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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ OT: any dentists on the board?
Posted by: SirAndy Jan 5 2005, 03:25 PM
do we have any dentists on the board?
i just got back from mine and the estimate for removing one old amalgan (sp?) filling, cleaning the tooth up and close it again plus one bridge (using that tooth) spanning one missing tooth is:
$3000
my insurance was so kind to pick up $400 of the total, that leaves me with $2600 to get it all fixed.
does that sound about right or am i getting drilled (aehm, i mean screwed) ???
Andy
Posted by: Bleyseng Jan 5 2005, 03:27 PM
Dave Hunt
Posted by: dheinz Jan 5 2005, 04:13 PM
Check the Pelican 911 BBS. I know of at least two on there.
Posted by: Porsche Rescue Jan 5 2005, 04:18 PM
Based on my experience (as a patient) the big bucks are in the bridge. And if your insurance is like mine, they pay little or nothing for that.
Posted by: rick 918-S Jan 5 2005, 04:37 PM
City of Gold... Can't live and practice Dentistry there if you don't charge for it. Sux though.. I'm faced with having to replace several more of my teeth some day. I think my 6 lower front teeth ran about $ 3000.00 but that's Minnesota prices. Color match is perfect! Mine are bonded in. Don't let them talk you into those things that come out every night! I paid for a temperary partial out of pocket until the perminent ones were ready. I'm having a panic attack right now just thinking about that nightmare! I've got to go lay down now.... 
Posted by: Lou W Jan 5 2005, 04:43 PM
I just talked to my wife, she use to be a Registered Dental Assistant, she said that you are getting a three unit bridge, that is two Crowns and one Contic, that runs about $1,000.00 a piece. Sooo, that sounds about right. 
Posted by: skline Jan 5 2005, 04:45 PM
Yeah, Dave Hunt is a dentist. There is one down here in So cal that is really cheap and does fantastic work. Joe Buckle uses him and all of his wifes family. People come from all over the place to go to him. Check with Dave. Insurance is more of a legalized extorsion for anything related to dentistry. They dont pay diddly.
Posted by: Lou W Jan 5 2005, 04:46 PM
| QUOTE |
| Porsche Rescue Posted on Jan 5 2005, 02:18 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Based on my experience (as a patient) the big bucks are in the bridge. And if your insurance is like mine, they pay little or nothing for that. |
Oh yah, she stated that its done more for cosmetics, not required like a filling, or root canal. 
Posted by: SirAndy Jan 5 2005, 04:48 PM
| QUOTE (Lou W @ Jan 5 2005, 02:43 PM) |
| she said that you are getting a three unit bridge, that is two Crowns and one Contic, that runs about $1,000.00 a piece. Sooo, that sounds about right. |
oh my ...
i need 3 more of those bridges!!!
by the times this is all done, my mouth is worth more than my car!
Andy
Posted by: 736conver Jan 5 2005, 04:48 PM
Is the bridge really needed. About five years ago I had a tooth rebuilt, about half of it was gone. He said it needed a bridge but I never got it put in.
Still going strong.
Posted by: SirAndy Jan 5 2005, 04:51 PM
| QUOTE (736conver @ Jan 5 2005, 02:48 PM) |
| Is the bridge really needed. About five years ago I had a tooth rebuilt, about half of it was gone. He said it needed a bridge but I never got it put in. Still going strong. |
i have 6 missing, so, yes, 4 bridges total. plus 2 crownes on my front teeth (already done) ...
anyone know a bank i can rob?
Andy
Posted by: Headrage Jan 5 2005, 04:57 PM
Chew on a piece of aluminum foil then look at the estimate again. Won't look so bad. 
Posted by: Lou W Jan 5 2005, 04:57 PM
Well now that the value of 914's have gone up, I'm sure you could either sell it for more than you paid, or use it to get a loan. 
Or check with Dr. Evil, he may have some contacts in Mexico.
Posted by: Cloudbuster Jan 5 2005, 05:10 PM
What about an implant?
A friend chose an implant over a bridge. I think it came out to the same $$$ or less. His thinking was that is was much better to leave the neighboring teeth intact instead of having them mangled to support a bridge. The process took a year, but he's happy with it.
