Those expensive dental bills
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40193)
Canada
October 26, 2011 10:53am CST
I have had a tooth bothering me for a while. It got chipped at the wrong time right after my husband died and at the wake. Trouble was that the medical insurance sent me the wrong card instead, so could not get it fixed -it was an accident. And my medical insurance did not include dental expenses. Yes I looked and found for around $90 or so a month, I would not be able to get a cap or a dental implant until I had had dental insurance for three years. So in essence it was sort of a layaway plan for dental expenses and after three years, I would have saved enough for the cap or whatever.
We did have dental insurance included in our plan when my husband worked but he retired early. So here Iam having to save for a crown for my tooth.
And wonder why this is? When one retires, does one have to get all their teeth puled out? Do one's teeth suddenly fall off so they have to get false teeth? Do we have such perfect teeth that suddenly at the age of retirement, the cavities suddenly disappear and nothing happens?
Maybe they consider teeth a luxury. By the way, fluoride did not come along until I will well in my teens. So my teeth did not get hard enough to resist cavities.
3 people like this
12 responses
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
26 Oct 11
I desperately need dental work done but as Medicare did not cover dental work I got insurance for $34.00 a month but that only covered the basics and I still cost Over $200.00 to get one tooth pulled and had to wait at least a year to get partials or dentures I just let it lapse. Then last June I came across Dentalplans.com I signed up and paid $104.00 up front on the Friday saw a great dentist on the Monday by the end of August I had 10 extractions, 4 fillings and a beautiful set of partials. I got all the procedures for 1/2 price and found a program called Carecredit.com, a healthcare finance program which pays the dental bill, and then I have 20 months to pay them without Interest, no APR.
Now I could kick myself for needless suffering and doing without dental care. My new smile has done wonders for my well being.
3 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
27 Oct 11
That is a shame. I did keep all my own front teeth that is why I got a partial. I have until 1013 to pay off the Care Credit before the interest kicks in.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Oct 11
I have no back teeth to hold my partial on. And if I did have an extraction instead of saving that one tooth, the one next to it would get a cavity and it would go as well, then if I could not have the next one saved, it would have to be pulled and so on.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
27 Oct 11
I do not know if that is offered here in CAnada. The DentalPlans.com are not offered here. So that means that I am out of luck. We do have a plan similar to the Carecredit.com that is incense a credit card plan for dental work. ButI do think they charge interest. Anyway I want to keep as much teeth as I can and do not want to go the route of my parents who had what ever teeth they had removed to get dentures. I did check our insurance plans, they all have the three year limit on getting bridges, caps, crowns, and dental implants. I figured even with the low interest rates I have to save for the procedures. That also means that I cannot buy any clothes, and most of my budget would have to go for food, and utilities.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Oct 11
I wonder if that is because they did not expect us to live much past our sixtieth birthday or maybe they think that when we retired, we would all be famously wealthy or not buy anything except for food and heating so we would have all that money to spend on our teeth.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
17 Nov 11
The sad thing is is bad tooth can be much more than "just a toothache" or something that doesn't look nice, it can actually kill you and gum disease can cause other illnesses such as heart disease. Dental care shouldn't be considered a luxury by any means. I've had a full set of dentures, top and bottom, since I was 50 years old and after all the horrible abscesses I'd had through the years it's actually quite a relief to know I'll never have another toothache again! There isn't anything much worse than a toothache!
Annie
1 person likes this
@jezzmay (1845)
• United States
26 Oct 11
I know how your feel. I just got a infection in a tooth, and was in
bad pain. The insurance I have would not pay. I got pain pills from
my friend and infection pills too. I am alright now. I have been trying
to find a dental insurance too. I found a plan that will pay half of the
work I need up to a 1000, but I have to wait 6 months. That was the best
I could find, and it is 35. down and 17. a month.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
27 Oct 11
Here it depends on what you want. I have to have one that includes putting caps and crowns on the teeth as well as one that covers dental implants (if I can stand the pain and I cannot take Tylenol 3.) The only ones cost $90 a month and they do not cover the caps, crowns, or surgical dental work until the third year. If it were just getting a cavity filled, I would be find since now my teeth are hard enough. But when you get in your 60s, you need the dental implants and the caps and I do not want to get all my teeth removed. They need a big wrench to remove them as it is.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Oct 11
I have 18 and would have the same amount as you if it had not been for my husband's good dental plan that disappeared when he retired. I wish the dental plan had been continued after retirement because I do get depressed when I spent a good amount of my savings for getting one tooth fixed. And much of the money I got is in trust so that when I die my sons will get it. Just because my mother-in-law could not manage money.
