Dental bill makes me mad

[rocks]

I’m a dental assistant also. I’d recommend a different insurance perhaps? Some insurance cover way more than others. Prices are way out of hand but the X-ray machines alone are $100k. It’s crazy!

Yup. He just had to replace his panoramic...got a "deal" on a cTscan for just under $100k. Then there are the mandatory annual maintenance contracts. Will have to replace his regular digital X-ray this year. No bling in the budget for me!

My hubby's assistant is a gift from god. There is no replacement for a great assistant.

 

[rocks]

No, but he’s only five. I’ll be sure to ask my dentist about the sealant next visit. It’s only been recently that he’s been able to sit through the whole dental cleaning process. We brush his teeth with an electric toothbrush and floss too...

I'll ask hubby, but I believe they seal permanent teeth.

 

[Tekate]

Just IGNORE this post if you don't like Tekate posts or me in general because I hate hate hate dentists, dental surgeons, dental techs, the word dental and most of all I hate the word INSURANCE.

hmm let's start with my front teeth I had an accident in 1967 and smashed my mouth, two front teeth were capped - (dad pad for it!) segue 6 years later one then second tooth abscessed and I need root canal and new caps..(dad paid), segue into my marriage and I start having a pus pocket above one of the teeth, dental surgery 2x till the found the pus pocket start - 2 new caps again with more work, husband's dental insurance paid it all.. years go by.. I lose more teeth to infection (now one would think that I don't go to the dentist or don't brush and floss my ass off, I get my teeth cleaned 2x a year for 30 years, I mean I am VIGILANT). So in 2009 my upper gum starts to turn purple and my two teeth start moving, I get braces and everything screws up and they have to pull the top two front teeth and put in implants, one implant worked, one would NOT take, we paid 5K for both (or 2,500 a piece) I lost 2,500K, bottom right of my jaw where my osteomyelitis is has had 4 bridges, I had to pay for 3 of the 4, I forget how much they cost but I'm thinking 2.5K + everytime (the first one was covered by my husbands insurance at 1/2 so we paid 1K for the first one).. so we get to my last 2 years, had ANOTHER abscessed tooth, root canal done for 1.2K, after a year of pain suffering and anger my oral surgeon pulled it out, ost 1.2K. Was going to the oral surgeon for 2 dental implants, that we paid 5.5K for, one took, the other (which was put in 4x) has always gotten infected to the point that I deveoped osteomyelitis. So now I had to have my eye tooth root canalled - we paid 1.4K.. ALL ALL the work done by my oral surgeon since the 5.5K for the implants has been FREE, the oral surgeon considers this whole mess is his fault or cause, OK!.. he's debrided my gums 3X and put me out and debrided the bone 1x, I've been seeing him forever (over 2.2 years now).. I estimate in the last 8 years I have lost/blown/thrown away/spent over 11K dollars (and that is lowballing) of our money to maintain/help whatever my jaw..

I am fricking lucky that my husband was an uber programmer because I think I would either have died or had false teeth now. I wouldn't mind false teeth but it appalls my husband.

WHY DO DENTISTS ONLY WORK 4 days a week? what is so different between 1967 and 2018? dentists worked 6 days a week when I was a kid. Their equipment is expensive, I get it, jeez the second endodontist took CT xrays or some such thing of my jaw and he said to me: "This machine set me back 150K!" okay... choices choices.. then this sweet kid/endodontist tells me that the CT scan of my jaw isn't as good as his new machine (I had to of course pay some of the CT scan).. he said that radiologists can't read jaw C/T scans well.. lol.. I mean seriously.

Obviously I have 'issues' with the dental world and I in no way shape or form want to put down the PSers who work in the field.. all are very nice.. BUT these guys/gals who DMD/DDS/MD drive Tesla's, one guy has a Maserati SUV, but they don't pay full time wages to the women (look at any dental office, how many guy dental techs are there?) who work for them. Slimy. Slimy.

I am so damn lucky I'm not in the bottom rung of American society.

