No dental insurance - what do you do?

[Denise W]

Another vote for sealants. My daughters are 28 and 23 and have never had a cavity because they had sealants applied when they were young. Once they were older and in braces they finally learned the importance of flossing and brushing.

Denise

 

[dismichelle]

OP, how much is are your dental premiums? Ours are $52/month, but for our family of 6 it's well worth it. Our gleanings and x-rays are free and fillings are covered at 80%. A few years ago, I started giving the kids some cash ($10-20) if they are cavity free at their checkup, it definitely worked for my oldest DD with high maintenance teeth. My oldest two are also in braces and ins. Is covering $1500 for each of them.

 

[tar heel]

Your children's cavities may have little to do with how they take care of their teeth. Some people are way more prone to them than others. Two of my sons are in their 20s and have never had a cavity. They did NOT take better care of their teeth than their little brother who had two fillings when he was 4. The dentist at the time said it has a lot of do with the mouth PH (I have no idea if that is a real term.)

I used to have good dental insurance, but my DH was cut to 30 hours a week three years ago and lost comprehensive benefits. My company does not offer it and the cost to buy it privately seemed prohibitive. Two weeks ago I broke a molar and I'm looking at $3,500-5,000 bill to fix it. I got a second opinion on the extraction, which unfortunately agrees with the first. I don't have much of a relationship with my current dentist (he bought my long-time dentist's practice when he retired) and am considering switching to one with the training my old one had. If I'm going to pay that much, it has to be done right.

If you do discount dental insurance, make sure to get a kind that your dentist takes. Some dentists take no insurance or only specific companies'.

 

[disney1990]

Your children's cavities may have little to do with how they take care of their teeth. Some people are way more prone to them than others. Two of my sons are in their 20s and have never had a cavity. They did NOT take better care of their teeth than their little brother who had two fillings when he was 4. The dentist at the time said it has a lot of do with the mouth PH (I have no idea if that is a real term.)

I used to have good dental insurance, but my DH was cut to 30 hours a week three years ago and lost comprehensive benefits. My company does not offer it and the cost to buy it privately seemed prohibitive. Two weeks ago I broke a molar and I'm looking at $3,500-5,000 bill to fix it. I got a second opinion on the extraction, which unfortunately agrees with the first. I don't have much of a relationship with my current dentist (he bought my long-time dentist's practice when he retired) and am considering switching to one with the training my old one had. If I'm going to pay that much, it has to be done right.

If you do discount dental insurance, make sure to get a kind that your dentist takes. Some dentists take no insurance or only specific companies'.

I absolutely agree. My sister took really bad care of her teeth and never had a single cavity. Sometimes it is just the luck of the draw. I am sorry.

 

[Marymom]

Being a military family and having encountered many a dentist, I will tell you to get a second opinion. In one duty station, a local pediatric dentist had a habit of requiring extensive work on children's mouths, that a second opinion did not back up. 8 fillings sounds like a lot. I have 4 children with terrible oral hygiene and never a cavity. It could happen, but I would double check.

Mary

 

[Plumeria9]

Does she have deep grooves?

I got in so much trouble as a child for cavities, until FINALLY we changed dentists and he figured it out. We did sealants on my back teeth and it was AMAZINGLY better!

Get this, 11DD did get sealants, and those somehow cracked and she had cavities underneath. So, we are done w/ sealants as they don't work for us. I am thinking about a second opinion. While I have no real reason to believe that this dental practice is into gouging parents/patients, it does seem odd. Esp. since we are doing almost everything we can (besides brushing her teeth ourselves).

 

[Plumeria9]

We do not have dental insurance. We get a discount that is greater than 10%. Maybe you need to shop around as right now dentist are not getting the business they are use to due to the economy.

Do your DDs use a mouthwash with fluoride? Listerine makes a child's mouthwash that shows where they did not brush well. Maybe this will help.

Flossing is more for the gums than for cavities.


Bolded - Do you work outside of the home? If not, then a job for you to pay these bills or to get dental insurance may be the way to go.

I really hate it when I hear women complaining about their DH's salary but do not work. This maybe the best job he can get or he might really like this job, and that does count for something that you have to do for 40+ hours each week.

