Goodbye Disney Fund, hello Dental bill :(

[Sugar Jones]

Oh my gosh this sucks Took the kids to the dentist today. My oldest had a great check up, but my younger two not so much


The estimate for the work they need done is $2100.00 total


I don't know whether to laugh or cry. We don't have a benefit plan so it's all out of pocket.

In all honesty how important is it to fill cavities in baby teeth? What is the point if they are going to fall out anyway? I should have asked, but I didn't I just set up the next 4 appointments.

 

[angierae]

Filling cavities is going to cost $2100? Or do they have other things they want to do? They don't want to pull them because it can make everything shift and screw up how the adult teeth come in. But if they want to do $2100 worth of work that sounds like sealants and all sorts of other things. Honestly, for that kind of $ I'd get a second opinion.

 

[PelletierBears]

I agree with getting a second opinion unless you've been with your dentist for a long time and trust him/her.

How many cavities are there between the 2 kids and how old are they?
If the cavities aren't bad and the kids are within a year of losing them maybe you can skip a filling or two. Have the kids rinse each day with flouride - my hygenist recommended this to me when I was uninsured several yrs ago and needed to put off my own dental work. It helps protect the tooth or so she said...

Also does your dentist know you're uninsured? Maybe he/she will give you a break on the cost?

We all tend to just do what doctors / dentists say without questioning but when it comes to something like this (filling a tooth that's gonna fall out) I would definitely research if it's truly necessary.

Good luck!

 

[miztressuz]

Oh my gosh this sucks Took the kids to the dentist today. My oldest had a great check up, but my younger two not so much


The estimate for the work they need done is $2100.00 total


I don't know whether to laugh or cry. We don't have a benefit plan so it's all out of pocket.

In all honesty how important is it to fill cavities in baby teeth? What is the point if they are going to fall out anyway? I should have asked, but I didn't I just set up the next 4 appointments.

well depends on how close to falling out they are and where the permanent teeth are. I believe the decay can spread to the permanent teeth below.

for 2100 i would totally ask and tell them point blank, money is a concern so what is the minimum that needs to be done to protect the permanent teeth.

i'm not saying this to get the Disney fund back but you don't want to be taken for a ride either. sometimes they include optional stuff that does help but is not totally necessary.

it's been years since i had a cavity done but i recall it being about 100-200 bucks a tooth. max. so that's a lot of teeth for 2100. are they gassing the kids? root canal's? i know kids procedures can be a little different but that still seems high for just run of the mill cavities.

 

[ceemys]

I agree with others. Get an itemized quote and ask what exactly they are doing. $2100 is crazy expensive for baby teeth.

 

[mommy2mygirls]

I think you should consider a second opinion as well. I just had a very similar experience. We do have dental coverage, but the cost out of pocket still would have been pretty high for us. The original dentist wanted to fill 3 of my daughter's teeth and put in 3 sealants in other teeth. She wanted to sedate her to do it. That would have cost us about $600 out of pocket. I was going to do it. Then we found out my son had 3 tiny cavities and she wanted me to take him to Children's Hospital to fill them and put sealants in all of his other molars under general anesthesia. I didn't even ask what that would cost us - thousands, I'm sure.

I got a second opinion and I totally agreed with the new dentist. She was so much better with the kids than the first. She was able to lightly drill out my son's tiny cavities and fill them with sealants to last a year or two until he's older and comfortable with real fillings. My daughter she is just watching since her cavities are in her front teeth (poor thing has a really crowded mouth and doesn't floss well - bad mommy!) and those are going to fall out in a year or so anyway. I had to pay for the sealants for my son out of pocket, but my total was only $153 as opposed to who knows how much GA would have been. Definitely get a second opinion. I think a lot of dentists, especially pediatric dentists, are over cautious about things and while I appreciate it, I can't afford it!

 

[ceecee]

I agree with others. Get an itemized quote and ask what exactly they are doing. $2100 is crazy expensive for baby teeth.

I totally agree with this. Is that including sedation maybe?

 

[momxx5]

Def talk to the dentist in person or a min. office manager. Explain that you do not carry dental insurance.

If they want to keep you as a customer they may be willing to work with you.

Right now I am debating a root canal ($600 out of pocket w/ins.) which may or may not work OR extraction (suppose to cost less)????
Decisions, decisions.

Good luck

 

[dmoore718]

I agree with getting a second opinion. I have a few friends who had a dentist tell them something similiar, only to find out the children didn't need as much work from another dentist. Not to mention that sedation can be scary too.

 

[wishesuponastar]

OP - Can you look into Care Credit? We used that to pay for dental bills. I think you have a year to pay off with no interest.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Been there, done that:

Goodbye 2011 vacation fund, hello braces
Goodbye 40th birthday surprise, hello knee surgery

Stinks! Do get another opinion on $2,100 worth of work to baby teeth though

 

[Sugar Jones]

This is the second opinion and it's the same as the first opinion

My 4year old has 4 cavities, but they are between her teeth, so they affect 8 teeth. This is her itemized billing:

2 fillings at $100 each
2 fillings at $150 each
4 fillings at $200 each

Inhalation cost: $202.00

My 7 yr old has two cavities that affect 4 teeth.