 

[LJsapphire]

Ouch!
Like my fellow UK-PSers I am shocked at the costs, and I also think that insurance is scam pushing up prices. It seems to have done the same with vet bills over here.
At least with our NHS dentist we have bands of charges that are clear. Cosmetic procedures are done privately.

• Emergency dental treatment – £21.60 This covers emergency care in a primary care NHS dental practice such as pain relief or a temporary filling.
• Band 1 course of treatment – £21.60 This covers an examination, diagnosis (including X-rays), advice on how to prevent future problems, a scale and polish if clinically needed, and preventative care such as the application of fluoride varnish or fissure sealant if appropriate.
  
  
• Band 2 course of treatment – £59.10 This covers everything listed in Band 1 above, plus any further treatment such as fillings, root canal work or removal of teeth but not more complex items covered by Band 3.
  
  
• Band 3 course of treatment – £256.50 This covers everything listed in Bands 1 and 2 above, plus crowns, dentures, bridges and other laboratory work.
  

 

[stracci2000]

I’m a dental assistant also. I’d recommend a different insurance perhaps? Some insurance cover way more than others. Prices are way out of hand but the X-ray machines alone are $100k. It’s crazy!

My employer offers 2 levels of insurance. I chose the more expensive option, so I would have better coverage.......so I am already covered as much as I can be. Insurance is such a joke.
It's pretty clear that costs are inflated, machines as well, so insurance can be inflated, so that everybody makes money except the insured, me and you!

 

[stracci2000]

Just IGNORE this post if you don't like Tekate posts or me in general because I hate hate hate dentists, dental surgeons, dental techs, the word dental and most of all I hate the word INSURANCE.

hmm let's start with my front teeth I had an accident in 1967 and smashed my mouth, two front teeth were capped - (dad pad for it!) segue 6 years later one then second tooth abscessed and I need root canal and new caps..(dad paid), segue into my marriage and I start having a pus pocket above one of the teeth, dental surgery 2x till the found the pus pocket start - 2 new caps again with more work, husband's dental insurance paid it all.. years go by.. I lose more teeth to infection (now one would think that I don't go to the dentist or don't brush and floss my ass off, I get my teeth cleaned 2x a year for 30 years, I mean I am VIGILANT). So in 2009 my upper gum starts to turn purple and my two teeth start moving, I get braces and everything screws up and they have to pull the top two front teeth and put in implants, one implant worked, one would NOT take, we paid 5K for both (or 2,500 a piece) I lost 2,500K, bottom right of my jaw where my osteomyelitis is has had 4 bridges, I had to pay for 3 of the 4, I forget how much they cost but I'm thinking 2.5K + everytime (the first one was covered by my husbands insurance at 1/2 so we paid 1K for the first one).. so we get to my last 2 years, had ANOTHER abscessed tooth, root canal done for 1.2K, after a year of pain suffering and anger my oral surgeon pulled it out, ost 1.2K. Was going to the oral surgeon for 2 dental implants, that we paid 5.5K for, one took, the other (which was put in 4x) has always gotten infected to the point that I deveoped osteomyelitis. So now I had to have my eye tooth root canalled - we paid 1.4K.. ALL ALL the work done by my oral surgeon since the 5.5K for the implants has been FREE, the oral surgeon considers this whole mess is his fault or cause, OK!.. he's debrided my gums 3X and put me out and debrided the bone 1x, I've been seeing him forever (over 2.2 years now).. I estimate in the last 8 years I have lost/blown/thrown away/spent over 11K dollars (and that is lowballing) of our money to maintain/help whatever my jaw..

I am fricking lucky that my husband was an uber programmer because I think I would either have died or had false teeth now. I wouldn't mind false teeth but it appalls my husband.

WHY DO DENTISTS ONLY WORK 4 days a week? what is so different between 1967 and 2018? dentists worked 6 days a week when I was a kid. Their equipment is expensive, I get it, jeez the second endodontist took CT xrays or some such thing of my jaw and he said to me: "This machine set me back 150K!" okay... choices choices.. then this sweet kid/endodontist tells me that the CT scan of my jaw isn't as good as his new machine (I had to of course pay some of the CT scan).. he said that radiologists can't read jaw C/T scans well.. lol.. I mean seriously.