The working outside the home bit is a whole different issue, I can't even go into that here. But I do know for a fact that he is being way underpaid for his experience and that is what frustrates me.

 

[Eeyore98]

Flossing is more for the gums than for cavities.

This is not precisely true. Despite good brushing habits, I am prone to get between-teeth cavities (requiring TWO fillings, one for each tooth) if I do not floss every day.

 

[bumbershoot]

I really hate it when I hear women complaining about their DH's salary but do not work.

Spouses who don't work outside the home are generally working on a plan with their working spouse and it works well for them. And we are allowed to complain about salaries, even if we're not bringing one in. Stop "hating" something like that. I'm not the OP, but if I went back to work and we had to find somewhere for DS (we homeschool and that would continue unless something absolutely unthinkable happened) during the day, we would pretty much be out MORE money than I could bring in. Wouldn't do us a bit of good, but give us less sleep since DS and I would still have to do school when I got home!

Your children's cavities may have little to do with how they take care of their teeth. Some people are way more prone to them than others.

So true!

FIL's babyteeth crumbled to nothing. Some of DH's babyteeth crumbled to nothing. Two of DS's babyteeth crumbled away. Hopefully it's out of the genetics for the next generation....

Being a military family and having encountered many a dentist, I will tell you to get a second opinion. In one duty station, a local pediatric dentist had a habit of requiring extensive work on children's mouths, that a second opinion did not back up.

I would doublecheck, too. During the process as we found someone sane to pull the two crumbling teeth, I met with one ped dentist. He had diagnosed DS with all sorts of specific problems...before even looking into his mouth. He looked at US and decided DS had too much sugar in his diet. Lovely. When he finally did look into his mouth, he noted every single "spot" he saw, and wanted to fill ALL of them.

His plan was to coordinate with medical insurance, get an anesthesiologist and nurse from the local hospital, and have DS under GENERAL in the dentist's office (not even the hospital). He said that he would *try* to fill the big cavity DS did have behind his two middle top teeth, but he probably wouldn't be able to do it and would likely pull those two. Then he'd pull the crumbling teeth, which were the teeth to the left and right of the top two middle teeth. So at 2 years old DS would have ended up with his four front top teeth missing. And then he was going to fill each and every "spot".

Oh, and parents aren't allowed in the rooms. At all. Ever (except for the first appointment which isn't done in the main room, so until the second visit the child has never been anywhere but one private room).


We laughed our way out of there, knowing how he had such a beautiful office with brand new toys.


A month or so later a local awesome ped dentist brought in an associate and started taking new patients again, and we got in. This dentist waited to diagnose until he had xrays and had looked at DS's mouth. He ended up filling the big cavity without even any lidocaine at all; DS sat on hubby's lap then leaned back putting his head on the dentist's lap, and that's how the dentist did the work, while DS was comforted by dad and watched Finding Nemo in the ceiling TV. Second visit with a tiny bit of lidocaine he pulled the two nasty teeth in approximately 5 seconds. He chose to WATCH the "spots", and never did fill them; they never became a problem.


Dentists can be VASTLY different from what they see as a problem. OP, since your dentist has already managed to put on sealant so it cracks, I honestly would wait, and go elsewhere.


In 2 days, DS and DH are going to see a new dentist (actually the very first dentist DS saw, but she's not a ped dentist and was too nervous to do the work on a bitty kid), and we're not telling her what DS and my current dentist has talked about. Just to see if she sees the same things... DH really feels like he's being taken by our current guy, even though he's been completely conservative and hand's off with me. It'll be interesting!


OH, and insurance. We pay over $50 per month for the 3 of us. With just 3, in the years without fillings (and, honestly, when DH barely has an appointment) we're losing money. But since the payment for fillings isn't ALL that great, and anything beyond that is 50%, it's just really questionable. Once DH has his work done, if he needs work done, we're looking into self-funding for insurance.

 

[aprilgail2]

That doesn't seem that bad for 8 fillings and no insurance.

That price isn't bad- my daughter is having 3 cavities done this month and it is costing me 700.00- and that is after my insurance pays some!

Thanks for all of your responses so far. So from what I've read, basically I'm just screwed for now!

We are already getting $1500 taken out for the year from my DH's salary for FSA. Since his salary isn't that much, to take out any more would really be painful. !

