Dental problems, ugh

[mmm611]

I am very seriously considering getting dental insurance from DentalPlans.com now after all this....if not for the fact that my current job contract ends March 31 and I was really hoping whatever came after would include possible dental insurance. I was looking to wait until then to decide...it might not be such a good idea to keep waiting.

January 29 I chipped a tooth. I called the dentist the next day and they got me right now and fixed A tooth. I had trouble identifying which one without using a finger or my tongue. It really hurt to chew on that side later, so I called again the next day and got in again. This time, I'd figured out a way to tell for sure which tooth it was, the very twisted one. He fixed that and I still had pain while chewing on that side, but less than before. A week later, I called again. This time, he did X-rays on the left side of my mouth to figure out what he was dealing with and gave me a temporary filling. And then last Friday, my tooth started killing me, so Saturday I had my first root canal. Today, I may have managed to bite through that tooth at lunch. I'm going back Friday again.

I've been trying to look to see how much less it would be for the root canal, etc if I did get insurance. I know what my dentist charges....those prices are actually higher than what I pay now. This is where I'm a little confused. My dentist IS listed, but I don't understand how the pricing on that site works. And more importantly....would the mess I'm dealing with now be considered a preexisting condition they could decline to cover?

What kills me with all this is the problem tooth wasn't a problem until he fixed it the first time!

[dwkay8]

That is no fun. It always seems like when you have something go wrong in your mouth, it takes forever to fix.

Originally Posted by mmm611

I've been trying to look to see how much less it would be for the root canal, etc if I did get insurance. I know what my dentist charges....those prices are actually higher than what I pay now. This is where I'm a little confused. My dentist IS listed, but I don't understand how the pricing on that site works. And more importantly....would the mess I'm dealing with now be considered a preexisting condition they could decline to cover?

I'm far from an expert on insurance, but I would think that if you bought a policy, you would not get coverage for any continuing treatment for this tooth's issue. As far as pricing, your dentist may have varying levels of charges based on certain insurance companies, no insurance, etc. I rarely give a second glance to my dental statements any more, but it seemed like my dentist would always charge more than insurance would cover, but then they just write off the difference. I don't know...maybe someone else has a better clue than I do

[PSL1013]

Originally Posted by mmm611

I am very seriously considering getting dental insurance from DentalPlans.com now after all this....if not for the fact that my current job contract ends March 31 and I was really hoping whatever came after would include possible dental insurance. I was looking to wait until then to decide...it might not be such a good idea to keep waiting.

January 29 I chipped a tooth. I called the dentist the next day and they got me right now and fixed A tooth. I had trouble identifying which one without using a finger or my tongue. It really hurt to chew on that side later, so I called again the next day and got in again. This time, I'd figured out a way to tell for sure which tooth it was, the very twisted one. He fixed that and I still had pain while chewing on that side, but less than before. A week later, I called again. This time, he did X-rays on the left side of my mouth to figure out what he was dealing with and gave me a temporary filling. And then last Friday, my tooth started killing me, so Saturday I had my first root canal. Today, I may have managed to bite through that tooth at lunch. I'm going back Friday again.

I've been trying to look to see how much less it would be for the root canal, etc if I did get insurance. I know what my dentist charges....those prices are actually higher than what I pay now. This is where I'm a little confused. My dentist IS listed, but I don't understand how the pricing on that site works. And more importantly....would the mess I'm dealing with now be considered a preexisting condition they could decline to cover?

What kills me with all this is the problem tooth wasn't a problem until he fixed it the first time!

This sounds almost like the same tooth problem I have. About a year of so ago, my dentist tells me that one of my Amalgam fillings is old and needs to be replaced, it did NOT bother me at all. I've wanted to replace all these Amalgam fillings with composite and have been doing this right alone, only have a couple left to change. Any way, he gets the old one out and refills it. Every time I chewed food on that side it hurt....went back, he looked didn't see anything, said to give it a couple of weeks for the tooth to get used to it. Two weeks later, I go back, still could feel it on that side, he takes x-ray, nothing found. I told him, "Well it didn't hurt before you messed with it". LOL They did say that I had a small crack in the tooth and that must be what I was feeling and that it would go away eventually. Nope, a year later....I can still feel it but I guess I've gotten used to it. I suspect I will have to get a crown on it eventually.

My dentist participates in a program that lets you pay over time, sorry I don't have the company name but you might want to inquire about it.

[mmm611]

I guess I have a little more time to investigate this. I called today to figure out what the heck time my appt for Friday was at and was told I'm not scheduled again till March 6. I am really wishing I'd kept the Friday appt last weekend instead of making that new one! I guess biting into the tooth doesn't warrant a new appt?

I was reading a thread about dental issues on the DIS last night. Some folks were saying root canals and crowns costs some ridiculous amount. The weird thing....they told me I owe 400 for the root canal. I paid half last weekend and am using the time till the next appt to get money transferred into my HSA to pay the other half. My first trip there, they said they do not give cash discounts because their prices are already pretty low. My old dentist did give me a discount, but he also charged more. I also still refer to him as Satan!

It looks like the crowns are the expensive part. I haven't been told how much that will be, but that's the biggest reason to get insurance right now--if it can be covered at this point!