Obviously I have 'issues' with the dental world and I in no way shape or form want to put down the PSers who work in the field.. all are very nice.. BUT these guys/gals who DMD/DDS/MD drive Tesla's, one guy has a Maserati SUV, but they don't pay full time wages to the women (look at any dental office, how many guy dental techs are there?) who work for them. Slimy. Slimy.

I am so damn lucky I'm not in the bottom rung of American society.

Tekate, your story is insanity.
I cannot believe what you've been through!

 

[stracci2000]

I have a real problem with medical/dental costs. There is absolutely no consideration for the patient, and what they can/cannot afford.
They don't care if the patient is poor, or a multi-millionaire, after insurance cost is the same.
I don't give a f*ck if these machines cost $25 grand or $100 grand.
Seems like they are passing the costs to the patient, for sure.
I didn't ask for a $25,000.00 solution to my cracked tooth.
I just want it corrected, patched, filled, whatever. But they offer no "low cost" solutions. Just one very pricey solution.
Here is a comparison. Say I need a new car. My old one is broken. I just need a practical car that works in my budget.
I go to the dealership and all they have is one very expensive car, the best money can buy. They tell me "This is the only car we carry, take it or leave it." So I am forced to buy the very expensive car, if I want to get to work every day.
Ridiculous!

"It will look beautiful after the onlay!" says the dentist. They even matched the enamel color! Yay!
Too bad no one will EVER see it since it's the last molar on top.
No one, except them, when they clean my teeth in the future! Good thing the porcelain will be a match! LOL!

 

[rocks]

There is a low cost solution. You go to the provider without technology that practices dentistry the way they did 30 years ago. My husband does plenty of charity care. Mainly veterans (here in the states) and dental missions. We don't have a Maserati or Range Rover. The reason most dentists and physicians "work" 4 days a week is because of the excessive paperwork, regulation, and continuing education required of healthcare professionals.

 

[Tekate]

Are there any like that????? Everyone of them I read works 4 days a week, has a gazzoodle of help and if they are at say Gentle Dental they are new to USA and speak very little English. The one idiot I went to that probably caused the osteomyelitis went to Harvard, he did the root canal in some weird way where it was in 2 parts, never been able to figure that out except maybe it was old school somewhere! I had my first root canal in 1967 and it was done by a dentist, there were no endodontists, I'm for cost effective, EFFECTIVE dentistry. I hear the 'excessive paperwork excuse' but I don't believe it, there are never any cars in my dentists office on Friday and you know since they won't/don't work on Saturdays people have to take time off of work, the Saturday dentist when I was a kid was great becacause my mom didn't have to take me out of school.

This is a good read, as I was on this journey to osteomyelitis I came across it.

http://taoofdentistry.com/blog/10-things-your-dentist-doesnt-want-you-to-know/

I feel the above profoundly. My SIL is a pediatric cardiologist and she treats kids with heart disease for free in Appalachia as she lives in southern VA. I commend her and your dentist for doing what is right for society. Dental care should be available to all, not just me and my money. All medical professionals in the USA should SHOULD donate time to the poor if we do not have government paid for healthcare. I read about 2 little guys in Chicago that died because of abscesses that went to their brains. Very wrong, and very sad.

I don't drive a maserati or a Range Rover either, but I do drive a BMW.

Here is another good piece from Slate in 09.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/...ry/2009/09/the_american_way_of_dentistry.html

Maybe the dentists and oral surgeons and endodontists I came/come into contact with market to the 20-30% of the market that will pay more.

https://smartboxdentalmarketing.com...-really-work-just-3-days-a-week-as-a-dentist/

I cannot find anything on 'more paperwork' 'regulation' and 'continuing education' for dentists. My sister was a teacher and then moved up the chain to superintendent, she worked over 40 hours a week AND did training at night/and/or weekends to keep up with government regulations for special education.

