I bet 1/2 the people won't have teeth soon

[Laura PourMeADrink]

My filling fell out. My dentist's estimate: Choice 1 - 1,100 crown. Choice 2: $180 for extraction.
BTW, Why the hell can you buy 2 laptops cheaper than one little crown???

No one ever talks about it - but my guess is that people who are struggling will pay rent before
they get a crown.

We are on the way to becoming a toothless society.

[LiberalEsto]

1. My brother lost his last 4 teeth 2 weeks ago

He's been in so much pain that he can't wear his dentures yet.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

5. wow. that's really sad. It really seems like such a rip off. I have

a friend who dropped out of dental school. She said all they ever talked about was how
to bill for unneeded services so you could pay for your high-tech equipment. You
have to wonder - we did just fine with the antiquated equipment they used to have when
you could get a filling for $50.

[lamp_shade]

2. Hmmmm.... good point. Something to think about.

[FormerDittoHead]

3. Here, $1,100 for a root canal, and it took less than 45 minutes...

He was a great guy, but while I waited as long to get in as it took to do, I wondered how many of these he goes through in a day.

I've heard of people going to Mexico for 'dental vacations'. If I got to know someone who did it, I might go that route if I need to get a bridge.

[pitohui]

61. i've done it my husband has done it, prob any1 you know who'se old and has good teeth went 2 mexico

dentists in america spend all their time on the golf course, most work part time, check your local dentist's office hours for yourself if you don't believe me

they are making millions doing cosmetic work, they're not wasting their time w. the little peeps any more

i've also heard of folks going to eastern europe, thailand, and costa rica, but mexico worked out great for us and it's convenient

i realize i'm just an invisible friend on the internet, so i suggest ask around the older generation, they don't have money to waste on crap, so if they have good teeth, there's probably a reason and since mother nature didn't plan for us to live much past 40, if they say it's just genetics, smile and ask someone else, because they are just vain and don't want to share their secret

[Connonym]

92. eh, my grandmother is 95 and still has all but 1 of her teeth

my mom is 70 and has all of hers. I think it really is good genes.

[Liberal_in_LA]

108. on the shuttle bus across the Tijuana border you'll see lots of people on their way for Dental care

...the dentist are American trained.

[Kookaburra]

4. Same thing happened to me a couple of years ago

Lost a big filling, and broke the tooth in the process. My dentist couldn't 're-fill' it, and the only options were extraction or a crown. Since the root of the tooth was still good, he suggested a crown. I have relatively decent dental insurance, and STILL had to cough up $500. And my dentist is one of the more reasonable in town. Ridiculous.

I don't know what I would have done without the insurance. I don't have thousands of $$ just lying around -- not in this economy.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

7. You know, I am really suspect about the "couldn't fill it part" - they

always say that. I mean - what's the worse thing that could happen? It falls out. I know one time I had
a temp filling that I left in for 2 years. So I think this is bs.

[K Gardner]

18. You can actually buy the packing material at the drug store. My dentist keeps

telling me some unknown horrible thing is going to happen to me if I don't "get the permanent crown", but aside from the temporary packing and such coming out from time to time, I'm not dead yet and in no pain. I think a lot of it is b/s too.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

72. That's definitely not the worst thing.

Abscess leading to a infection in your brain that kills you. I've heard of 2 cases of that. Obviously most of the time it's just an abscess that hurts like hell. I had 2 in the last 2 years. Did they put in a temporary feeling?

David

[roseBudd]

106. I think you are right, I got a service station to plug the side of my tire & never replaced it like

I was told to.

[ThatsMyBarack]

6. My dentist charges more than that.

I won't even go into how much I've spent on dental work the last 20 years. I wonder if some of it was really necessary....

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. crazy ! that $1,100 is a good deal, huh.

[fasttense]

8. My daughter needs to get her wisdom teeth pulled and I can't afford it.

I once had good dental insurance and we paid for her braces. Now she is 20 and I can't afford to get her dental care.

Here in the South, about a third of the people I meet have absolutely horrible teeth. Poverty can easily destroy your teeth.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. She may need them pulled - just sayin - my friend who went to

dental school said that was the number one thing to tell patients to recoup your equipment costs. I was told that many
years ago - that I needed them pulled. I never did and nothing ever happened.

You are right - I notice more and more people with bad teeth

[spotbird]

13. It depends

My 80 year old father is told by his dentist at every visit that he should have them pulled, or he'll have trouble down the road. My father says he can wait.

