Budget Buster - Dentist for the kids! Why do I have insurance?!

[riley2008]

That's exactly why we don't have dental insurance - the costs of the insurance, especially with their limits, do not make it worth anything to us.

We pocket the $86/month that it would cost us for insurance for just me and the twins and put it in our HSA. I know braces will be in our future and the dental insurance we have only pays up to $1500 for each child under 17, max. Also, the boys' pediatric dentist has a "special" to pay up front for $200 covers x-rays and 2 cleanings for a year - and I think up to 2 cavities filled per visit, but never needed that. (If I had insurance, in addition to the insurance cost, it would still cost an additional $10 copay per visit plus $10 copay for any xrays.)

For minimal services with insurance annual cost"
Insurance - $1032
Copays - $90 (each DS, and me 2 visits and 1 x-ray session per year)
Total - $1122

Without Insurance - Dentist special for both boys $400
My dentist - $120 visit with x-rays, and $50 for non-x-ray visit (and I only go every 9-10 months)
Total - $570

The pediatric dentist will also do an upfront charge of $550 for sealants as needed - good for three years, then right now $25 replacment for each (I think that price is going up though). He's not recommended that yet.

(DH has GREAT dental insurance - no copays and they pay up to $500 per year total. Cost prohibitive for family or children's coverage.)

I'd suggest you look at the costs of your dental insurance and see if it's really a savings for you or would really help in severe dental work needed cases - most have a very low max out of pocket.

 

[katied]

I guess this is why I don't have detal insurance. The cost of dental insurance for us would be about $4,000 per year, plus it wouldn't pay for everything - like when DH wanted to have an implant vs. a bridge, insurance would only pay about 15% of the cost. So, I'd rather pay out of pocket, plus, knowing we have no insurance makes me extra careful with my teeth and DS's teeth.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

This is why I do have dental insurance.

My premium this year is $383.84 and I have so far paid $1,041.30 out of pocket, for a total of $1,426.14.

My insurance has paid the dentists $1,387.70, or 49% of my total costs.

And if I did not have dental insurance, with negotiated fees, my total billings would have been about $3,200.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I bet most of the cost was ealants. Most insurance dont cover it. I have good dental so i'm told but it doesnt cover sealant or and only a portion of white filing i think. Dh isnt so great but his covers selaants and white filing.



growing up we had medical so we all got the sliver filing. I had lots of work done a few years ago with my new insurance and I paid a lot out of pocket because i maxed out. So when i got married i got the rest done wow! saved me a lot. Anyways the dentist i started seeing was really good and told me it would be best to eventually remove the sliver filing and replace with white. My moth looks so much nice when i laugh you sont see all sliver-lol! It was a pain to get them all changed out but lickily i loved my dentist(Sister BIL) He was old school and i really liked that but he retired

If dd need any cavities filled i've had them done in white even though i've never been asked, that way later she doesnt have to have them changed out, plus our insurance covers it.

Important thing it to find the right dentist. The dentist i had before BIL was more into cosmetic and so many people were in there for crowns. I had only been with him for 1 1/2 until i got a badroot canel and he and he's specialist screwd me around. I was in pain for months plus had an apedictomy and didnt work then special wanted to go up through my palete etc. Talked to my sis and she told me to go to her BIL. I called and BIL wife told him to go in and gave me info to change my insurance. I did and guess the dentist had a bad reuptation so they fixed me all i needed was a post to seal it. Imagine if i had let the old dentist do surgery up through my palete wow!

Go with your cut instinct, wish i would have. Another way is through word of mouth.

 

[ssawka]

I know how you feel! I just broke one of my teeth this week! At first I thought it was just that the crown came off, but nope, the tooth broke inside of the crown. There is not enough tooth left to crown, so now I'm looking at an implant. I have very good insurance, and it is still probably going to cost me about $1000 and it will eat up my yearly maximum. Unfortunately our benefit year starts in July, so if I fix it now, I pray I don't have any more issues this year. I had a root canal done on that tooth last year which probably led to it breaking, but it also means that I have no pain from it.
Damn you my English and Russian ancestors for giving me crummy teeth!

 

[coles1mom]

I agree with disneysmiles. Take the xrays and get a second opinion. It saved my daughter the drilling and filling for a shadow. Two years later, still no cavity.

Now about the cost of braces X 3

Good Luck.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

For 3 kids that sounds like a bargain!

I paid about $800 for less than 9 teeth for one child and this was after 80% insurance kicked in. She did need 2 silver crowns and that is worse than a regular filling but it was still high.

 

[gracie1]

This is why our healthcare provider said sometimes dental insurance isn't worth it! However, I tend to disagree...especially if you need a root canal or something.

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

Thanks for all the help everyone! And oh...I know...don't want to even THINK about braces x3!! Although we already have too! Had a few consults for one of my sons...will most likely need braces twice!! $7-8,000 around here! I'm afraid we won't be going to WDW for a few years around that time .

And I agree with some other posters...not only does our dentist not even offer metal fillings, I would never allow it in mine of my child's mouth. Honestly, I wouldn't even go to a dentist that still uses them...it says a lot right there.