I am sorry but I don't see why a dentist doesn't work 5 days a week and once a month on Saturday to be available to their patients and to help those who if they have to take time off from work will not be paid for it.

I wll say the maseratti is an oral surgeon and he leases it according to one of the many office staff.

This from Texas on government regulations on Dental Practices.

chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/http://www.capitalareadental.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Editor-RRR-210_Helpful-Hints.pdf

Average yearly income Dentist USA, not shabby.

https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/dentist/salary

There is a low cost solution. You go to the provider without technology that practices dentistry the way they did 30 years ago. My husband does plenty of charity care. Mainly veterans (here in the states) and dental missions. We don't have a Maserati or Range Rover. The reason most dentists and physicians "work" 4 days a week is because of the excessive paperwork, regulation, and continuing education required of healthcare professionals.

 

[AprilBaby]

For the amount of work and the cost f running the five that’s not very high wages. My hubby made more than that as a PhD in comp sci.

We have a sidexis scanner in our office. Works with the cerec CAD to do implants.

 

[rocks]

For the amount of work and the cost f running the five that’s not very high wages. My hubby made more than that as a PhD in comp sci.

We have a sidexis scanner in our office. Works with the cerec CAD to do implants.

Yes, April baby. Given the education and cost, the compensation is not excessive. Thank you for your comment.

Hubby has all sirona equipment. He was an early adopter. Still gets genuinely excited when he adds another application to his skill set. He's looking at 3D printers now. His assistant is also highly trained and a delight (and very well paid I might add).

 

[stracci2000]

Gee, I'm glad to hear that everybody is getting paid very well. But not in excess, I'm sure!
And that the newest and best machines are in all the dental offices.
Did I mention that the costs are being passed on to the patients?

 

[AprilBaby]

Yes but your teeth need to last forever. We want to make sure they do. You want us to use old rusty out of date equipment? Most people pay more for a diamond upgrade than a crown.

 

[stracci2000]

Yes but your teeth need to last forever. We want to make sure they do. You want us to use old rusty out of date equipment? Most people pay more for a diamond upgrade than a crown.

I know, I know.......
I'm just mad that I had to fork over $570 for one tooth.
You understand, don't you? That's a big expense for me.
Sorry to you and @rocks for being snippy.

 

[AprilBaby]

I do understand, totally! Unfortunately the boss has tons of expenses and he really does prioritize helping as many people as he can. Once a month on a Friday we see homeless people. He lives a very modest life. We do mission trips to other countries. It just costs us lots of money to give all of you the best we can at the lowest price.

 

[babs23r]

IMO nothing EVER warrants what dentists and orthodontists charge. It's a racket.
It's not so much a racket when you have a horrible toothache, and you go to your dentist who has had extensive training, and then takes the pain away, and then you don't want to pay...
Now, that's a racket on the part of the patient!

I'm sorry.

 

[rocks]

Gee, I'm glad to hear that everybody is getting paid very well. But not in excess, I'm sure!
And that the newest and best machines are in all the dental offices.
Did I mention that the costs are being passed on to the patients?

How would you propose equipment, supplies and overhead be covered?

 

[tyty333]

You can start getting quotes now. I did that way before my daughter got her license. I even asked about getting a new “used” car for her as opposed to just adding her to one of our cars. I did it while she was a junior in high school.
We added my daughter to our plan in April as soon as she got her license. She was still 17 at the time but a senior. She is driving our oldest car which is a 2011 Honda Odyssey but is also listed as an occasional driver on our other two cars (I think that is how they explained it) . They asked for a record of her school grades and she did not take a defensive driving class. It came out to $53 more a month. She works now so she pays me for the car insurance each month.
I would find out if they can give you discounts for grades, defensive driving, etc. We were going to also do the defensive driving for her but we weren’t saving that much, I think $5 a month and the class was going to cost $400 so it would take over 6 years to break even.
We might still do the class for her just so she can be a safer driver anyway. We will see.

