Dental Issue - Opinions Please

[CdnCarrie]

Is there a dental college that can do the work? Here there is the dental college at the U of Manitoba that is lower price. I have never been there but have heard it suggested as an option for those that don't have insurance.

 

[scrappydew]

I had a crown/root canal fail. The dentist put the crown on ($1200), but it never "settled down". The dentist then did a root canal I'm thinking about $900? Turns out I metabolize dental anesthesia VERY quickly (incredibly painful, I was crying and shaking), only to find out the root was cracked and the tooth needed to come out. I then had to get the tooth pulled. However, I have an incredibly kind dentist - he waived his fee for the root canal, which paid to have the tooth removed by a dental surgeon.

We don't have dental insurance. Even if we did get it (through my DH's job or mine), it's so expensive, and the benefits are minimal. I"m thinking they would only pay $1000 for a crown, and that was it for a year.

It's been a while, but my dentist put no pressure on me to get a bridge or implant. I'm not sure if I'll ever get it done, seems like other things come up (including Disney!)

 

[wilkeliza]

I would get it fixed. Quick question, why won't insurance cover it? I don't understand, it's not your fault and you need it done. I could see if you were looking for something to be done that was cosmetic, like tooth whitening, but a crown???

Possible because the original work was done in Mexico. My insurance will not cover anything that doesn't have a "history" so to speak so if I go get something done off the record and it breaks down my insurance won't cover the replacement or repair because to them they should be paying for an original not a replacement. Also it has been 1 year. Crowns should last much much longer than that. In the insurance's mind it isn't their fault you got bad service. I think mine only covers replacements at the 5 year mark.

 

[scrappydew]

Is there a dental college that can do the work? Here there is the dental college at the U of Manitoba that is lower price. I have never been there but have heard it suggested as an option for those that don't have insurance.

I did look into that, but I would have to travel 3 hours; and you have to make several visits. It's not as easy or cheap if you live far away from one.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I did look into that, but I would have to travel 3 hours; and you have to make several visits. It's not as easy or cheap if you live far away from one.

OP lives in a large city.

 

[scrappydew]

OP lives in a large city.

I think OP said there wasn't one where they live?

 

[CdnCarrie]

OP lives in a large city.

It's in Edmonton. https://www.ualberta.ca/school-of-d...e-patient-clinic/fees-and-payment-information
Might be worth the drive.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Your first example is a really huge leap.

No, in hindsight from doctors that the lack of protein accelerated her liver disease. It did not cause it, but it did not help.

It may seem like something small & nothing, however she literally starved to death before our eyes. I tried to get her help. I was the one who went to the doctor's with her.

All I am saying is that her life went downhill after that decision to have her teeth out. Looking back I wished I had the ability to stop her. That is all.

 

[anniemae]

Possible because the original work was done in Mexico. My insurance will not cover anything that doesn't have a "history" so to speak so if I go get something done off the record and it breaks down my insurance won't cover the replacement or repair because to them they should be paying for an original not a replacement. Also it has been 1 year. Crowns should last much much longer than that. In the insurance's mind it isn't their fault you got bad service. I think mine only covers replacements at the 5 year mark.

Oh, that makes sense.

 

[wilkeliza]

Oh, that makes sense.

Yep my hygienist had to just break all that down for me. Their old billing agent just got fired for not properly charging patients (it was always in our interest so patients weren't seeing it the dentists caught it later when services rendered, billing, and money in didn't match) and I was one of them. They informed me they updated my charts to be the proper procedures and wrote off the cost difference but going forward everything would need to be billed very precisely because if they kept marking down the I was having regular cleanings every 6 months instead of the middle level (so not a deep clean but not regular either) then if the disease didn't get better and I needed a gum graft insurance would automatically deny it because the build up of procedures wouldn't make sense. You don't just form a normal cleaning to needing a gum graft.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

I don't have great teeth, primarily because of a horrible fear of going to the dentist. I had a root canal done about 13 years ago, but I couldn't afford the crown at the time (I could barely afford the root canal) so I just let it be with a filling. Well, that was not a good idea - the filling fell out but I still didn't go to the dentist. About 4 years later I found who I thought was a wonderful dentist. The tooth had a huge cavity now (shocker!), but he still tried to save the tooth. He cleaned out all of the decay and what was left of the tooth was almost paper thin. He put a crown on it anyway, using a brand new procedure in his own office (before, he would do impressions and order the crown through a different company). It didn't save me any money, and my insurance at the time would only cover about 10% of crowns, if even that I can't remember exactly, I just remember it cost me about $2,000. I should have questioned what he was doing and asked for a discount or something, because I completely blame him for what happened next (at this point he should have told me to get it pulled IMHO)...