And yes...a lot of that cost was for sealants. $45 a tooth, three boys, four teeth each...it adds up FAST!!

 

[NiftyJ88]

I wish I had some of your dentists. I have been begging my dentist to seal my daughter's baby teeth and he won't. I offered to pay for it, but he doesn't think it's necessary. My teeth are awful and so are DHs, so I'm sure hers will be too. She's 4 now, but her teeth are pitted and build up tartar so quickly, even with 2x daily brushings and rinsing with mouthwash every day.

 

[3boymthr]

Well...

I'd definitely go for the second opinion.

The dental office we go to has two dentists, one I like, one I don't. The one I don't like is always pushing expensive procedures, like bleaching, invisalign, replacing my fillings, etc. I had 3 wisdom teeth that needed to be pulled - as they had (16 years after they first told me they needed to be pulled even tho they were all the way in ) developed deep painful cavities that two different dental offices had refused to fill when they were just little cavities. (This really bugs me as if they'd just filled them when the cavities started I'd probably still have these teeth). When I went to get updated x-rays for the wisdom teeth the dentist I don't like told me I'd definitely need a root canal on each of the three adjacent molars which had developed cavities. When I went to the specialist to have the wisdom teeth out I asked him what he thought. He said no way did they need a root canal but they definitely needed to be filled. The dentist that I do like is the one who did the fillings. Sure enough he didn't need to do root canals.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I wish I had some of your dentists. I have been begging my dentist to seal my daughter's baby teeth and he won't. I offered to pay for it, but he doesn't think it's necessary. My teeth are awful and so are DHs, so I'm sure hers will be too. She's 4 now, but her teeth are pitted and build up tartar so quickly, even with 2x daily brushings and rinsing with mouthwash every day.

My 4 year-old's dentist has refused to seal her teeth yet either. He says that it's not necessary in her case. Perhaps he's correct as DH and I both have good teeth with few cavities, but I'd feel better if he did it. Sometimes I think that they just don't think that the little ones can handle these procedures or something??

ETA - I also think that my DD's dentist is old-school even though he's a young guy. He does not believe in the "phase1/phase2" braces thing AT ALL and won't refer to a orthodontist who does both. He says that phase 1 is purely cosmetic in most cases and is done for the parents' comfort and not for the child. He says that he would rather wait a bit and just do it all at once with the goal of being done before Jr. High ends. Anyways, I really trust him...just wish that he was more into sealants, LOL!

 

[diamondpixienc]

I understand fully. We have dental for the kids too but DD(5) had to get a habit correction piece in her mouth that insurance did not cover. I had to pay OOP after they installed the dang on thing mind you. I mean I thought going to the dentist was about preventing major issues. I guess they would rather you have to come back when they are teens to put them in costly braces

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

The general dentist you see every 6 months should NEVER (meaning with very few exceptions) be the guy (or gal) who puts on the braces.

I understand fully. We have dental for the kids too but DD(5) had to get a habit correction piece in her mouth that insurance did not cover. I had to pay OOP after they installed the dang on thing mind you. I mean I thought going to the dentist was about preventing major issues. I guess they would rather you have to come back when they are teens to put them in costly braces

 

[sandynd]

Yep, I'm in the dental budget buster group too. My daughter has an incredible gag reflex - brushing her teeth has made her vomit before from gagging so much while brushing the molars. So she doesn't do a fantastic job (it's worse when I do it) and she has had lots of cavities as a result. Currently she has a number of them and she has to be anesthetized so that they can fix them all without traumatizing her. My insurance covers the fillings, but not the anesthetic - so $3000 is gone on Tuesday. Sigh.

 

[poohbear2]

My 16 yr old son now needs braces due to some of his baby teeth never coming out. The price is about 5600. I am thinking this is the norm?
My dental plan pays nothing toward braces. I am wondering if many plans do and if they consider braces cosmetic. Anyway, big, BIG budget buster for the next two years.

( this is not a happy dance..Its a "I am going Crazy" dance.)

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Some plans pay for braces, but it's not a lot and there's usually a lifetime cap. Ours pays $1500 towards braces plus it pays for a lot of the x-rays and molds initially. My OOP costs will end up about $3000. We visited about 4 orthodontists before deciding on one. Each knew we were interviewing others, many offered discounts. Without fail, the orthodontists with more 'goodies' in the office (video games in the waiting room, Starbucks coffee machine for parents, free sports bags for your teams, etc.) were ALWAYS more expensive for basically the same treatment plan. In the end we went with the gal with the best academic credentials, a reasonable number of years experience, and a quiet convenient office without excess crap. We are now 6 months into treatment and thoroughly pleased with our choice.

My 16 yr old son now needs braces due to some of his baby teeth never coming out. The price is about 5600. I am thinking this is the norm?
My dental plan pays nothing toward braces. I am wondering if many plans do and if they consider braces cosmetic. Anyway, big, BIG budget buster for the next two years.

( this is not a happy dance..Its a "I am going Crazy" dance.)