Graham Smith Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 No offense to all the dentists out there, but when the hell did prices go up like they have? Several years ago, I had a root canal and cap done on a molar. Total bill was about $1200. A lot of money, but it was a lot of hours of work as it was way in back and I have a really tight bite. That dentist is now retired and I have a new dentist. Prices for my routine care have gone up a bit but not that much. So, when I broke a chunk off a tooth a week ago, I resigned myself to spending money I had saved for other things (there goes my vacation). But I now have dental insurance so that would help. Yesterday, I went to the Endodontist for the root canal. Good work and done in under 1/2 hour. Price: $1100 Monday, I go to my dentist and get the crown started. Price $1200+ My dental insurance will cover about $1200 of this, leaving me with a $1100+ bill. I thought this was one hell of an increase until I spoke with some friends who have had work done recently and found that they had encountered the same thing. Prices for dental work have gone through the roof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Moore Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 how much does it cost to have the tooth removed? just tell all your buddies you were trying to catch a bullet with your teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 yeah that sux. my wife had similar story, sort of. her new dentist want to replace her old fillings with the new polymer kind. $80 no, big deal. so she has the procedure done. a week or so later she has a lump under her jaw. it turns out it has gotten infected and has to have a root canal. the root canal is done a few more weeks later as you known, the tooth is dead after that and who wants an off colored tooth in your mouth, so here comes the crown. you guessed it, a few weeks go by and back to the dentist. after the x-ray, it turns out that the tooth is cracked and must be removed...cut out. now comes the bone graft, for an implant. the bone graft goes well, a few months later the implant goes in and still no problems. she went last week to have the gum removes arount the implant so the crown can go on a few more weeks in the future. btw, this all started april 2008. lynn p.s. the dentist did cut a deal on most of these procedures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 how much does it cost to have the tooth removed? just tell all your buddies you were trying to catch a bullet with your teeth. Trust me. That was my first thought. Hell, I can chew on the other side. Problem is, it leaves the tooth behind it unsupported which means that eventually I'll need a bridge or an implant. Just can't seem to get ahead of the curve lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 how much does it cost to have the tooth removed? just tell all your buddies you were trying to catch a bullet with your teeth. Trust me. That was my first thought. Hell, I can chew on the other side. Problem is, it leaves the tooth behind it unsupported which means that eventually I'll need a bridge or an implant. Just can't seem to get ahead of the curve lately. Go for the root canal and crown. The little lady is in the process of getting an implant and crown replacing one tooth, a root canal and crown replacing another. Total estimated bill will be around $5400. The look on my face when they hit me with the estimate, PRICELESS. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary1911A1 Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 For what you are paying an Implant might be cheaper or as least more durable in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted February 25, 2009 Author Share Posted February 25, 2009 For what you are paying an Implant might be cheaper or as least more durable in the long run. A friend just had one done and he paid about $1900 just for the implant. And that's on top of the extraction and still has to have the crown done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy_fuentes Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 " Hell, I can chew on the other side. Problem is, it leaves the tooth behind it unsupported which means that eventually I'll need a bridge or an implant. Just can't seem to get ahead of the curve lately." Chew soft foods and wash it down with beer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 I've found that with Dentists, and the semi-crappy insurance I have that covers about 50% of costs up to a a certain dollar amount on most things that ........ its best to be up front before the work or estimate is done, explain to the doc you are on a limited budget, and how much the covered amount for your procedure is according to your insurance (most have charts you can download). And you really can't afford more than that, by the time you pick up your half. Most dentists I've talked to (once they get overthe shock of someone haggling with them) are very reasonable about getting your work done within your budget and insurance, vs. the option of losing the work to someone else. Its amazing how many suddenly optional things are padded in their price sometimes. Ask him to recommend someone else in town that can do it for the insurance price, if he refuses to talk price. Having said that, you only get one set of adult teeth, spend what you can afford to take care of 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outerlimits Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 last fall i had a choice-gold crown or extraction. ended up with a new JP upper and now chew on one side-fair trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 yeah that sux. my wife had similar story, sort of. her new dentist want to replace her old fillings with the new polymer kind. $80 no, big deal.so she has the procedure done. a week or so later she has a lump under her jaw. it turns out it has gotten infected and has to have a root canal. the root canal is done a few more weeks later as you known, the tooth is dead after that and who wants an off colored tooth in your mouth, so here comes the crown. you guessed it, a few weeks go by and back to the dentist. after the x-ray, it turns out that the tooth is cracked and must be removed...cut out. now comes the bone graft, for an implant. the bone graft goes well, a few months later the implant goes in and still no problems. she went last week to have the gum removes arount the implant so the crown can go on a few more weeks in the future. btw, this all started april 2008. lynn p.s. the dentist did cut a deal on most of these procedures. btw we didn't have any insurance either, just a health savings account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 My wife got a full refund for her root canal, but lost the tooth and ended up in the hospital for three days being treated for a side effect of a medication she was prescribed for a condition she didn't have that was "discovered" as a result of the dental care. Good thing the surgeon the MD referred my wife to for "treatment of lower mandibular osteomeylitis" knew a bit more about the subject that the MD who mis-diagnosed her . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 Just wait......it's not going to get any better. Our healthcare system is in a real crisis. In my field, the graduates are outnumbered by the number of surgeons retiring. There are 35 positions available for general surgeons just in Illinois and Iowa. Heck, 3/4ths of the general surgeons are specializing because the reimbursement in general surgery sucks and the lifestyle is even worse. It's going to get ugly. Malpractice insurance, overhead, the financial cost of a medical education, etc. are driving up all of our costs. I paid out 62% in overhead last year. And proceduralists in Iowa make about 30 cents on the dollar based on these insurance contracts. So that 1,000 dollar colonoscopy ends up making me about $114 dollars. That doesn't even begin to take into account the medicaid/no insurance population that doesn't pay for their healthcare. After Uncle Sam gets his cut, I've still got to pay on the 250K in student loans. I can't deduct the interest. And I can't write-off people that don't pay as a business expense/loss. I'm getting out as soon as I can. Twenty years from now, you'll be lucky to find a doctor that speaks English fluently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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