On the other hand, my wisdom teeth were perpendicular to the next tooth, pushing on the root. I was getting horrible headaches and didn't know the cause. Although I had perfect teeth without so much as a filling, my doctor suggested I have a dental evaluation before he did any tests. Sure enough, when they pulled the wisdom teeth the pain disappeared.

[JuniperLea]

43. I had the same experience...

They had to remove a lot of bone to get them out, and the roots were deep into my sinuses.

Lower left picture... horizontal impaction... ugh...



All three of my kids have their wisdom teeth... no problemo.

[LisaL]

99. I have three impacted wisdom teeth.

I only got one removed. One is horizontal and thus would be very expensive and difficult to remove. The other one doesn't bother me.

[JuniperLea]

44. EW! Google is amazing...

[tibbiit]

27. i hate to say this

but your friend is ignorant. I say that with 34 years exp of making crowns and bridges.
sometimes, really most of the time dentists are'nt trying to rip you off for your $50.00. I cant believe i am saying this because dentists arent that high on my list of great beings lol. But really... if your tooth is so bombed out and decayed that a filling wont work, then believe him/her.
If you get it extracted that will just be your first step on the road to dentures. One tooth pulled leads to the rest because the mouth starts collapsing (over time).
Dentures suck ass. Your friend is a know nothing lol.
tib

[BonnieJW]

29. I still have my wisdom teeth.

When they came in, my dentist wanted to pull them because they were "hard to clean and a nuisance," but I said I would pull them if they became a problem. Never did. Also, my dentist said he noticed a "spot" on one of my teeth. I asked if it was a cavity and he said no but it could turn into one. I said I would have it filled when it was a cavity and the dentist put a "watch" on it. It's 11 years later, and I've never had it filled or had a problem with it. The dentist has also put a watch on some other teeth, but they've never turned into problems.

Has anyone tried going to a dental school for dental treatment? It's usually free, and the students are supervised by very experienced dentists.

[TorchTheWitch]

97. I'm going to a dental school for care now

The University of Pennsylvania. Very excellent school, and the care is better than most any dentist I've been too (oh, the horror stories I could tell you!). It's extremely low cost and they're more up to date on various treatments than the average dentist because they have to be. The only fly in the ointment is that it takes a very long time to get enrolled in the program and assigned a student dentist, it's difficult to make anything close to a timely appointment, and there is a strict protocol on what is considered an emergency and what isn't that doesn't come anywhere close to what I would consider an emergency.

Very minor treatments may be free (I don't know about that, because nothing I need done is minor), but even x-rays cost a little something ($30 for individual x-rays for your whole mouth as well as a panoramic x-ray). Obviously, the more extensive the work you need done, the more you have to pay, but it's an absolute spit in the ocean compared to a regular dentist. Surgeries are done by an actual experienced surgeon, and the students only assist and observe (I think there's an actual legal reason for that).

I have to get implants for my whole mouth. There's no possible way I could ever afford to have this done any other way than through the school.

[LisaL]

11. I have three impacted teeth.

I only pulled one, because of the cost.
The other two don't bother me right now.

[dflprincess]

67. Are her wisdom teeth impacted?

If they are, medical insurance may cover the procedure.

[LisaL]

82. Why would it?

[WillowTree]

88. Because removing fully-impacted teeth is a surgical procedure.

Some medical insurance policies specifically exclude dental surgical procedures, some specifically include surgical extractions. It wouldn't cost you anything to make a few calls and find out.

[dflprincess]

116. Sorry to take so long to respond

for whatever reason, if the wisdom teeth haven't come through the gum, their removal is considered more of a medical procedure. Maybe it's because the gums need to be opened so it's more of a medical procedure? My neighbor's kid had 3 impacted wisdom teeth and 1 that a corner had come through on - the medical insurance paid for extracting the impacted teeth, but not the 4th one. I suppose this is something that could vary based on state mandates but it's worth checking out.

[roseBudd]

107. I also ignored all directives to get wisdom teeth removed until I had a small chip in one many

years later that became infected.

I was chewing 5 pieces of bubblegum at the time, so barring that they probably would have never given me trouble.

[K Gardner]

12. Someone here made the comment: "Who decided to separate the teeth from the rest of the body

anyway?"

It was a profound statement, credit due to the poster I can't remember.

In the ER, we see people who are not only in excrutiating pain, but who suffer from life-threatening infections because they cannot afford dental work. The "free" clinics offer to pull your teeth. The weekend clinics that set up to FIX problems have lines literally miles long, people standing out in the freezing rain to try to get their abcesses drained.

