, everyones teeth are that way until they come thru the gums... but, a dentist know that ppl genreally dont know that so ppl belileve that if they dont get them pulled, they will continue to grow that way. but the reality is, if your wisdom teeth are coming thru fine, and arent causing any discomfort, and not crowding the rest of your teeth. they are fine.
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Dental Surgeon Office Treated Us Oddly?
I took my son to see a dental surgeon about getting some wisdom teeth out. I heard the girls behind the counter sneering at us. When we left, they offered to find out how much our insurance would pay towards the procedure, but never called me back. I have since called two more times and each time they say they will call right back. I have waited by the phone for hours and no call. The last call, they could not even locate my son's chart! The surgeon was very informative and kind, but the girls behind the desk treated us like low class trash. What would you do?
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For one thing, I sure wouldn't go back. For another thing, it is possible that the dentist doesn't know how the office people are acting. If there's a way you could inform him, he needs to know. So don't go back and also tell everyone you know how terrible the office people are.
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For one thing, I sure wouldn't go back. For another thing, it is possible that the dentist doesn't know how the office people are acting. If there's a way you could inform him, he needs to know. So don't go back and also tell everyone you know how terrible the office people are.
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