I'll be ok with $53 a month. We've already been through one son getting his licence but that was several years ago.
Our insurance has a "good student" discount which he will qualify for. He will be getting my DH's old car which is a 2004 Infinity G-35.
Still runs and looks pretty good. I'll have to look around for a defensive driving class. I had a lot more confidence in my older son's
driving than I do in my younger son. My older son was a lot less nervous than my younger son and for some reason that makes
me nervous.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

Won’t go into details. Suffice it to say I had a $25k bill for kids’ dental procedure (not covered by insurance) which took place in the hospital, out patient procedure. Much more but insurance is the biggest scam, but can’t risk not having it.

I recently went to the ER with severe {and I mean SEVERE} stomach pain.I was literally screaming.they did no blood or urine test, one MR and three shots of morphine. Total bill? over $8,000. Our medical system is totally our of control. And I don't think the toilet trained gorilla doing anything about-it. .

 

[jeweln]

stracci
The exact thing happened to me last May ! I was eating an apple and a molar broke .1/3 rd of the tooth .I left it for a few months then went to the dentist . she evened it out and put a temporary crown but that caused me pain so had to do a root canal after 2 weeks when installing the new crown . I think I paid the same as you .
I hate going to any doctor so I don't unless I am dying ! usually I treat myself with alternative medicine by doing a search online .

 

[Amber St. Clare]

We've given our dentist enough money over the years that when I needed a a$ 4,000 procedure he simply charged me for for materials, not labor .it came to little over a grand.

 

[cflutist]

I work at the dentist, we do full ceramic Cerec crowns for $1100 and you go home same day with it. The machine costs $25,000 and each ceramic block is $40. Then there is the time and staff. Is there profit, yes, but that machine is a fortune. In your case the lab free is about $150. Double that for profit, most insurance pays 50%. You are paying a lot for an inferior product to mine. But think of it this way...a diamond is way more expensive and not as useful.

I have two of these, it was fascinating to watch the CAD then subsequent milling.

 

[lambskin]

A good dentist is worth the price. Excellent dental health makes life wonderful. You eat, talk and express yourself with your mouth. When drilling teeth there is a small room for error. Dentists are at times the first detectors of oral cancers. The advancements that have been made in dentistry-even something we now take for granted such as Novocaine. Fluoridated water has reduced dental caries tremendously. (I know there are folks who do not like the stuff-but that is for a different thread). Reconstructive dentistry for accident victims or cleft pallets (or other abnormalities) have given patients a new lease on life. My dentist only hurts in the pocketbook but he does not do unnecessary work to churn the file. His dental work has lasted 30 years. He is the best!

 

[stracci2000]

Here's an update.
The dentist refunded me $228.60.
It seems I was overcharged!
I knew $570 after insurance was outrageous.

 

[missy]

 

[tyty333]

Well, that is good news stracci2000! That leads me to a complaint from my DH. He wonders why Doctors cant bill us after everything has gone
through insurance so we dont end up with these overpaying/refund situations. We've had doctors in the past that have not refunded us after
insurance has been paid. If my DH didnt keep an eye on bills and insurance refunds we would have never known they owed us money.

I get that there are people who may not pay so they want their money up front.

Which reminds me...just got to pay $180 for a checkup that is usually paid for but I had maxed out my dental insurance. I thought there were
2 cleanings/checkups a year no matter what. If I had waited until Jan (instead of Dec) it would have been covered. Thats what I hate about
insurance...a lot of times you're not sure what's covered until after the procedure is done. That includes even when the Doc office has called
in advance and gotten a quote. Then there are the times when a procedure is covered at one rate because it is looking for something but if its the same
procedure and they already found something then it is covered at a different rate. Who can keep all that straight? I just got to pay out of pocket
$1300 for diagnostic 3-D mamo. Because it was diagnostic the radiologist looked at my results and compared with previous results and told me
that it looked fine. Nothing had changed. The next day the "breast" doctors office called to go over my results...the same results the radiologist
already gave me. That appointment with the "breast" doc would have cost me $285...to learn what? Why couldnt an aid (or the Doc) just tell me
over the phone that everything was good??? That's what my primary Doc does when she sends me for labs. No, the
"breast" doc wanted to rake in another $285 (at least that's how I feel). I told them the radiologist already told me the results...why do I need to
come in? The person on the phone said I didnt have to. Isnt that ridiculous???