@swetashah (345)
• United States
26 Oct 11
Living in the U.S. with health problem, or dental problem is not an easy way out. Unless you have some saving, along with an insurance from your work. Otherwise, you just couldn't afford any of them. For me, last time my expense on my root canal was over $600, which my insurance only cover half of it. Such an expensive experience for me though.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Oct 11
I got a good pension and survivor benefits from my husband but found with heating costs, insurance, cable, general living expenses, and other things, I can only save so much. This is a great expense and I have to save for the cap as quickly as possible.
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
26 Oct 11
Here in the US dental coverage does not cover much. It only covers a fraction of surgical procedures and limited to a portion of one cleaning per year. Most people opt not to have it as the premiums will pretty much supersede any type of coverage.
I did have one once and it only covered like 15% of a surgical procedure and no cosmetic, braces and or extractions. Only reason I had it as it was offered through one of my jobs. But once I figured out I was better off saving the money instead of paying the premium I gave it up.
Yes something like a personal plan that one gets would not cover much. In fact most would not even cover dentures, and if they do only a portion of the cost. Caps although very necessary to prevent further damage usually are not covered through most dental plans here. At the time I had my coverage I remember it was not covered at all and considered cosmetic. Oh my...
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Oct 11
That sounds like what it is up here. I checked all the dental plans and they do not cover caps until the third year and not 100 percent only about 50 percent of it. The company plans are much better, but if you want to get a single or a couple plan you are out of luck. I wonder how long it will take to save that $800 I need. Maybe Ishould not have bought those dvds.
@Rosa26 (2618)
• United States
26 Oct 11
You are right the dental bills are very expensive I went to the dentist one week ago and after a deep examination and like 13 x ray they dentist told me that all the work he needs to do will make the amount of 2400 dollars, Thanks God I have dentist insurance, and I will pay only 400 dollars of that amount.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Oct 11
Didn't have any after my husband retired. So I have to pay it all myself. I only had x-rays and a root canal for one tooth plus the filling and that cost a little over $600. I think they think our teeth are luxuries and they sort of forget that flouride was not available when we were young.
@GardenGerty (160663)
• United States
27 Oct 11
I have often thought that they assume that by the time a person is retirement age they will have had all teeth pulled and be wearing dentures. There is really no provision in the US for dental care for the retired either. On another site there was a discussion of dental plans and the conclusion was that they would be just as well off putting the same amount into a bank account as they would be spending on a policy and just pay for the care themself and cut out the middleman insurance company.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Oct 11
That is the same as it is in Canada. This is not the 1950s where when our parents had dentures. This is the 21st century and even then once flouride came in, those who had it since childhood still have most of their teeth. Trouble with putting money aside for dental expenses, there are other expenses that come up as well. So often when we need the work, we still do not have the money.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
26 Oct 11
well, i think that here in canada, some of it gets covered but if you dont have coverage, it can be quite expensive which is why i havent gone for years. i just finally went back to have some surgery done but i have already lost a number of teeth, we just couldnt afford for us to go.
2 people like this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
26 Oct 11
hi starting over lost response. I know what you mean costs here in S Southern California are super high and they do not take payments. my dental insurance is a laugh a whole 200 dollars on one crown have they looked at the actual charges lately . I have four front teeth that need crowns again. I do so wish there was someway I could get my teeth fixed.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
27 Oct 11
Our costs for crowns are very high, It is $900 up here. Dental insurance does not pay for crowns or extensive dental work until three years are up so if you do not have that many cavities, etc. it is easier to save up for them. Really the dental plans here are no better then layaway plans to get your teeth fixed. I also want to get dental implants for spaces that do not have teeth in them but they would cost about $1000 each. That is very expensive . And since I did not save any money for dental expenses because well, saving for getting the basement fixed,and getting a budge,t it is going to hard for a while.
@jazel_juan (15746)
• Philippines
13 Apr 12
i also have a bad tooth and well.. i was not able to have it fix till now as dental expenses here are pretty much very very expensive..and we do not have insurances taht cover dental stuff here.. sucks 
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
19 Feb 13
I was only able to get a temporary crown and that was two years ago.
1 person likes this
@TrvlArrngr (4045)
• United States
27 Oct 11
I feel for you! Dental work is very expensive - even with insurance. I just had a crown down and my share - after insurance - was 500 dollars!!!
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
29 Oct 11
They pay half. And when my husband retired, they cut off all dental insurance. He figured that it was a easier to go without, but when he got als,all of his registered retirement plan went to fixing up the house, so now I have to save for the cap and then there are the other teeth that will need to get fixed.
@Mashnn (4501)
•
26 Oct 11
Be wary of some dentist, I was charged $372 to remove my three teeth which were growing abnormally as the dentist said. I ended up feeling so much pain and until this day, my teeth are very sensitive when I eat hard food. Cavities don't disappear, something have to be done to fix the teeth.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
27 Oct 11
Here we have a set rate for extractions, caps, etc. and I do not think your dentist removed them properly and he did not do a root canal on the roots. It could be that your teeth have receded from the gums and the dentist did not remove the whole cavities.