I'm currently looking for a job, so I have no "dental insurance" and my dentist wanted $1500 to put a permanent crown on a broken back temporary yesterday. I had to BEG him to just fill it in until I started a new job and got insurance.

Everyone I know is either losing teeth or in pain. Its a national disgrace.

[Kansas Wyatt]

16. Dental care and optical care are ways insurance companies...

Get out of paying for health care. That is the ultimate bottom line. Insurance companies are legalized thieves.

[raccoon]

19. "until I started a new job and got insurance. " The two don't necessarily correlate.

Although I certainly hope you get both, and soon.

[K Gardner]

33. Fortunately, in nursing they do. Others, I realize, are not so lucky.

[Rebubula]

14. Dental Hygiene

"We are on the way to becoming a toothless society"

We are on that road since many people do not brush\floss\rinse properly and they gorge on sugary snacks and processed foods. My Grandmother (91) has never had a cavity.

Drink milk\take calcium, avoid sugary foods and maintain good dental hygiene and you will have most all of your teeth until you die.

Of course, advice is easier to type than follow....

[raccoon]

21. Some people do all the right things, and still have mucho dental expenses.

For some reason, some peoples' teeth decay more easily than other people's.

[Rebubula]

25. I agree...

...Completely. However, even folks with bad teeth (much like those with genes predisposed to obesity) can take steps to counterbalance that. They will never be fully cavity\gingivitis free - but it would be better.

I would say that Insurance should focus more on dental health.

Now I am off to have some coffee and doughnuts.

[progressive_realist]

105. That coffee may be saving your teeth.

There has been at least one study showing that coffee reduces plaque formation. Although I have read elsewhere that it only works if you drink black coffee. From a purely anecdotal standpoint, I haven't had a single cavity since I became a regular coffee drinker. Of course, my teeth aren't white either, so there is a price to be paid...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_and_health#Prevention_of_dental_caries

[pipi_k]

15. I can't even begin to calculate

how much money Mr Pip has spent over the past 13 years on fillings that kept falling out. I'll bet his dentist was able to finance part of his vacation to China one year with the money he made from replacing fillings...and they aren't cheap!

As for me...I've had dentures since 1978 so I'm already toothless


The only thing I can tell those of you who still have teeth...if there's any way at all possible to save your teeth...at least the bottoms...do whatever you can. Top dentures aren't too bad. The bottoms are a total pain in the ass.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

26. Floss!

A dentist told me years ago that no matter how good your teeth are, if your gums go bad you will lose those teeth. I've been flossing religiously ever since.

[RC]

17. Why? Why is dental care not a part of health care? Why is it separate?

Like eye glasses for seeing. Or hearing aids. Why the distinction? It should all be under the same health care.

[LisaL]

20. How would that help?

If you don't have health insurance, then you wouldn't have dental insurance either. At least when there are separate, it is possible to get dental insurance even if you don't have health insurance.

[demodonkey]

30. HR 676. John Conyers bill for Single-Payer Healthcare. Covers dental and everything else.

We, as a nation, can't afford NOT to do this.

[WePurrsevere]

34. Any kind of national health care plan should absolutely include

dental and optical. Poor dental health can make one sick and even kill you.

Something obviously needs to be done and soon. Way to many Americans have NO health care and dental and optical are even rarer. There are way to many Americans who fall into the "cracks" where they make too much to qualify for Medicaid (which pays for dental and optical) and too little to afford care. Medicare is a decent program for the disabled and seniors but there's a lot they don't cover and dental and optical are two of them even though they're needed for good health.

I'm very pleased to see that John Conyers at least sees this and is acting on it. I've been writing my reps & change.gov in the hopes that our reps can be talked into this type of coverage but I won't hold my breath. :(

[demodonkey]

57. Don't forget LONG TERM CARE for the disabled in addition to the dental and optical...

...if you get a stroke or a broken neck or something bad, and "fall through the cracks" without ongoing care available (and it's NOT available, even on Medicaid, to a surprising number of people), you may end up dead.

On edit: All these things ARE INCLUDED in HR 676.

John Conyers ROCKS!

[pitohui]

62. dental insurance doesn't cover anything any way

see under the poster up above whose "co pay"was $500

if she'd had no insurance, the cost to her would have still been $500

who the hell are they kidding?

dental insurance is (barely)legalized fraud

[MrsMatt]

111. My dental insurance covers 50% of installing a crown

I'm due for a new one in January, and I'll pay $500 out of pocket, because a crown is $1000.