Does your job cover any dental if you work now? If not can you get a job to cover some of it?
As far as braces go I would eat mac and cheese for a year if I had to in order to cover the cost of my childs braces-bad teeth are more than just a turn off, they can cost you a chance at a good job etc- and I wouldn't want to have my child start off their adult life with that.

 

[matt and beth]

We have done sealants for our kids.

We have no insurance either and it hurts. We pay cash for big discounts.

Do not make the feeling work overly comfortable if she truly is not taking good care of her teeth. A little pain, such as all at once may be a little wake up call.

I think some dentists are really digging up work because their income is seriously down right now. Are these cavities for real and are they very minor right now? You can possibly spread these out over a year or two. My experience when they get all excited is ask point blank statements and true time table projections. Generally, I get the well, it is not that important right now answer.

 

[toobie75]

As far as braces...to me...those are a cosmetic thing and not a necessity.

That is not always true. If she has a cross bit, jaw alignment issues, impacted teeth, etc those have to be taken care of with braces. Not for cosmetic reasons but for health reasons. It's not always about making your teeth pretty and straight. Trust me, I could find 1000 things I'd rather pay for than the 5K I'll have to spend getting my daughter's mouth in a normal working condition.

To the OP, you really need to look into her diet and brushing habits. How long has it been since she was at the dentist last? I got the impression you take them every 6 months. That many cavities in 6 months is a LOT!! And it's not just sweet, gooey, sugary foods that will do it. Crackers and chips are even sometimes worse because not only do they start turning into sugar as soon as you eat them, they get stuck in the grooves of your molars and just sit there. Sugared gum and sports drinks are also a big culprit.

Right after she goes for her fillings is a good time to reiterate to her that she HAS to brush her teeth better. The discomfort of the shots and numbness in her face will be fresh enough to maybe snap her out of it. I would also either get her a 2-minute timer or an oral B electric toothbrush that has a timer on it. If that doesn't work then she would sit on my lap and I would brush them for her. I would do whatever I had to do to keep what healthy teeth she has left...healthy.

Oh, and it may not be that the sealants just don't work for you, a lot of times it's whether or not they would put on properly. Also, eating gooey sticky foods will pull them off or loosen then and eating ice or other hard things will crack them. Heck even the hygenist can knock them loose/off during a cleaning. My oldest had to have 2 replaced (no cost) because 2 were accidently removed during her last cleaning. And just imagine...if the has this many cavities with sealants...how many would she have without them. I would still give them another go but with a different dentist applying them.

Good luck OP!

 

[GAGirlInVA]

Get this, 11DD did get sealants, and those somehow cracked and she had cavities underneath. So, we are done w/ sealants as they don't work for us. I am thinking about a second opinion. While I have no real reason to believe that this dental practice is into gouging parents/patients, it does seem odd. Esp. since we are doing almost everything we can (besides brushing her teeth ourselves).

Time for a new dentist.

Our dentist (not my childhood dentist that I continued to see even after I got married, since we moved several states away) here guarantees ALL of his work for his entire career. And he is a pretty young dentist.

But he is very conservative, and doesn't line his pockets doing things that don't work or aren't neccessary.

For example, one dentist here wanted me to see her "oral surgery friend" to have ONE erupted wisdom tooth removed under iv sedation.

Our current dentist, did it in the office with some novocaine. I was all better 2 days later. (And I was PREGNANT!)

Also, I chipped a molar. A tiny but sharp chip. The other dentist wanted to file DOWN my tooth around it and insisted I needed xrays (while pregnant!) I saw my current dentist and he put a tiny filling in, and since his work is guaranteed, if it were to fall out, it'd be taken care of. No xrays neccessary.

 

[indimom]

Have you been going to the same dentist throughout all this (losing sealent, etc)? You said this was the girls' six months check up?? Did ALL these cavaties just show up in that time? (Maybe I missed a followup post, I only skimmed the responses.) But that seems CRAZY!

I would get a second opinion. It couldn't hurt.

It seems like your daughter is having an awful lot of issues for a child who is seeing the dentist regularly...

 

[Plumeria9]

Have you been going to the same dentist throughout all this (losing sealent, etc)? You said this was the girls' six months check up?? Did ALL these cavaties just show up in that time? (Maybe I missed a followup post, I only skimmed the responses.) But that seems CRAZY!