Posted by: DNHunt Jan 5 2005, 05:24 PM
Andy
Ask about the alternatives. Implants were mentioned above and they work well in the right situation. A partial denture may work for you. It's not as neat as bridges or implants but if it will work they can be a real good buy.
The fees quoted are higher than mine for what you describe but, they could be in line with the fees in your area.
Make sure you understand the need to replace the teeth. In an ideal world we would replace all missing teeth but that isn't the way the real world works. Maybe you can get along without the bridge.
Dave
Posted by: andys Jan 5 2005, 06:10 PM
I'd ask your insurance company what is necessary to justify payment to install an implant. It just could be they'd pay more towards it as opposed to the bridge. Compromising adjacent healthy teeth to install a bridge is starting to become less favorable, especially since implants are becomming more common, better understood, and the techniques have evolved. Wouldn't hurt to ask, and maybe your dentist could help push it through.
Not a Dentist; my Dentist business partner in our dental products business has been placing implants for quite a few years. We manufacture and specialize in implant maintenance products, among other things.
Andy
Posted by: SirAndy Jan 5 2005, 06:42 PM
| QUOTE (andys @ Jan 5 2005, 04:10 PM) |
| Wouldn't hurt to ask, and maybe your dentist could help push it through. |
i talked to him in length. he favors implants but they're slightly more expensive and most of all take much more time.
i have 6 teeth missing and i could have implants for all of them, luckily, i have very strong bones and there's enough left for implanting, but time & money are really an issue right now.
as for my insurance, because only 1 out of the 6 missing teeth was extracted while i was with my insurance company, they consider all others "pre-existing conditions", which is their nice word for "we won't pay for it!" ...
so, whatever i do, it'll always pretty much come out of my pocket ...
getting 6 implants will take me well over 1 year, 4 bridges can be done in a month ...
gawd, i hate this crap!
Andy
Posted by: ! Jan 5 2005, 06:44 PM
Brush up on yer Spanish, bring cash and plan a trip to Mexico.....that's where we took Granny.
We got wrecked and oggled babes while she got drilled....
Posted by: Porsche Rescue Jan 5 2005, 07:03 PM
If the price is close, go for the implants. Dentist will make a temporary (mostly for cosmetics) denture (not correct term) to use while waiting for the implants to "implant". That takes about 6 months. Then they can attach the new teeth. Insurance will pay little or nothing for implants, although they might pay the cost of a denture toward the new ones. You will still have the "pre-existing" issue however.
Posted by: SirAndy Jan 5 2005, 07:10 PM
| QUOTE |
| If the price is close, go for the implants |
yeah, that seems the right thing to do ...
anyone know of a good way to flush mercury out of your body (besides cremation) ...
Andy
Posted by: ! Jan 5 2005, 07:12 PM
Saline or silicone implants?
Posted by: anthony Jan 5 2005, 07:26 PM
Andy, if you have the time you can save a lot of money by going to the dental school in San Francisco. I think it's the University of the Pacific dental school. My father had a lot of work done there and I think it probably cost him 1/3rd the price.
Posted by: d7n7master Jan 5 2005, 07:37 PM
Does this hit home!!! 
I changed dental insurance last month because my dentist's insurance adjustor told me in November that NONE of the crowns I need were covered by my insurance.
So I asked why. She said that my teeth were "worn" but "healthy" & DeltaDental doesn't cover "cosmetic" replacements. I said, you've got to be kidding me. This isn't Hollywierd! This isn't cosmetic!!! I'm sensitive to hot & cold - BIG time. My teeth are wearing down the effing enamel!!! If not corrected, soon I'll be looking at what is called "pulp" - the inner part of the tooth structure.
So I asked: "What do I need to do to qualify for my insurance coverage?"
She said, (no shit...) if you had a "damaged" tooth your insurance covers 80% of the procedure... BTW - they said I need 18 crowns @ 800 each. I said "thats bullshit". Are you telling me that last year I didn't - & NOW I need 18???
You MUST be mis-interpreting my dental coverage so I'll just take my business elsewhere. Effin' WANKERS!!! 
What a fucking joke!
I'm waiting for my new insurance package to come in the mail. Cards, books...
If I were to add up "my" portion of my monthly dental insurance & how much Boeing has paid into the plan over the last 10 years, DeltaDental has scored many thousands of dollars for DICK.