It's not out of line - and my dentist is fabulous. He's going to retire soon, and one of the things he's going to do when he's retired is to travel to poor countries and provide his services to the poor. He loves to travel and this is a way for him to keep his skills up and to see the world (he's already been doing that during his vacations). By the way, he doesn't golf.

[Blue_Tires]

69. i think DUer PCIntern is a dentist...maybe he can answer

[sui generis]

22. girl you need to get yourself a grill!

the VIP Triple Princess Iced Out Platinum Tone Hip Hop Grill Top & Bottom Combo!

http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/rcjewels_2030_95222660

just $49.95.

:P

[jus_the_facts]

23. Only 180 for an extraction.....two wisdom teeth 600 smackers....

....with the 4 pills for oral sedation that didn't kick in until after I got home...but the Mepergan 'scrip was an extremely nice parting gift. :7

[Mari333]

24. when I was 12 yrs old I had all my teeth removed

it was the way things were done back then..if you were poor and had crooked teeth, the dentist removed them. I doubt anyone would get away with that nowadays. Now that I am 57 I am finally growing into the false teeth lol. And when I see people's dentist bills, I realize I have been saved a lot of expense. Yes, a lot of people will be toothless and a lot of other things too. I dont go to the doctor because of the expense. Its just too expensive.

[tibbiit]

28. 12 was a typo right?

You couldnt even have dentures because your mouth would still be growing.
tib

[Mari333]

32. no typo

I had dentures thrust onto my bleeding gums at 12. for real. it was a nightmare. then i had to get them redone for many years as my mouth grew and changed.

[NorthernSpy]

49. That is insane.

I mean, that is like, horror-movie insane!


I'm so sorry you went through that.

[Mari333]

80. in all honesty

I am now used to them. and I have never had gum disease, and I am old enough that they now make sense. I even helped out my 82 yr old mom when she ended up with some false teeth (psychological support) , so, I guess blessings come in time. also, no dental bills. :)

[Uben]

31. I had terrible teeth as a child

My dentist, who was also my wife's boss, told me that my teeth fracture easily, and it would be to my benefit if he crowned them all. I didn't doubt him because going to the dentist seemed to be a monthly thing for me.

I had dental insurance back then (1978), and he said he would do them all for what the insurance paid if I would do it when he had openings in his appointments. I agreed, and he did root canals on them, put on temp caps, then porcelain to gold caps.

I haven't had tooth pain in 30 years, I haven't lost one tooth, and I have only had one cap replaced!

The man (now deceased) will never know how much he helped me.

[uppityperson]

35. I am in 50's and next teeth that go bad will get pulled.

I cannot afford to have any more root canals or crowns unless I visit family near Mexico and go back there. If I lived in southern tier, I'd get all my crowns in Mexico for $200 rather than $1400 up here in northern usa.

And yes, next tooth that needs a root canal gets pulled. If the choice is lose my home or my teeth, my teeth will go.

[Maine-ah]

36. my first trip to the dentist, I was 25 years old

I had one cavity. My next two visits were the pulling of my wisdom teeth. My husband hasn't been in years, and ended up breaking a tooth. To save money, they just filed the sharp part.

[Naturyl]

37. Medicaid in my state does not cover dental work.

Poor people do not need teeth.

[bigtree]

38. I had a mouthful. Most fell out

I'm looking a bit toothless and I expect this to continue to decline unless I win the Lotto.

[Aviation Pro]

39. As for the reason why two laptops cost less than one crown....

...laptops are made in China with cheap labor on an assembly line. Crowns are pieces of art done by highly trained professionals - dentists and lab technicians - who have been trained and certified to the highest of standards. Thus the disparity between the cost of the products.

[rvablue]

42. But I thought I'd read recently here on DU that crown-making is being outsourced to China

Not really questioning your reasoning b/c it is the same I would have used.

But then I recalled reading this post recently on DU. Did you see it?

[Aviation Pro]

47. No, my wife sends her work out to a company in the good ole U.S. of A.

....refreshing isn't it?

[rvablue]

53. Yes, it is refreshing and I'm glad to hear it and would happily pay more

despite not having dental insurance, in order for it to remain so.

[FloridaJudy]

71. Here in Florida it's done by prisoners

They have a complete dental lab in the local correctional facility. Might be why dental work here is a tad less expensive.

I guess I can claim my crowns are American made: just don't inquire too closely about where.

[Hannah Bell]

101. oh, those "highly trained professionals"! lol.

crowns are expensive because they can get away with it.