I would get a second opinion. It couldn't hurt.

It seems like your daughter is having an awful lot of issues for a child who is seeing the dentist regularly...

Yeah I agree. I'm looking into making an appt for a second opinion today. Can't hurt!

 

[nunzia]

Will the dentist allow you to make payments? Our dentist allows us to make payments on the balance we have left after insurance if we need to.
I would really look into the dental insurance the next time they have open enrollment. I know its not amazing, but it does help. We get free cleanings and xrays. It pays 50-80% of everything else, up to a certain dollar amount per person. Plus it pays $1500 life time per person towards ortho.

Ortho is not always just cosmetic, and sometimes it is necessary. For my DS I payed $400 down, then I am flexing $100 per month for 3 years (I pay $1200 in jan each year for 3 years). That covers our $4000. The insurance covers $1500. We ended up with no monthly payment, which was really important to me.

I think you should talk to your dentist for advice on cavity prevention. I have read that some sugarless gums help fight cavities between meals. There are fluoride treatments (also covered by insurance) the dentist can do. There are also special pastes available only through the dentist.

Good luck!

This..we ended up having three crowns done and it came to over $2,400 then cleaning and such..we finally paid it off the middle of last year. Our Dentist was very good about payments..not many people have a dental slush fund that large, so ask yours about a payment plan.

 

[englishteacha]

I didn't have any dental insurance until I was 24. I knew we didn't have dental insurance and I knew visiting the dentist was expensive, and I knew I had to take care of my teeth. I got my only cavity when I was 16. If you're pretty sure your DD's cavities are due to poor brushing, I'd tell her that any future cavities after these she's paying to have fixed (or at least in part). Perhaps she needs an incentive other than healthy teeth! I know for some kids, though, they're just prone to cavities, no matter how well they brush. That's a tough one to determine.

 

[ceecee]

Get a second opinion. Then ask your dentist for a rx for GelKam or Fluoride rinse that she can use daily (stronger than ACT). WATCH the diet, people think candy is the only thing to watch, but juice, pop, raisins, gum, your dentist probably has a printed list. Sealants are good, but just cover the occulsal surfaces and she probably already had decay there the way it sounds. Since she is using an electric brush and timer and watch her brush, get the little animal flosser things, they aren't the best way to floss, but DD loved using them and it helps them learn to use regular floss if she isn't already in the habit. If the decay is in between the teeth, flossing is needed. If she doesn't want to do a good job., do it for her!
If she is close to losing some of the teeth, maybe those could wait? I didn't notice if they were permanent teeth or not. Getting the decay while it's still a filling will be cheaper in the long run. Ortho can wait until all permanent teeth are in (instead of the phase I that at lot do) and in a lot of cases that works fine. DD was almost 12 when she had all of her teeth and she still got them off in 18 mos. So consult several orthodontists before starting an 8 year old (especially with bad brushing habits) in ortho.
A lot of buy it yourself dental insurance have waiting periods and high deductibles so watch that if you check into them. Ask if your dentist offers CareCredit (credit card for dental fees/vet/optical only) basically the dentist pays the interest and you get 12-24 months interest free payments.
As for dentists "making" things up because of the economy and not need? That could be said for mechanics, etc. I'm sure it happens, but you don't make that much doing fillings, they could have suggested ss crowns!

 

[Ginny Favers]

I agree a million percent about finding a new dentist. They are not all created equal and there are plenty out there with experience dealing with the uninsured.

I have the softest teeth in the world and was saved by sealant. At the time I was getting 10 cavities every visit. I've had sealant over 30 years and never get cavities anymore. I do not think that sealant should have cracked for you, which makes me wonder what they did.

 

[Arielle22]

I want to chime in on braces. Both my dds had them. The younger one had a top set when she was about 8 and then a full set as a teenager.

Both needed them for health reasons rather than comestic. Older dd's bottom jaw was not growing correctly due to the overbite. Younger dd's baby teeth would not fall out. One day she told me she had two sets of teeth. I looked and her adult teeth had come down behind her baby teeth on the top. Baby teeth were pulled but adult teeth were not lined up correctly and some were turned sideways.

Paying for both sets was painful ($200 per month for each) but the end result was worth it.