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Auggie

(31,163 posts)
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 11:59 AM Mar 2012

Anyone know the cost of "Composite Three Surface Anterior" dental work?

I need it on 12 teeth, and my dentist would charge me $305.00 a tooth -- a whopping $3660.00! This sounds excessive to me -- am I getting ripped off? Thanks.





18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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FSogol

(45,476 posts)
1. Check your area for a Dental College. They often will do work
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 12:03 PM
Mar 2012

for a lot less. It is done by dental students and overseen by their professors. Not for the timid of heart, but a good option.

Lint Head

(15,064 posts)
2. Dentistry has become a racket. Every time I go to the dentist they rarely find cavities but
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 12:05 PM
Mar 2012

they always find some tooth with an old filling they want to crown. My wife just had the same experience. Crowns, composites and other tooth coverings are totally unfairly priced. They make big profits from these types of procedures. I have on composite done by a dentist long ago but don't remember the cost.

 

LiberalEsto

(22,845 posts)
3. Amen!
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 12:35 PM
Mar 2012

Even with dental insurance, we can no longer afford the 50% cost of a crown because crowns cost so blasted much now.

The last time a dentist told me I needed a crown, I told him I couldn't afford it and would have it pulled.

He told me that having it pulled would cause the opposite tooth on my upper jaw to grow longer. What total B.S.

Needless to say, I got it pulled by another dentist and will never go back to the other one.

phylny

(8,379 posts)
9. Wow! I thought it was just me.
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 07:38 PM
Mar 2012

My current dentist is crown crazy. He tells me tales of woe about what can happen if I don't get a crown. I just had a crown done a few months ago, and he was pushing for me to do the one behind it. "There's a fissure, and it can crack!" It was "only" going to be $600 more to do the tooth. I said, "I simply can't spend $1300 on crowns right now."

I call our teeth his kids' college tuition pla.

lope

(1 post)
11. dentistry racket
Thu May 8, 2014, 11:21 PM
May 2014

dentistry is a racket, but its a good racket to be part of if you can afford it. $1000 per year is the figure i keep in my head. keeps my teeth clean and lets the dentist make their money with unnecessary work. if you cant afford it-brush,floss, anti-septic rinse and wait for pain.

marybourg

(12,620 posts)
4. The price, unfortunately, sounds
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 12:53 PM
Mar 2012

within range , but with work this extensive proposed, a second opinion is definitely in order. Maybe even a third.

MineralMan

(146,286 posts)
5. Get another opinion on this.
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 01:19 PM
Mar 2012

Dentists are trying to earn money. The real question is whether you need that work or whether the dentist needs the income. Pertinent questions include:

What will be the consequences of not getting this work done in both the short and long term?
What conditions exist that cause you to recommend that I have this work done?
Are you suggesting this work primarily for cosmetic reasons?

Listen to the explanations carefully, then think about them for a while.

hedgehog

(36,286 posts)
6. Another way to look at this - what are the labor hours and
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 01:44 PM
Mar 2012

material costs involved? Generally you're paying for two people in the room plus the cost of the equipment plus the rental on the office etc. What would you pay to have two mechanics working on your car for that time? What would you be paying for having two electricians in your house?

TexasTowelie

(112,125 posts)
8. The cost seems a little high to me, but it may be due to your location.
Wed Mar 7, 2012, 07:27 PM
Mar 2012

I don't know your age, sex or how regularly you are getting your checkups, but if you are beginning to get cavities at a young age, I would consider getting molars extracted and start saving money for getting dentures ($1,000 to $1,500 for either the top or bottom plates), or implants ($3,000 per tooth). Please note that when teeth are extracted the other teeth can shift and the teeth adjacent to those extracted are more susceptible for cavities.

Other factors that you may want to consider are whether your enamel is thin, vitamin D deficiencies, and whether you think that you might get osteoporosis or diabetes. All of these factors weigh into your dental health. If your bone structures are weak and you are thinking about implants then be aware that they will use bones from cadavers to build up the jaw bones (which might be a concern based on your religious beliefs).

I'm 46 now and I'm speaking from experience in this area since I had composites and crowns in my twenties/thirties and they normally last about 15 years or so. I've lost a great deal of dental work within the past 2-3 years (I'm a diabetic). In 2011, I had an upper partial denture made for about $1,100 and a crown also which was nearly $2,000. All of that work is useless and I'm going to the oral surgeon today because the remaining five teeth up top will need to be pulled and I'll be getting a full upper denture. On the lower side, one the crowns on the molars came out and my two front teeth have broken off near the gum line so I expect that incisions will be necessary to remove all that work.

Good luck with your dental issues and I hope that the advice I offered is of help. I've probably paid out nearly $40,000 or so since I've been adult and I know that it can be extremely expensive. The positive things were that most of my dentists were pretty good and the dental clinic that I used while living in Austin continuously won awards for having the best looking hygienists.

CrawlingChaos

(1,893 posts)
10. That amount of work merits a second opinion
Thu Mar 8, 2012, 07:54 AM
Mar 2012

I had a dentist tell me I urgently needed $10K worth of work due to "extensive decay". About halfway through I got suspicious and visited another dentist for a second opinion. Turns out there was NO decay and my teeth were fine! When my new dentist requested my dental records and x-rays, lo and behold, the old dentist had "lost" them.

Fortunately the new dentist I selected was a member of our local dental review board and opened an investigation of wrong-doing, which got me some of my money back. The bad news was the work the old dentist did was done improperly and I had to spend my refund and much more getting it all corrected. Not to mention I'm stuck for life with a bunch of crowns instead of whole teeth.

Just shows you what can happen. I'd check Yelp or Angie's List for a dentist with a top notch reputation and see what they have to say. Good luck!

MineralMan

(146,286 posts)
14. I do not know. I also don't know if the work is needed.
Fri May 9, 2014, 10:57 AM
May 2014

I am not a dentist. If I were, I still wouldn't have examined you. Get a second opinion.

Auggie

(31,163 posts)
15. No one is asking you if the work is needed. And you wait 2 years to post the question?
Fri May 9, 2014, 11:09 AM
May 2014

That's fucked-up

MineralMan

(146,286 posts)
16. Someone else posting in the thread, and I posted
Fri May 9, 2014, 11:13 AM
May 2014

in it again. If you look upthread, you'll see that I recommended a second opinion when the thread first appeared, too.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
17. Consider a trip to Mexico.
Fri May 9, 2014, 11:57 AM
May 2014

The dental care here is outstanding and the prices generally ⅓ to ¼ of what is charged in the US.

There are even towns that cater completely to US visitors who come for dental work. Some provide housing, transportation and anything else you might need while having the work done.

I have never talked to an individual that was dissatisfied in any way with the work they had done here, though I'm sure there are some who were not completely satisfied.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
18. Oops! Didn't realize that this was a 2 year old thread that got kicked. Well,
Fri May 9, 2014, 11:59 AM
May 2014

consider at trip to Mexico anyway!

It's wonderful.

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