[FloridaJudy]

103. They actually *are* well trained

It's considered a cushy job - rather like working in the prison library - so the program that trains them gets its pick of the inmate population. These guys know they've got to perform well, or it's back to the laundry. http://www.pride-enterprises.org/compay_info_img/pdf/DentalArticle.pdf

[Hannah Bell]

110. they may be. they're still prison labor, i.e. low-cost.

don't tell me they're not, they wouldn't be using them otherwise.

& don't tell me someone's not raking off graft on the deal.

& don't tell me, if prisoners (typically poorer, less-schooled than average) can be trained to make crowns etc., that it's some kind of brain surgery that justifies its high retail cost.


SCAM.

[FloridaJudy]

113. Of course they're being exploited!

But I expect they still do good work. They're certainly motivated: as I said, it probably beats working in the laundry.

[Hannah Bell]

115. missing the point.

yes, house slaves have it easier than field hands. wow, great for them.

my comments were in reference to the poster who said crowns were expensive because of the highly skilled expertise involved.

false. expensive because of gov't supported monopoly. & in florida, apparently supported with prison labor.

nice profit margins on that.

[Ifonly]

40. Why not grow new teeth!

Speaking of dentistry and teeth, I always used to think, hey, why couldn't they find a way to regrow teeth. Well, four years ago I decided to see if I could find something about this idea on the internet and I did. And guess what, the web-page I found still exists! I don't know what the current status on this is but here is what I found 4 years ago:

http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/002090.html

Wouldn't that be great if they could perfect this?

[backscatter712]

78. One of the perks of an Obama administration.

He'll ixnay all the asinine restrictions on stem-cell research, so we'll get closer to the day when we can regrow brain tissue, spinal cords, other organs, lost limbs, and yes, teeth.

I'm more than happy to sacrifice some embryos for this.

[leftofthedial]

41. I can't afford the dentist any more.

[defendandprotect]

45. There was a dentist here reporting recently . .. if I recall correctly . .. that ---

the industry was questioning the need to create crowns, fillings, etal that last

as long as they do. The new thing in dentistry seems to be "planned obsolesence" ---

And agree with you overall --

[dysfunctional press]

46. i stil have two teeth- bottom-right, back two teeth,,.the rest of my smile is all dentures.

i got'em two years ago when i was 46...and it's the best that my smile has looked in 30 years.
i had braces during my teen years- wasn't too good about proper dental and especially GUM CARE when i had my braces- and the gum problems never did get much better, even after the braces came off.
my dad got his dentures before he was 30- so did his sister, my aunt...so i still did better than they did.

dentures can be a big pain in the ass- but being able to smile with some confidence for the first time since i was a kid is a good feeling, and well worth it- i wish that i had gotten them 15 years ago...and i can just tell people that i lost my teeth in a bad motorcycle accident- it sounds a lot cooler than gum disease.

and i'll also add that oral sex gets a lot more...interesting...when you don't have teeth to get in the way.

[NorthernSpy]

48. Oh GOD... this thread just scares me to death! Feeling the urge to floss...

:scared:


SO grateful for fluoride!


I guess teeth seem to be a weak point in the human anatomy. Just like eyes.

[LynneSin]

50. Everytime I go to the dentists I have her check my fillings

People don't realize that fillings can go bad over a period of time especially the old mercury fillings.

I've had 4 fillings and the oldest one went bad about 13 years after getting it. I ended up with very expensive Root Canal/Crown work which even with dental insurance does NOT cover even half of the work. The dentist I had at the time mentioned that the old mercury fillings can go bad over a period of time and eventually the other 3 were replaced.

Even today with my new dentist I have her check those fillings and if one is going bad I'll have it fixed now. I really don't want my teeth removed. (So far she said they all look great)

[girl gone mad]

51. This is why we should be funding scientific research, not wars.

Modern humans live too long for just two sets of teeth.

Teeth can be regrown in lab rats.

We need cavity vaccines and a cure for gum disease. Stem cells may offer hope to regrow lost gum tissue.

[azmouse]

52. Reading this thread makes me very thankful for having good teeth.

I haven't had a cavity since my teens and my wisdom teeth came in without a problem.

Most of the people in my family have dentures. I don't want them so I take care of my teeth although I'll confess to not going to the dentist as often as I should. ...I might be making an appointment very soon though.

[NorthernSpy]

56. I feel so lucky...

All 32, and while I do have a malocclusion, they've never given me any problems.


Good dental treatment should be part of any national healthcare plan, because so many people have been unlucky where teeth are concerned. And I think it's mostly NOT their fault, too.