During that time I had the 6 month/ twice a year cleanings, 2 cavities filled & one crown that needed replacement. I paid $350.- for the crown replacement, the rest was 100% coverage.
Now they want $14,400.-??? That just set me off!!! I had to wait 'til Dec. to change coverage or I would have changed coverage that same day.
Look around, you can find better coverage than a big D up your A$$.
Posted by: Elliot Cannon Jan 5 2005, 07:48 PM
I had a similar bridge done about 5 years ago and it was $6000. My insurance paid 80% then and sent me a check for $4800. Now my insurance has a $3000 cap per person per year. I don't go to that dentist anymore. He was good but expensive and wouldn't take my Visa card so I couldn't even get the frequent flier miles with it. It's becoming increasingly hard to get good health and dental insurance nowadays. It sucks but what ya gonna do?
cheers, Elliot
Posted by: bernbomb914 Jan 5 2005, 07:59 PM
I have an appointment with my dentist in TJ tomorrow along with my wife.I have been going to him for about 5 years and his prices are about one forth that would have to pay. His son just joined his practice last year. He was a Loma Linda grad and it doesn't get much better than that. I have been very happy with him. most of his business is from the US
Bernie
Posted by: d7n7master Jan 5 2005, 08:05 PM
| QUOTE (bernbomb914 @ Jan 5 2005, 05:59 PM) |
| I have an appointment with my dentist in TJ tomorrow along with my wife.I have been going to him for about 5 years and his prices are about one forth that would have to pay. His son just joined his practice last year. He was a Loma Linda grad and it doesn't get much better than that. I have been very happy with him. most of his business is from the US Bernie |
Just curious. Are you going to Mexico because it's less expensive than paying the deductible on your dental insurance or because they take your insurance as a done deal, or???
Posted by: bernbomb914 Jan 5 2005, 08:08 PM
no insurance involved
Bernie
Posted by: MattR Jan 5 2005, 08:21 PM
What do you call a med school dropout?
...a dentist
Stay in school Dr Evil.
Posted by: DNHunt Jan 6 2005, 07:59 AM
Hey MattR 
5 year undergrad then 4 years of dental school with 25 credits per quarter. Hardest thing I've ever done.
Andy
I don't know the situation but things in the mouth involving missing teeth don't change that fast. Take enough time to make a good decision. If it was my mouth and there were no complicating factors (bone grafts, maxillary sinus lifts) I'd go with the implants. If I had to, I'd take them on 1 or 2 at a time. They take time and are a long process. We are getting results of studies that show that long term these are the most successful. Best chance of only paying for it once.
Bridges are tried and true. They've been standard treatment for a long time but they have their share of problems; 1. Distruction of healthy tooth structure on adjacent teeth, 2. Difficult to clean, 3. Prone to new decay where the bridge joins the tooth, 4. Subject the supporting teeth to extra stress, 5. Approx 5% of the supporting teeth suffer damage to the nerve and require root canals later, 6. The average bridge lasts 15 years so plan on replacing it later. Pay me now and pay me later.
If you can't swing all of this consider a partial denture. Not too sophisticated but great value. Your dentist will have to advise you on that cause they can be a pain in the wrong spots.
There is no perfect solution. No matter what you choose to do there will be a compromise between time, money and function.
Oh ya, Dental insurance sucks. Every wonder why insurance companies have big fancy buildings.
Dave
Posted by: Eric_Shea Jan 6 2005, 09:22 AM
Move to WV and forget about it... (toothless smiley to follow) 
Posted by: rhodyguy Jan 6 2005, 11:49 AM
what do you call 5 people having coffee in shelton (or town of your choise)?
a full set of teeth.
kevin
Posted by: Howard Jan 6 2005, 12:29 PM
Personal experience here. As explained to me (apologies to all the dentists here if I screw up) a bridge puts an additional load on surrounding teeth. Since I didn't have that, implants were advised. Have 3 installed and will need another 3 on other side, all upper molars.
I paid about $3300 per tooth. Procedure
extract old tooth (if there). let heal.
drill and tap jaw bone to accept threaded post. wait at least 6 months so bone accepts implant.
remove protective cap, install tooth.
