What do you pay for dental visit?

[lougoofy]

reg. cleaning every three months by a dental hygienist (at dental school) $60 each time

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Are these oop expenses$$ in addition to dental insurance or are these oop expenses$$ w/out dental insurance. We have dental insurance through dh's job and we've never paid any out of pocket expenses for routine cleaning and xrays. The only time we've ever paid oop$ was for periodontal cleaning for dh & I and sealants for the kids(insurance covers 1 selant every 2 years, any more we pay oop). We've never paid any copays for our 2 kids who are 9 and 12 for regulr cleaning and a pretty nifty goody bag. They've been going twice a year for cleanings since they turned 2. I didn't realize that many people pay a lot of money for routine care.

 

[Avonlady1001]

Are these oop expenses$$ in addition to dental insurance or are these oop expenses$$ w/out dental insurance. We have dental insurance through dh's job and we've never paid any out of pocket expenses for routine cleaning and xrays. The only time we've ever paid oop$ was for periodontal cleaning for dh & I and sealants for the kids(insurance covers 1 selant every 2 years, any more we pay oop). We've never paid any copays for our 2 kids who are 9 and 12 for regulr cleaning and a pretty nifty goody bag. They've been going twice a year for cleanings since they turned 2. I didn't realize that many people pay a lot of money for routine care.

Speaking for myself, the prices I gave are out of pocket. DH is a mailman, so we have BlueCross BlueShield for federal employees, and like PP, they pay about $13 for a checkup...BUT only if you use their preferred dentists...NONE of which are pediatric, and none of which are any that I've heard of or want to use in my area...so the dentists that I choose are not covered. I do pay for a dental discount plan for myself & fam which saves hundreds on root canals & the like, but the pediatric dentists don't accept that either.

 

[Swimalie]

Speaking for myself, the prices I gave are out of pocket. DH is a mailman, so we have BlueCross BlueShield for federal employees, and like PP, they pay about $13 for a checkup...BUT only if you use their preferred dentists...NONE of which are pediatric, and none of which are any that I've heard of or want to use in my area...so the dentists that I choose are not covered. I do pay for a dental discount plan for myself & fam which saves hundreds on root canals & the like, but the pediatric dentists don't accept that either.

Hey, we have the same insurance. We decided not to do the supplemental yet only because the cost was about $700 a year and would only cover $1000 a year per person. In our family, my husband has only the cleanings out of pocket ($270 a year) me - some years I've paid $4000 out of pocket and other years just $270. And our son who is 5 and so far hasn't had any dental expenses other than the twice yearly cleanings. So we barely pay $700 out of pocket. But that's only in a good year. Once our son gets older (ie closer to braces age), we'll add it in.

All of my expenses listed are out of pocket. It's expensive!

 

[sookie]

I have dental insurance (through the Fed Govt, my husband's employer) and they pay a whopping $17 for a cleaning. Our cleanings are about $135 out of pocket. Yup... that's just for a cleaning. They pay $0 for root canals, about $10 a filling, and nothing for x-rays. Anyone want govt dental coverage?

Um, it all depends on what you pay for. I work for the federal government and I pay for additional coverage for dental. I am very happy with the company who provides my dental. They paid over 160 bucks each for myself and my husband last month, and we had zero out of pocket. Because we were in network, I think about 40-50 bucks off of each bill was negotiated down under contract and was not our responsibility.

IF you are depending on the limited coverage that may be provided with your medical coverage, that is probably the problem. For instance Federal BCBS does cover SOME dental, but it pays very very poorly. Therefore, it is usually like "pulling teeth" (tehe) to find a BCBS dental provider.

Carry the additional coverage and you should be fine.

 

[sookie]

I see a lot of feds on here!
I am happy with GEHA for dental. I carry a different medical coverage than BCBS for medical and it does not cover any dental except for emergent dental (for instance - if I was in an accident that knocked the teeth out of my head, it would cover!). Premiums, if I remember correctly, are about 50 bucks less per pay period than they are for the Fed BCBS high option.
I take that money and I got the GEHA dental plan.
It pays really well and I am happy with it.
Besides that - my oop with my medical plan is very low (15 dollar copays - and when I had to be admitted to the hospital for 8 days last year, they paid the entire 150K bill and I paid 100 bucks!!!).
I kind of think BCBS Federal - standard or high option - is a rip off, but everyone carries it because that is what everyone else carries. When open season comes look at the different plans. There are better options out there! And the dental plans, if you pick well, will pay well.

 

[Mom2apirate&princess]

We have United Concordia (through the military) and all cleanings, xrays, and fillings are free.

I should add that we pay $32 a month for our family of 4. We just found out that our ds will need braces and our insurance is covering 1500 of that. Not too bad I guess.

 

[sookie]

we are able to carry UC and i have friends who are happy with it. good luck.

 

[foltzy]

$125 for each child (We have 2) per visit, that's just for a cleaning and a flouride treatment. No dental insurance. We were just told that our 5 year old at her last appointment will probably need braces when she's older because her teeth are to close together. We are taking our 3 year old for his first check up soon.

 

[Lintasare]

I have BCBS for my dental and I pay something like $6 a month and I don't pay a cent out of pocket to my dentist. So far everything has been paid at 100% of the billed charges.

 

[brios86]

My dentist charged a total of $152 for my last visit for an exam and cleaning of which my insurance pays $120 and the rest is written off so I pay nothing.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Took my DS10 to the dentist yesterday for his routine cleaning/visit. I was shocked when they charged me $126 for a cleaning and the dentist to poke around in his mouth for less then 2 minutes. I think they've upped their price since we were there 6 months ago. Is this the going rate?