[JNelson6563]

54. Sadly there are dentists who are in it for the money

Some don't charge the outrageous rates and are willing to take payments. Some gouge you any way they can and if things happen where you actually owe them money once you have left the office, they send you a notice and a loan application to pay the balance IMMEDIATELY. In my experience the loan app. was for a loan with Capital One.

A truly stunning range of dentists out there. Shop around, there are some non-asshole dentists out there. Good luck with your tooth, I feel your pain, friend (literally). :hug:

Julie

[THUNDER HANDS]

55. I had the exact same thing happen to me...twice

since I have so little money I went with the $200 extraction on both teeth, and I went with the novacane instead of getting knocked out because it was cheaper.

[Are_grits_groceries]

58. Reid and Pelosi need some ASAP!! nt

[Maru Kitteh]

59. My lower left central incisor is missing. I don't have the money to do anything about it.

Sometimes the jokes I see here about people with missing teeth hurt a little, but I understand it's just a joke. I was self-conscious about the missing tooth for a while, but I can now say it doesn't bother me in the least. I'll get it taken care of someday. Till then, I just regard it as contributing to my "character." :-)

[SoCalDem]

60. Teeth, eyes, mental health & hearing, are luxuries

"necessary" only to those who can afford to tend to them..

all others must make do with whatever they can salvage of them..on their own..


can't see so well?..get some glasses from Walgreens
bad knees?...here's a pill..MRI's are expensive
hurt foot? have an x-ray, and a plastic brace
sneezy? drippy nose?..get a kleenex & some nose spray

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

63. I have a real inexpensive and gentle dentist

I feel very fortunate to have this guy available to do all my dental work. He performed a root canal which involved about 4 follow-up visits of 20 to 45 minutes each to try to preserve and save as much of the nerves in my tooth as possible. Other dentists might choose the easy and fast fix of opening up the canals in the tooth and destroying the nerves. This guy believes in trying to save every tooth that he can, cleaning out the canals and using medicine in follow-up visits. This guy is an artist and the most knowledgeable dentist I've ever met and I've been using him for years now. He's an old Chinese man in his 70s and an honors graduate in dentistry from USC. He believes in using only the minimal amount of pain killers and yet his work is virtually pain free. The total cost of five visits including a root canal, follow up remedial work, and permanent filling was $450. I don't see how he stays in business at those prices. His office is in Long Beach, California. He's the only dentist to whom I've ever sent a Christmas card.

[LibDemAlways]

73. Sounds like he'd be worth the drive to Long Beach from

Ventura County where I live. My guy in Thousand Oaks wants cash up front before you can even sit in the chair. He doesn't believe in filling anything. He waits until the tooth is half gone and then insists on a crown to the tune of a thousand bucks. He does excellent work, but I always feel like he's more interested in my $$ than in me.

I once overheard his receptionist telling someone that because they still owed $300, they could not make any more appointments. Apparently the guy was in pain and begging, but the receptionist was firm.

Your guy sounds like a gem.

[cherokeeprogressive]

84. I went to a Dr. Kim's office in La Palma.

She was the best dentist I've ever visited and her prices were negotiable.

[alfredo]

64. My wife got a temp today for $200, soon a permanent will cost $750.

[TripleKatPad]

65. Eeek, you just reminded me

I still have all my wisdom teeth, and I am hanging by a fingernail to the down-slope edge of middle-aged.

I just had my teeth cleaned a couple months ago. Had x-rays and it showed that one of my wisdom teeth is starting to shift and is interfering with my bite (or something like that). Probably it has to be pulled. The dentist was out sick that day so I made an appointment for mid-January (after the new dental insurance year kicks in), for him to give me the final lowdown.

I completely forgot about this until seeing your post. I have no idea what an extraction will cost, but I'm sure my insurance will cover...maybe half? I'm thinking this will be a big chunk of change for me out of pocket.

Crikey, this is going to throw a huge monkey wrench into my new 2009 budget.

Oh well, those darn cats don't have to fed *every* day, do they? (j/k, fellow animal lovers)

[L0oniX]

66. Chinese crown anyone? They already make dentures in China.

[lonestarnot]

68. Do you think the price will go down when everyone just stops going and reaches

for the ever-clear and the pliers?

[Gwendolyn]

70. I guess since so many will be living on gruel, teeth won't be necessary. n/t

[InvisibleTouch]

74. See if there's a university dental school in your area.

It still costs you, but not nearly as much.

[HeeBGBz]

75. I had three front teeth removed on Christmas Eve

As soon as I get the rest of the cash, I'll have four more top teeth removed. Then I can save up for my upper plate. Right now I look like a hillbilly vampire.