I think part of it is this new big business Doc conglomerates. They set up policies that they want their doctors to follow that seems to be more
about making money than helping the patients.

Ok, rant over...thanks for letting me vent!

 

[Calliecake]

Please ignore this post if your are not Tekate. it will bore the daylights out of you. The only person who will understand why I even posted this is @Tekate.

@Tekate , I went thru a year of hell with my mouth a few years ago. It all started because of an accident when I was a kid (1970). A few years later, I ended up with an abscess and two root canals. Two years after that I needed two caps on my front teeth.

Fast forward to 8 years ago I was biting into a donut and had the sharpest pain. My two front teeth were cracking under the gum line (or so I was told). It was explained to me that both teeth could probably break off at any moment. I find this a little hard to believe when the oral surgeon was literally pulling me out of the chair while trying to pull the teeth out. Two oral surgeries, 4 more root canals, and 6 new teeth later it was fixed at the cost of $15,000 out of pocket. The teeth look ok but my smile is awful. My top lip no longer moves up when I smile. It embarrasses me.

Last year I found out that I need 5 caps and possibly root canals on my top back teeth, along with a tooth pulled. When I get stressed about anything I bite down extremely hard in my sleep. The dentist suggested waiting a while and hopefully I would quite doing this while asleep. He didn’t want to start this I while I knew I still having jaw pain every morning. So far nothing has changed so this year I’ll get the tooth pulled and start with the caps and pray that is all I need done. Unfortunately I’ve been been down this road before so I’m assuming I will also need root canals. I’m pretty sure it will be $12,000 out of pocket. Insurance pays so little.

I forgot to mention I also need two implants on two bottom teeth. Have had the surgery to prepare for them. After hearing about all you went thru I have decided to not get the implants. They scare the daylights out of me now.

I feel your pain Tekate LOL!

 

[Tekate]

OOH Callie, I FEEL YOUR POST girl my problems all started with an accident when I was a kid in 1967. The rest you know..

I HATE my smile. I had the appt today as you know and girl all I kept wanking about was my smile, forget the danged infection, which is still there and slowly healing.. slowly like is jeez I'm sick of this slowly...

Love you girlie, we are travelers on this road to dental nightmares.. and you know everytime you start the road again they SOMEHOW say your last surgeon/dentist/endodontist/etc screwed up and that will be 10K

sending youa big hug as always

Kate (and thank you for your post Callie, it's always wonderful to know one is not alone on the dental hell journey )

Please ignore this post if your are not Tekate. it will bore the daylights out of you. The only person who will understand why I even posted this is @Tekate.

@Tekate , I went thru a year of hell with my mouth a few years ago. It all started because of an accident when I was a kid (1970). A few years later, I ended up with an abscess and two root canals. Two years after that I needed two caps on my front teeth.

Fast forward to 8 years ago I was biting into a donut and had the sharpest pain. My two front teeth were cracking under the gum line (or so I was told). It was explained to me that both teeth could probably break off at any moment. I find this a little hard to believe when the oral surgeon was literally pulling me out of the chair while trying to pull the teeth out. Two oral surgeries, 4 more root canals, and 6 new teeth later it was fixed at the cost of $15,000 out of pocket. The teeth look ok but my smile is awful. My top lip no longer moves up when I smile. It embarrasses me.