Ouch but $$ sounds about right, though 2 minutes does not IMHO!

 

[bumbershoot]

When do you all plan to switch from the pediatric dentist to a regular one for your kids? DD LOVES going to the dentist! She actually gets excited. I don't want that to change!!

DS can change when he wants, or when he turns 18. It's up to him. His ped dentist was the third we took him to (started when he was just 1 b/c of problems due to either genetics or facial trauma, or a mix of both), and he was SANE, unlike the second guy. The second guy must have had balloon payments on house, boat, and car coming up, b/c his plan of action was not only utterly horrific and nonsensical, but also insanely expensive. I mean, he started by diagnosing DS's problems *before having DS open his mouth*. We left there giggling. And found the sane dentist. He's actually been an associate in a local practice, while starting his own practice over an hour away...his own practice is taking off, so he's ending his associateship, and DS wants to follow him. Over an hour each way, for a dentist appointment? If it keeps DS happy and if the dentist doesn't lose his mind, absolutely!

I have dental insurance (through the Fed Govt, my husband's employer) and they pay a whopping $17 for a cleaning. Our cleanings are about $135 out of pocket. Yup... that's just for a cleaning. They pay $0 for root canals, about $10 a filling, and nothing for x-rays. Anyone want govt dental coverage?

interesting. I want my stepdad's dental coverage, which is much better than yours...and his was through the fed govt, and he lives in Vienna VA. So I don't yours, that's for sure! At that point, why on earth would you *have* dental insurance? I'd just take the premiums and what you pay OOP, put it into a savings account each month, and self fund!

We were just told that our 5 year old at her last appointment will probably need braces when she's older because her teeth are to close together. We are taking our 3 year old for his first check up soon.

The dentist does realize that her babyteeth will fall out, her jaw will continue to grow, and her adult teeth will be different, yes?

My mom fell for that line, by the way...turned out my dentist and the orthodontist I was sent to went to dental school together, were buddies. Can you say kickback? I went from basically straight teeth with no problems, but you never saw my teeth b/c I was shy and did a closed-mouth smile, to just a bit straighter teeth with a toothy smile because I was under pain of death (or paying her back) to show my teeth. My jaw grew between 9 and 20, but the braces had already been done by 20! Such a pointless waste of money those braces were.....

Same with my poor brother. He even had neck gear (I had a palate expander, oh the pain and crying every single time it had to be changed) to bring his jaw out or something like that. And now he's an adult, and has the exact same profile as our dad, who has a slightly recessive chin. So...can't say the neck gear did much of anything either! Ugh.

Anyway, despite DS's love for his dentist, if the dentist starts saying nonsense to me like that we'll start looking for someone new. Or just let him know that it won't be happening until he has his adult teeth and his adult jaw in his adult face (picture how much bigger Anthony Michael Hall's face and jaw is now, compared to Breakfast Club!).



Sorry for the rant. I know there are extreme cases where braces might be needed, and I know that teens are vain, but I just have a hard time seeing orthos who prey on preteens and even younger (5!) as being people who have balloon payments on something.

 

[foltzy]

We already told them that she won't get braces until her adult teeth are in.

When I was 5 they wanted to do a root canal on my baby teeth, mom asked why when they'd fall out anyway. She never did get an answer and we went to a different dentist.

 

[Swimalie]

interesting. I want my stepdad's dental coverage, which is much better than yours...and his was through the fed govt, and he lives in Vienna VA. So I don't yours, that's for sure! At that point, why on earth would you *have* dental insurance? I'd just take the premiums and what you pay OOP, put it into a savings account each month, and self fund!
.

The dental coverage is automatically included in the price of the medical so it's not costing us anything and it does pay something, albeit not much. Now the medical coverage for a lot of things is great. When I had my son and had to go in to the perinatologist because he wasn't growing right, they paid 100%.

 

[Alexander]

I am getting really tired of dentists who find unnecessary treatments just to up their fees!

DS used to go to a pediatric dentist. He had a tiny cavity in a tooth that she filled. 6 months later she claimed the filling was loose and would need to refill it. We went to another dentist who informed us that the entire tooth was loose and would be falling out soon (it was a baby tooth) which it did.

I went for a cleaning to my new dentist the other day and the hygenist kept poking me with that measuring thing (it hurt awful) and then claimed that my gums shouldn't be bleeding???? Seriously, you just jabbed me 5 or 6 times in the same place--I could see what she was doing in the mirror. She then claimed I would need scaling and antibiotics to a tune of over $900.

I am beginning to feel like going to the dentist is like buying a new car! You really need to add all of these options, extended warranty, rust proofing, interior protections!!

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

We have United Concordia (through the military) and all cleanings, xrays, and fillings are free.

I should add that we pay $32 a month for our family of 4. We just found out that our ds will need braces and our insurance is covering 1500 of that. Not too bad I guess.

We had United Concordia when DH was active duty as well and when he got out and went in the National Guard I was shocked that we would've had to pay almost $200 a month for coverage!! So we have Cigna through his employer and pay something like $15 a month. All cleanings, x-rays and flouride treatments are free (every 6 months), we only pay $5 for each office visit. All of our other dental needs like fillings have been reasonable copays as well. They even cover quite a bit for braces (thank goodness since I have 3 kids headed to the orthodontist this month).

My insurance will only cover a pediatric dentist up until age 7.