Who Needs Teeth Anyway?

Say that again, and I'll bite ya...

The nitrous is worth it!

Bi- Problem is, that a lot of dental issues can be handled rather inexpensively, if dealt with at the first sign of trouble. People who choose to wait until there is a major problem, have nobody to gripe to but themselves.

Have you checked with a local dental college? In some places you can have the work done inexpensively by a student, with a professor overseeing everything.

Ouch. You shouldn't blame yourselves for not going to the dentist soon enough. A root canal is not your fault.

Do you have any teaching hospitals near? If you don't mind the long waits and their totally screwy appointment system, you can have the work done for the cost of the nitrous.

thank you princess obvious...I said that first sentence.. I'm only saying that whether the work got put off a long time or not....that is an outrageous amount of money to spend...for anyone...it is overcharging to the nth. degree..I had a front tooth root canal and crown done about 6 years ago for 600.00. 600 to 2100.00 in a few years is a bit excessive wouldn't you say?

We're just having them pulled and two extractions will be over 500.00.

As far as a dental college goes, I am a full cadaver donor, and they can do what they want after I'm gone, but I don't want to be whatever 101 while my pain receptors are still operable....

How come you haven't signed up for dental? It's dirt cheap, at least compared to health ins. I'm sure you could add it on, wait a couple months, then go get the work done, covered.

You don't want summer teeth.

My sister had the same problem and was able to go to a place where they were teaching dental assistants. The dentists were fully trained and had their own practices as well. That's why the appointment times were so screwy.

Yes, the costs have gone up dramatically and it is a shame that those dentists need to get new sails for their boats.

My dentist retired at 50 to sail for a couple of years... from here to San Diego to the Panama Canal, etc. Forgive me, but I gloated a little to find out that not only did he get seasick but he wasn't a very good sailor & crashed the boat.

Unfortunately BPB, your teeth may be worth your weight in Gold. Good longevity calculators all ask about your dental health. Apparently, bad teeth are toxic to the body and could shorten your lifespan by as much as a decade. I urge you to look into the ramifications of ignoring the problem before further doing so.

I think dentists are one of the richest medical professions of all. They are expensive even when you have dental insurance...in comparison, it's much cheaper to get a face lift or plastic surgery. According to my dentist, crowns aren't absolutely needed, there are cheaper solutions to cap off the tooth...but they don't tell you that.
Get a consultation with another dentist (it's usually free except for Xrays) or find one at a dental college as everyone has mentioned. No matter how you look at it, its going to cost you money.

Good idea!



What are summer teeth? Tanned?

I wonder whether dental insurance has a pre-existing condition clause. If so, it won't work.

Summer teeth: sum'mer white, sum'mer crooked, sum'mer yellow, sum'mer missing....

OIC... that's funny! Wicked, but funny.




(sorry BPB)

Phoenix, aside from what others have said, not so sure about the "rather inexpensively" at the first sign of trouble. Prices are ridiculously high, across the board.

I used to have my teeth cleaned at a local teaching hospital -- yeow. Took forever and HURT. (Hasn't hurt at all in subsequent visits, with pros.) Certainly was cheap, though. :-?

because of my oldest son's chronic health problems and because we are a one man group, in NC we could only get state mandated health coverage. Twice as expensive, less benefits, including dental rider, available. Even after my son aged off the policy, they are not required to ever change my status so I remain on state mandated insurance which means I cannot go to another company without being rated by them because I am on state mandated insurance.

So the wheel turns on.

It has always been my personal opinion that people who make the policy decisions for insurance belong in the ninth circle of hell along with tax collectors, nightclub owners and politicians.

And because God answers prayers I will probably end up chained to one of them for eternity. At least I'll get a few licks in.

Soz- I hear ya, but everything is relative. A minor problem, like filling a cavity BEFORE the nerve dies, and you need root canal, is much, much cheaper than major dental work!

$30,000, Bear?!?!?! Good Lord, can you still chew?!

Wouldn't it be cheaper to have them all pulled and get dentures?

I'm fine, but my back teeth are mostly gone. that comes from my poor musician days back in the 70's and 80's.

The teeth you see I keep up, so unless you're really in my mouth you can't tell anything is wrong.

I see many opportunities for a vulgar and sophomoric dialog between us here, so I think I'll shut up now Eva. :wink:

BPB
BPB, I know this sounds a little crazy but have you considered trying to barter with your dentist for the treatments?

Perhaps you could trade a gig or two for part or all of the expense. Maybe your dentist would like to throw a great private party, or even a charity party, with your music as the entertainment feature. I know it means your band members would be playing to help you out, but maybe you can pay them back in the same manner at a later date.

Its worth a try and all your dentist can say is No. Who knows, it might be yes and you have a win-win situation.

BBB