Last year I found out that I need 5 caps and possibly root canals on my top back teeth, along with a tooth pulled. When I get stressed about anything I bite down extremely hard in my sleep. The dentist suggested waiting a while and hopefully I would quite doing this while asleep. He didn’t want to start this I while I knew I still having jaw pain every morning. So far nothing has changed so this year I’ll get the tooth pulled and start with the caps and pray that is all I need done. Unfortunately I’ve been been down this road before so I’m assuming I will also need root canals. I’m pretty sure it will be $12,000 out of pocket. Insurance pays so little.

I forgot to mention I also need two implants on two bottom teeth. Have had the surgery to prepare for them. After hearing about all you went thru I have decided to not get the implants. They scare the daylights out of me now.

I feel your pain Tekate LOL!

 

[msop04]

I just wanted to chime in on the "only working 4 days a week" bit re dentists and those in the field. My BIL is an orthodontist (as is his father) and I have two first cousins who are dentists. Dental school is extremely competitive and difficult, and I can't even imagine how excruciating orthodontic school would be (there aren't that many, and classes tend to be super small -- BIL's class had EIGHT students... and this isn't a small school... LSU). School is hard and the debt incurred is A LOT.

Then when they graduate and get licensed/certified by their Boards, it's not over. They all work their a$$es off with all the CE and extra stuff just to stay up-to-date. BIL is constantly going to CE weekend studies -- that are not free, nor are they "vacation-like". He works 4 days a week in his orthodontic office, then the 5th day is spent in surgery -- so just because the office is closed doesn't mean he's sitting at home in a robe smoking Cuban cigars. LOL Also, paperwork is REAL... he says that he spends much more time on paperwork than actual time with patients and office stuff. He takes a lot of his paperwork home.

He also does at least one mission every couple of years in which he helps those with cleft palates have a normal life by working for FREE and traveling ON HIS DIME. He is luckier, in that he will eventually take over his father's very established orthodontic office, and he doesn't have so much equipment to buy out of pocket starting out. However, equipment doesn't last forever and is not completely maintenance-free. The cost of a dental office is phenomenal. It's not all about the dentist/orthodontist/surgeon getting rich. It's about providing the best possible care to your patients. I hope that helps explain the perceived "bank schedules" of this profession.

 

[msop04]

@stracci2000... I'm so sorry you're going through all this! Hopefully, this will be the last time you worry with that tooth.

On a personal note, I understand the sticker shock. I won't go into a lot of detail, but in 2006, I had a few (4) veneers applied to close a small gap that bothered me. Totally elective/cosmetic, so obviously it was completely out-of-pocket. Each one was $1100, so $4400. Fast forward to 2011 and my dentist isn't happy with one gum area above the veneer -- it was not painful at all, but stayed irritated and red... He wanted me to see the periodontist "just to be safe".

Perio said the first dentist who applied my veneers "may have been a bit aggressive in the placement" and had gone a teeny tiny bit too far up into the space, and that was causing the inflammatory response and redness. Perio did a procedure where he pulled my entire gum up and tried to make it such that the "space" would be accepted and the inflammatory response would cease or at least lessen. It worked. Cool. Price tag: $2200 (this was somewhat covered)

Fast forward to 2012, and my dentist noticed something on my xrays and sent me to the oral surgeon to make sure I didn't need a root canal above "that tooth". I freaked the eff out, ya'll. I'd always had great teeth and exactly 3 cavities my ENTIRE LIFE. So I go and the surgeon checks that tooth -- yep! "needs a root canal" -- WHAT??!!!! I cried... hard... in the oral surgeon's chair... in front of other patients. LOL ...all because I HAD TO CLOSE A TINY GAP!!! Luckily, the surgeon was super nice, the root canal was painless and successful. Price tag: $600 after insurance.

After that, I elected to have the original veneers removed and have my current dentist replace them with [stronger] crowns, insuring correct placement and their longevity. I ended up doing 8 crowns. They are lovely, and my gums are super healthy again. Cool.

At the moment, I have over $17K in my mouth. I pray I will never have to do anything else like that again! Everything has been great since it was all finished in 2013, so almost 6 years of good reports!! *fingers crossed*

Okay, I lied... I can't tell a short story. LOL