Less than 3 month later my DD and I were at the Olive Garden and I bit into a breadstick. The tooth broke off just above the gum line and took the crown with it. Luckily I noticed right away and didn't swallow anything. There was nothing else that could be done after that but get the tooth pulled. They put me under, and after the procedure the oral surgeon told me he was glad they put me under because he had to dig pieces of the tooth out it was so damaged. Eek. Before I even got the tooth pulled my dentist was telling me that he was looking at doing dental implants in the near future and to have the oral surgeon prep me for an implant, but to go back to him for the actual implant. I found that shady and never went back to him. I didn't like the constant trying to make big bucks off his patients, especially being I was a divorced mother not making a lot of money at the time.

I started seeing a new dentist right away and she explained to me my options (implant, bridge), and warned me what might happen if I do nothing with the empty space (teeth on top may lower, teeth on bottom may shift), and never mentioned anything about it again (in the 5 years I've been seeing her).

It took awhile to get used to the missing tooth - I almost choked on food that wasn't chewed enough many times. But now I barely notice it's missing. I can chew on that side of my mouth like normal and none of my other teeth have started moving.

$2,500 is a lot of money, and had my original dentist warned me that it could fail I would have never gotten the crown. I know, dentists want to save teeth, but there comes a point when it's not the best choice for the patient.

 

[wenrob]

No, in hindsight from doctors that the lack of protein accelerated her liver disease. It did not cause it, but it did not help.

It may seem like something small & nothing, however she literally starved to death before our eyes. I tried to get her help. I was the one who went to the doctor's with her.

All I am saying is that her life went downhill after that decision to have her teeth out. Looking back I wished I had the ability to stop her. That is all.

You said she died because she had her teeth pulled. That's a reach IMO. Many who are as ill as you describe your MIL to be quit eating. I am not coming at this blind. I watched my Dad start to slowly starve because he could not swallow food so I can empathize but you do not need teeth to get protein into your body. When forcing protein shakes was not enough we got him a feeding tube. I know that we were fortunate to be able catch it on time. I'm very sorry for your loss. It is a hard thing to witness.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

LOL. I've had 2 root canals. Neither of those teeth has a crown.

That's not what I was saying. A lot of Crowns are done to cover the hole(s) made from root canals(and other work obviously). If the hole is small enough they can fill it without compromising the tooth.
I know... You'll come back and tell me I'm wrong for some reason or another.

 

[adisneyaunt]

No dental coverage.
My crown ... no root canal, was just under 1200. Top notch service overall and Very happy with result.

My ds (top only) braces just set me back 5600. And another 500 for Propel, which I opted for.
They did however offer zero finance.


It depends on Where you live. I'd only consider seeing board certified and that too limited the playing field for us.

No advise OP, good luck tho!

 

[tvguy]

That's not what I was saying. A lot of Crowns are done to cover the hole(s) made from root canals(and other work obviously). If the hole is small enough they can fill it without compromising the tooth.
I know... You'll come back and tell me I'm wrong for some reason or another.

LOL Exactly what my 2 root canals are. Basically fillings in the center of the tooth. No crown.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

LOL Exactly what my 2 root canals are. Basically fillings in the center of the tooth. No crown.

I have root canals in many teeth. Some are just holes drilled directly into the nerve cavity and filled (like a "real" filling).

Others too much of the top of the tooth was rotten and had to be drilled off before the root canal. Those have posts cemented into the remainder of the root with a crown on top.

And others that the tooth was crowned first and then abscessed, so the root canal was done through the crown. Those look like round fillings in the crown.

 

[tvguy]

My concern now is with how long crowns should last. The dentist says they figure 10 years. Some of my gold ones are 30 to 40 years old.

 

[hereyago]

Just get it pulled. Then find another dentist.

Feel better soon, tooth/gum pain is wicked painful.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My concern now is with how long crowns should last. The dentist says they figure 10 years. Some of my gold ones are 30 to 40 years old.

Well, the average lifetime is anywhere from 5 to 15 years.

I have some that I got over 40 years ago. The two I had that failed were over 30 years old. One was gold, and one was white.

Back then life expectancy was only around 70 years. Now it's longer. So, many of us who had major work done in our teens/twenties are now having other dental problems.

 

[tvguy]

Well, the average lifetime is anywhere from 5 to 15 years.

I have some that I got over 40 years ago. The two I had that failed were over 30 years old. One was gold, and one was white.

Back then life expectancy was only around 70 years. Now it's longer. So, many of us who had major work done in our teens/twenties are now having other dental problems.

I know an issue I had when my nearly 89 year old mom had a stroke and couldn't communicate and was in a nursing home was the caregivers insisting she take her dentures out. She didn't have dentures, those were her natural teeth.