Bad news: it's expensive and time consuming
Good news: it's perfect, and soooo Porsche 
Itty Bitty drills, taps, dies and the neatest little torque wrench to install. You just have to experience that little click when he tightens it. And my dentist knows what he's doing, having rebuilt a Carrera 1500 speedster's Hirth roller bearing crank. Same kind of technology, I think.
When done, my teeth will cost about the same as a good 914-6. Here's a pic with the protective caps still on. Gross, but you guys always want pix.
Attached image(s)
Posted by: andys Jan 6 2005, 12:35 PM
| QUOTE (bernbomb914 @ Jan 5 2005, 05:59 PM) |
| I have an appointment with my dentist in TJ tomorrow along with my wife.I have been going to him for about 5 years and his prices are about one forth that would have to pay. His son just joined his practice last year. He was a Loma Linda grad and it doesn't get much better than that. I have been very happy with him. most of his business is from the US Bernie |
The Mexico alternative can be viable when you know who you are dealing with, such as in your Dentist. Yes, Loma Linda grad says a lot; great dental school. There are quite a good number of US educated Dentists practicing in Mexico, a lot of which are in the boarder towns to service US patients. They pruchase a lot of their supplies from US distributors/manufacturers (like from my company). Implants, howerver, may be a different story. Not real popular Mexico, so the experience/knowlege base may be questionable. Personally, I've only met a hand full of Mexican Dentists that specialized in placing implants, and I seem to recall they were primarily in the DF and Aguas Calientes areas. Perhaps a quick check with the ICOI (Int'l Congress of Oral Implantologists), or The Academy of Osseointegration, might identify the more highly regarded implant Dentists that practice in one of the boarder towns in Mexico. FWIW. As an aside, my wife paid $40 for two fillings on one of her trips.
Quick story: Just prior to leaving on a trip to Guadalajara, I injured the joint in one of my toe's. Two days later, the jonit was swollen and real painful, so my sister-in-law took me to her sports medicine doctor at a neighborhood clinic. I asked my wife to interpret, rather than try to struggle with my poor Spanish. Doctor entered the room and asked "what can I help you with today?" Three x-rays, a prescription, and a second office visit, all for $60, I asked "where did you learn to speak English so well?". "I graduated from U of Oklahoma."
Andy
Posted by: MattR Jan 6 2005, 12:44 PM
| QUOTE (DNHunt @ Jan 6 2005, 05:59 AM) |
| Hey MattR 5 year undergrad then 4 years of dental school with 25 credits per quarter. Hardest thing I've ever done. |
Lol.
I guess that Seinfeld episode really rubbed off. "dont you talk to me you anti dentite son of a bitch"
Posted by: Dr Evil Jan 6 2005, 01:05 PM
Damn MattR,
I can't believe that you would tell that HIGHLY inacurate joke 
I'm sure it was all in good fun. I would have liked to have been an orthodontist or someone specializing in implants and dental work. That work has a lot of the appeal of orthopedic surgery.
Andy,
If I were you and in any hurry, I would come down here and check out Bernie's doctor. Good dentists tend to associate with other good dentists and he may have a good one to recomend if he can't/doesn't do the bridge work. I would be glad to assist you in your trip down and back, crossing the boarder, etc. Do you have your green card or are you gonna be shut out if you leave the country?
What do you call the person who graduates last in their class in med school....
Doctor
Posted by: SirAndy Jan 6 2005, 01:20 PM
| QUOTE (Dr Evil @ Jan 6 2005, 11:05 AM) |
| Do you have your green card or are you gonna be shut out if you leave the country? |
no worries, i'm free to leave the country.
i'm thinking about it. i settled for the bridge on the one location but i lean towards implants for the rest.
better start saving some $$$ ...
thanks for all the good advice guys, very much apprechiated!
Andy
Posted by: TimT Jan 6 2005, 01:40 PM
Try Costa Rica!!
Last year my mom,my aunt, and a friend of theres went to Costa Ricas for 2 weeks, and had lots of dental work done. My mom had one or two crowns fixed, overlays done etc. She said the dentists office was a modern and up to date as her US dentist. The price for all the work was about one third she of what she would have would have been charged here.
When she went to here US dentidst this year for her bi-annual cleaning, her dentist of many years approved of the work the Costarican dentist did.
So have a nice vacation in Costa Rica, and have your teeth done
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