STORM2K

Yep, I had my first one today. I had a big filling in the middle of a molar and the tooth finally cracked. It was abcessed and everything. Definitely not a pleasant experience. Those little files going up and down the roots drove me crazy. It's still pretty sore, but hopefully it's on the mend.

What really gets me is that the bill was $760 for about an hour's worth of work. Insurance will cover about $550 of that, but I think I'm in the wrong business.

Wrong business is right.... I have had a few and you are right, they aren't the most pleasant thing to go through. Being on the other side of the file would be much better. Raking in the $$$ and making others miserable...er..I mean, helping out others...lol

I had a root canal last year, was petrified and turned out to not be bad at all. Came to work right afterwards.

All I can say is better you than me Ed.

I've had one root canal. The tooth also needed a crown - total bill? $1300! Dentist gave me a 10% discount if I paid up front. I just put it on Visa, and we scrambled later to pay it off. Came out of savings. We don't have dental insurance, never have-never will. Husband is self employed and our medical insurance isn't that great either. High co-pays. Anyway, the root canal experience was better than I thought too Bonnie. They gave me nitrous on top of novacaine. Future reference, if you can swing it, take the gas!

Dental bills.....grrrrr. I now book my check-ups every 9 months, not 6. Told my hygenist and she said - I strongly recommend every 6 months. She told our dentist and he and were bargaining back and forth. He said 6 months? I said 12! He said 6 months, again. I said, oh okay, I'll come every 9 months. LOL At least I felt like I had won a little that day. One calendar year between the four of us, I paid over $2,000 for the four of us - 8 check-ups, xrays, fillings, a tooth being pulled, etc. I especially get irritated when the receptionist looks at you so sympathetically - aww, you don't have insurance....that's too bad. I finally asked one day how many patients have dental insurance. She said under her breath, very few. There you have it! I think patients w/o insurance deserve a discount!

Mary

bfez1 wrote:I had a root canal last year, was petrified and turned out to not be bad at all. Came to work right afterwards.

I had a similar experience about 7 years ago - except I had 2 root canals. They weren't that bad, until I got the bill.

UGHHH!!

Never had one, but I do have a tooth with a small crack in it and is on the "watch" list.

No fun Ed! I hope that it feels better soon.

I've had a couple of those, and they weren't too bad. But don't go by me ... I have a high pain threshold. (ie, no drugs during labor)

What irks me is that both those molars (which had been crowned previously) got abscessed a few years later, and I needed an apicoectomy (excise the root). Man, I know I about paid for my dentist's kids' college tuition.

Oh, yeah, now the rest of the story:

Permanent filling in 2 weeks: $110

Crown in 4 weeks $500 something

Total bill approx $1300 KA-CHING

Hey Kids! brush your teeth 10 times a day!

Brush and Floss!! Flossing is a major.

Lindaloo wrote:Brush and Floss!! Flossing is a major.

Yup, and brushing the correct way is important - up and down, not side to side. Brush the gums too. I never used to be so careful about brushing and flossing but in the past few years I have been. Tired of those high bills! And it only takes a few minutes to do it right.

Mary

Root canal!

Don't know what's worse ... the root canal itself or the damn bill! ...

Miss Mary,
Dental insurance isn't all it's cracked up to be lol. When I was teaching, I had dental ins. on my family and myself. Sad thing is, it had a limit on the amount it would pay each calendar year. I think it was $1000 per person.
My wife and I both had to have 2 root canals, with crowns. On top of that, there were some fillings to be done. Needless to say, we're both walking around with unfinished business LOL. One of my eye teeth had to be done. It has a temp filling in it and part of it has come out. The other is a back tooth that I'm thinking about just having it yanked out...much cheaper than the 500 or 600 for a crown. Sometimes I wonder if I'd come out cheaper in the long run just having them all pulled out and having implants put in LOL.

Four root canals and four porcelain crowns ALL on front teeth done in 1 month's time. Don't even want to talk about what that cost me. No pain whatsoever though. My dentist (when I go) gives me valium, nitrous, topical numbing (my choice of flavor) and THEN the shots to really numb me. I've actually fallen asleep when it's being done. Then get the good old percodan after. Only thing that hurts me is keeping my mouth open for so long. I'm kinda at the point where anything else needs to be done, IMPLANT TIME!!!!!

Besides the pain in your wallet, how ya feeling today, Ed?

My dentist should be an architect. He has created a plan to repair/replace/rebuild my entire mouth over the course of the rest of his practice.

The cost (in 2003 dollars) would be about $7300 and include inlays, crowns, whiteners,and more. The whole package!

He reminds me I can move as quickly or slowly on the plan as I wish. Last year was Kathy's year for major dental work. This year the dentist will sneak a wad of cash from my wallet while I'm under the drill.

I do get two things out of it though.

A shiny new crown..and to see a new set of pictures of him and his family on vacation somewhere exotic.

Dentists. You gotta have 'em, but I'm not sure you gotta luv 'em.

Youch! Hoping ya don't have anymore. I dunno if it hurts my mouth or my wallet more?!?

Thanks for asking, Donna. The pain in the tooth is gone. My gum is still a little sore, right at the root of the tooth. I'm hoping that there's not any infection remaining in the gum. That would be another procedure!

Youch Azskyman! You are single-handedly providing job security for your dentist!

Ed, my wife's lifetime plan was something above $9,000. I can see why people who are entering their golden years eat a lot of soup and forget about the repair bill!

Glad you are feeling better, sir.

Steve - you know what the difference is between those of us from the baby-boomer generation and younger generations (especially my kids) - we didn't have the advantage of sealants! Yes, my kids get them and have since their permanent teeth came in. They are 13 and 16 now and both have not had one filling, yet. By their age I had at least 10! And they eat their fair share of candy and bubble gum, as I did. I've joked that nearly every tooth in my mouth has a filling somewhere.....it will be interesting to find out, and I'll be long gone, if younger generations fare better in their old age, in the dental dept. than we will.

Thought my bill of $1300 was high until I read what you posted Steve about your dental work and Kathy's! Yikes.....what can you do though, not much.

Mary