[1]

76. people really do underestimate genetics...

heart attacks, bad teeth, obesity...

those that are born beautiful with solid genetics and sound teeth seem to look down on the rest of us like its our failure.

they remind me of republicans. why can't you pull your dental care up by your bootstraps. why can't you be thin like we?

oh course it is our problem. we weren't born in the right house like you were. good for you.


i hope in my next life to be born a good and proper liberal/progressive like you. with proper genetics for proper teeth and weight. maybe my eyes won't need glasses either.

until then i'll just struggle along with the genetic world determining my outcome while you give me shit over issues you have never had to deal with.


good on you, perfect people. sleep well tonight.

[Greyhound]

77. Speaking of dental rip-offs, I found out at the age of 40, that almost all the years

and thousands of dollars that I, and my parents before me, put into my mouth were simply bill padding to finance my dentists lifestyles.

The "new and better than braces" appliance not only didn't straighten my teeth and cause me headaches for years, but also ruined the enamel on the teeth they were fixed to. All but one of my fillings were simply drilling for dollars, and the two teeth that were actually messed up, were not done to fix them, but to ensure that in a few years many more hundreds or thousands of dollars would be charged to do what should have been done in the first place.

Basically, my dentist just flat-out ripped us off for years. That asshole retired to the Med and lives in luxury, far beyond any repercussions from him victims now.

I would just write it off to bad luck, except that I hear the same stories over and over again from other people.

[AwakeAtLast]

93. I was forced to wear those "appliances", too!

The only thing it fixed was an overbite - my teeth are still crooked. My parents scraped and scraped to pay for those things!

[Critters2]

96. Same here. My dentist tells me that all of my dental problems--

and they are considerable--are caused by having worn braces years ago. They damaged my enamel. I'm fifty and about to get my first bridge, but I'm sure I'll lose all of my teeth in time. Orthodontia just seems like a huge rip-off to me now.

[Greyhound]

98. and where are the Dentists that are left to "police themselves" through their

various professional associations? As with the medical assn., even blatant thieves and incompetents are allowed to continue practicing.

They know who the good ones and the bad ones are, but withhold that information to protect themselves.

Try getting a lawyer to sue a lawyer.

Etc.

[undeterred]

79. Or some of us will just have half our teeth.

I have to choose extractions more often than root canals.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

81. why do dentists charge so much?

[bertman]

83. I thought you meant they were going to get knocked out in the food riots that are

going to start any day after Obama's inauguration when the bottom falls completely out.

[mahina]

85. Tons of money spent on prisons is now diverted to inmate's dental care, thanks to drugs.

What these drugs do to people's teeth is just super nasty, and super duper expensive. We're paying there, in a big way.

/I love my dentist. She is an angel, and I hope she never retires ever, even though she goes on trips to Bhutan and India and stuff often, I don't grudge her a nickel, she's saved me a lot of pain. Wishing all DU'ers and all Americans health, peace, prosperity and love this new year. Actually, wishing that for the whole world.

[BigBearJohn]

86. Fly to thailand.They have GREAT dentists at 1/5th the cost, plus you have a great vacation in winter

[Itchinjim]

87. When I was growing up.....

My dentist lived in a nice house up the street in our modest middle class neighborhood. Now as an adult, my current dentist lives in a McMansion in gated community surrounded by other dentists and doctors. That might have something to do with dental costs.

[Mira]

89. We had a really long thread about dental care lately. I'm still crying over

that one. But I'm with you - it is a deplorable situation.
My Mom just had 9000 Euros worth of work done in Germany. Her insurance paid ALL of it.
(BTW - the equivalent in the US would have been close to 20 000 bucks to get done)

[AwakeAtLast]

90. Try finding one that will accept military dental insurance

We are a National Guard family, we don't live on or near a base (base dentists are :scared: anyway). In my state there might be a handful of dentists that will actually accept the insurance, and the one dentist I heard about from another person in my husband's unit had a horrific story to tell.

Why do medical people make is so hard for military families? :shrug:

Don't even get me started on Tricare!

[Connonym]

91. I read something about fillings that really pissed me off

That is that they deliberately make fillings have a limited lifespan. They could put in fillings that would last for decades but because insurance will pay to replace fillings every 3 years they only make them to last a few years. Add to this that so many of us are weakening our teeth with carbonated beverages, it's a recipe for dental disaster.

I'm not vain about many things but I am about my teeth. I refuse to have teeth pulled. I owe my dentist over 2k right now and I'm really lucky he's not on my back about paying it up. I've got one tooth I've been babying until I can afford another root canal.