4 fillings @150.00 each
2 inhalations @ 77.00 each


These prices are already discounted due to the fact that we don't have insurance.

I also wanted to add that our previous dentist was "watching" these cavities and said they would need to be done soon. The new dentist today (I loved her) said he should have put sealants on them to prevent them from getting worse, and maybe they could have lasted until they fell out on their own, but the cavities are too deep and are risk for abscessing

They were very nice and told me the pro's and con's of having it done. Neither of the kids are near losing their molars. My 7 year old hasn't even lost his first too yet

They will take payments and they also told me about a program with our local health unit that may cover the cost of some of the procedures, so I'm going to call them first thing in the morning.

I admit I am being a bit dramatic about the Disney fund thing, we will still be going next year, I'm just going to have to do some major shuffling of funds to get this paid.

 

[newdeal]

just because the second dentist may be less doesn't mean the first is ripping you off. the second could be missing things that may be a problem later. as for filling baby teeth unless the cavities are small and the tooth is within a year of falling out it is extremely important. without knowing details of what is recommended noone can comment. that said if they are just fillings and not crowns, pulpotomies or something like that often you can save money by requesting silver fillings instead of white ones. many dentists so white by default but silver are just as good and much cheaper. I am a dentist if you have any questions PM me

 

[newdeal]

just read your reply. sealants so nothing for cavities that start between the teeth as a sealant only protects the grooves in the biting surface of the tooth. flossing at home would have prevented them and nothing else

 

[Sugar Jones]

just because the second dentist may be less doesn't mean the first is ripping you off. the second could be missing things that may be a problem later. as for filling baby teeth unless the cavities are small and the tooth is within a year of falling out it is extremely important. without knowing details of what is recommended noone can comment. that said if they are just fillings and not crowns, pulpotomies or something like that often you can save money by requesting silver fillings instead of white ones. many dentists so white by default but silver are just as good and much cheaper. I am a dentist if you have any questions PM me

The first dentist doesn't like working on kids so he referred us to a pediatric dentist. He was great, but his prices were just too expensive for us. The new Dr. is great. She said the same thing as the pediatric dentist, but she's a little bit cheaper?? Maybe because she's not specialized??? Not sure why. The kids loved her and her whole staff. I am getting them done I just hate not having benefits!!!

 

[Sugar Jones]

just read your reply. sealants so nothing for cavities that start between the teeth as a sealant only protects the grooves in the biting surface of the tooth. flossing at home would have prevented them and nothing else

Maybe I misunderstood her and some of them are not between the teeth? I do know that my dd's are between the teeth for sure because they are on her front two teeth, and bottom two teeth. You can see them


And your right. I will never underestimate the power of flossing ever again!


My kids did not get their teeth until they were over 14months old. I've always heard the later they come in the healthier the teeth are. Guess that's a myth lol!

 

[nchulka]

See if there are any dental schools in your area. They will be much cheaper!

 

[Trishtack]

When our daughter was three she had 11 of her teeth affected. It was due to poor genetics, apple juice (only juice she would drink) and evidently my brushing technique.

Our pediatric dentist had to extract one, place in a spacer there, and fill the remaining cavities. She did not have inhalations (I would not recommend them with smaller children). She drank "happy juice" and had 4 appointments to have the fillings. She had a sealant and then we painted her teeth each night with a paste.

The work was done with no pain. Our DD actually LOVED going to the dentist.

Our dentist explained that the decay could affect the permanent teeth, cause infections, potential abscesses and of course result in significant pain.

We had insurance and once that was maxed out we paid an additional $4000 for the work. We were dazed when we found out. However, after the explanation of why it needed to be done we understood. We thought about the cost but we received an itemized estimate and compared costs with three additional offices and reviewed with the dental insurance company for reasonable and customary charges.

DD has had perfect visit since. We relocated and her new dentist was complimentary of the work. Unfortunately she has such a small palette that she is getting a "stretcher" this year. The rough estimate is $1k. Then braces as soon as all the permanent are in. Sigh!

I sincerely hope your two little ones do well with the work and the tooth fairy delivers a nice lottery win under your pillow.

 

[stitchlovestink]

OP - Can you look into Care Credit? We used that to pay for dental bills. I think you have a year to pay off with no interest.

it's six months interest free and Be Very Careful! If you do not have it paid off at the end of the six months, they tack all of the interest onto your remaining balance so you really haven't saved anything and their current interest rate is something like 26.99%.

 

[GinefirW]

See if there are any dental schools in your area. They will be much cheaper!

My SIL is in dental school and begs me to take the kids to her there. My other SIL takes her kids and she says they do excellent, supervised work. And cheap.

Jennifer