[Javaman]

94. See if there is a dental college near you...

I'm currently a patient at the UT dental school here in Texas. I only pay for the materials used. It's going to wind up costing me roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of what I would be paying at a regular dentist.

[Javaman]

95. See if there is a dental college near you...

I'm currently a patient at the UT dental school here in Texas. I only pay for the materials used. It's going to wind up costing me roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of what I would be paying at a regular dentist.

[moondust]

100. Does the cost of dental care ever come down?

From a consumer's point of view, I think dentists should be required to post their fees someplace so the public can shop around.

[Digit]

102. I lost one of my fillings recently, and called my dentist to book an appt

It is one of my molars and is already riddled with fillings. I guess the crap getting into it was causing me to have an earache on that side of my face.

He is a rather new dentist in the area, and is generally not booked as solidly as dentists who have more established practices.

They booked an appt for two days out, and then had the nerve to give me just a temporary filling. I asked why, and the asst said they did not have enough time. They were not that busy, in my opinion as I only saw one other patient in a room and there was nobody in the waiting area.

I later received a bill from the dentist for an EMERGENCY visit which was not covered by my dental insurance. Nobody in the office had said this was an emergency visit, or that they were planning on giving me a temporary filling.

Last week, they called me about the bill, and I asked why it was being called an emergency, etc.
I told them my other concern was that they had told me it WAS going to be covered by my insurance and I had paid for the balance not covered at the time of the appt.

The other irritating thing which happened during my appointment was the dentist was all fired up about a broken piece of formica counter top which was no larger than a bottle cap. Meanwhile, I am sitting in the chair as he reamed out the hygienist on the other side of me. He was seriously flipped out over it and it was unprofessional.

Anyway, they are dropping the extra charge my insurance won't pay ($60).

This is not the first time this dentist has tried to do "extra work" on my teeth. At that time, I had to remind them that I had not authorized the extra work and I was not paying for anything not covered by my insurance. I had made this clear on my very first visit. I think they figured they could get away with it and I would just be stuck with a bill for thousands of dollars.

Needless to say, I am changing dentists.

[Liberal_in_LA]

109. My soon to be ex-dentist has his financial bad news technique down

(I hate this technique). He takes exrays/examines your teeth and suddenly disappears. Then his office manager appears at your chair with the bad news... the cost while he hides in the back office. He doesn't even bother to state "I'll have my office manager speak to you....". He just quietly leaves. And the office manager acts as a total gatekeeper to speaking to the dentist by phone. I seriously hate this office. Will find another dentist soon.

[Gormy Cuss]

118. I had a young dentist like that.

His self-centered rants and poor treatment of his office staff had me half-way out the door but it was after a totally botched crown procedure that I left for a new dentist. My new one is a great dentist who never tries to push unnecessary work (he's always willing to answer the question of needvs. cosmetic work. The only problem that I have with him is that he packs so many patients in at once that sometimes the wait is a bit much.

[Uncle Joe]

104. Walter Brennan will be the new pin up stud puppy. n/t

[TexasLady]

112. I have eight left, and cherish them. But I love my denture too!

It took me two years to get my bad ones pulled. I even had my dentist pull a couple of good ones too, because it made more sense economically to have one denture instead of partials. Best decision I ever made! Two years of saving money to get a tooth pulled, another pulled on this paycheck, another on this check...and then, after 8 payments on my new teeth, I finally got them! It took ten years off my face, everyone said.

Before the pretty smile, though, it was horrible. My self esteem was crap, because of missing teeth at the front, so I NEVER smiled with my mouth open. And constant pain as well. I hear that tooth problems can affect your entire health, and I believe it! I can eat peanuts again...and chips!

I take responsibility for my bad teeth, although one dentist did tell me that it may be because my own father's teeth were all pulled at 16 and that genetics did play a role. Who knows, I brushed but didn't floss. I used to drink too many cokes as a kid as well. I didn't get a cavity until 19, after my first child. I also heard that it's a myth that babies steal your calcium, yet amazingly it was just when my teeth would crack right down the middle. Two or three for each kid.

Ive heard a million stories about teeth, and would give anything for mine back. In the meantime, I am SO glad I don't hurt anymore.

[wildeyed]

114. I have no dental insurance.

I floss everyday and hope for the best.

[NNN0LHI]

117. If you are fortunate enough to have dental insurance I recommend ...

... in the future getting all the old filling drilled out and replaced with new Composite resin fillings. Many insurances will pay for this after your old fillings are seven years old. I had mine done and new decay was found under about half of them.

Don