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This isn't by any means a knock on dentists. But, will dentistry ever become more affordable? It seems to almost be a luxury anymore. Sure, there are "benefits" but the maximums are often low and you reach quick due to the high costs. I see my dentist driving 100K cars, living in million dollar home, vacation home, etc. I guess they charge a lot because they can. Supply and demand.
Will it ever fall under medical insurance? Will costs ever go down? What is the answer?
This isn't by any means a knock on dentists. But, will dentistry ever become more affordable? It seems to almost be a luxury anymore. Sure, there are "benefits" but the maximums are often low and you reach quick due to the high costs. I see my dentist driving 100K cars, living in million dollar home, vacation home, etc. I guess they charge a lot because they can. Supply and demand.
Will it ever fall under medical insurance? Will costs ever go down? What is the answer?
NOTHING seems to be going down, only up. I would like to see a lot of things go down in cost but it's wishful thinking I suppose.
I'm taking more and more care of what goes in my mouth (sugars/carbs) to keep myself in better dental health. I use a new toothpaste which I believe is helping and a great supplement for gum health. I've posted here about what I do. I've gone thru plenty of dental work in my long life but as I see it, everything has gone up with years.
I have some crowns and bridgework and when I had crown work I can remember like a $500 cost and now I hear $1000's for a crown.
Last edited by jaminhealth; 11-30-2017 at 10:14 AM..
Not sure what dentists cars have to do with the cost of dentistry. I'm sure you can find an unsuccessful dentist if you look.
Dentists don't charge a lot or a little. They charge market prices just like every business. If the prices are too high, they don't stay in business. If the prices are too low, fewer people take on the financial risk of becoming a dentist. With risk comes reward. I took out loans for over $300,000 for tuition and education, then another $650,000 to purchase a practice. With specialty training I spent over a decade after college before I was done. I have to pay over $80,000 a year in loan repayments. I am on the hook for it regardless of how my business does. You better believe I'm driving a car with cruise control and GPS. Why would I take this much risk and waste the best decade of my life if I was gonna make the same as a plumber? Some people really do think we just woke up one day and was a doctor.
Anyone can do the same. Your dental school applications are due in a couple months.
This isn't by any means a knock on dentists. But, will dentistry ever become more affordable? It seems to almost be a luxury anymore. Sure, there are "benefits" but the maximums are often low and you reach quick due to the high costs. I see my dentist driving 100K cars, living in million dollar home, vacation home, etc. I guess they charge a lot because they can. Supply and demand.
Will it ever fall under medical insurance? Will costs ever go down? What is the answer?
Multiple issues here:
1) For a post that isn't a "knock on dentists", complaining about dental fees and then making smug remarks about dentists' lifestyles sounds like a knock to me.
2) Dental fees are determined by the market, just like everything else. Yes, it is not cheap. But, neither is the latest $1000 iPhone and Apple sold millions of them. It's all about what you value. Everyday I see people lining up in the Starbucks drive thru ordering $5 lattes and $3 muffins. Yet, no one wants to pay a couple hundred bucks to get their teeth checked and cleaned twice a year if it is not covered by their insurance.
3) It takes extremely good grades, decades of time, and tons of money just to get trained as a dentist, so why should they feel guilty for making more money than a garbage man?
4) It really sounds like your beef is with the insurance companies. Dentists have no control whatsoever on insurance maximums or whether or not the work is covered by your medical insurance. Talk to your congressman or drive up to the big white house on Pennsylvania Ave.
NOTHING seems to be going down, only up. I would like to see a lot of things go down in cost but it's wishful thinking I suppose.
I'm taking more and more care of what goes in my mouth (sugars/carbs) to keep myself in better dental health. I use a new toothpaste which I believe is helping and a great supplement for gum health. I've posted here about what I do. I've gone thru plenty of dental work in my long life but as I see it, everything has gone up with years.
I have some crowns and bridgework and when I had crown work I can remember like a $500 cost and now I hear $1000's for a crown.
About 10 yrs. ago (in the same town I live in now), my 'fancy' dentist said I needed two crowns, for a total of $3,600. OMG. No way could I afford that at the time, and not even now.
So about 4 yrs. ago I found an excellent country dentist about 2 miles from where I live now in the same general area, through recommendations from neighbors. He gave me a very good exam, and said: "You don't need any crowns; when you do, I will let you know." He is the best I've ever been to, nice office, nice office help, and I trust him.
A friend of mine (age 72) went to a fancy dentist downtown because of a recommendation by her sister in law. She needed 'some' dental work, a few fillings. Dr. Fancy Pants quoted her close to $23,000. ! He wanted to take all her old fillings out because they contain 'mercury', for which he has a special HazMat room in his office and the assistants have to wear HazMat suits ... yada yada because of the 'danger' of the mercury in old fillings. Then he wanted to do a crown, and so forth. Naturally, she almost went into apoplexy ! He said she could pay for it 'quarterly". It's a wonder we didn't hear her screaming 10 miles away. (Another friend, a PhD. in science and biology, said there is so little mercury in fillings, that it is negligible, and unless there is a serious issue, she would be fine.)
There is very very little mercury in older fillings ... told this by her current (my) dentist (mine) that she worships. She had 2 teeth that needed fillings, got a good cleaning and x-rays of course, and recently got a crown for $900.
And "our" dentist drives a pretty danged nice new red Ford 350 truck, and raises livestock on his farm here.
I have old fillings (mercury) in my mouth and it was a big thing to get them removed for health reasons. I heard pros and cons about it over the years and Never did it. I'd rather not have mercury in my body, but.
Now a couple friends got them removed and say their didn't improve health-wise.
In the scheme of the U.S. everything has gone sky high...my parents first house costs what a cheap auto costs today.
I have old fillings (mercury) in my mouth and it was a big thing to get them removed for health reasons. I heard pros and cons about it over the years and Never did it. I'd rather not have mercury in my body, but.
Now a couple friends got them removed and say their didn't improve health-wise.
In the scheme of the U.S. everything has gone sky high...my parents first house costs what a cheap auto costs today.
When one is old they've seen so much.
I trust my friend who is a Dr. of Science and Biology. There is so little mercury in fillings she says that it is nothing to be concerned about. Any dentist that wants to remove old fillings is a money grubber; and if he/she would put me through all that agony and expense, I have no respect for him/her and avoid them like the plague.
There are a lot of 'them' out there; you just have to make sure your antennae is up.
I have old fillings (mercury) in my mouth and it was a big thing to get them removed for health reasons. I heard pros and cons about it over the years and Never did it. I'd rather not have mercury in my body, but.
Now a couple friends got them removed and say their didn't improve health-wise.
In the scheme of the U.S. everything has gone sky high...my parents first house costs what a cheap auto costs today.
When one is old they've seen so much.
LOL, most of my old mercury fillings fell out or the teeth they were in broke and have since been replaced with new fillings or crowns (the broken teeth) that is.
I'm old enough to remember when we played with metallic mercury as kids. It was lots of fun rolling those little liquid mercury balls around the sidewalk or driveway and trying to pick them up. No hazmat teams, no evacuation and trembling in fear at the thought of the extreme "toxicity" of that mercury we were rolling around. I don't think we are the worse for wear for having done this. In fact I recall hearing at a later time that elemental mercury is not the toxic form as the body does not absorb this, it's the organometal form (ie, mercury complexed with organic compounds, such as those found in fish contaminated with mercury, when those are ingested) that is toxic.
LOL, most of my old mercury fillings fell out or the teeth they were in broke and have since been replaced with new fillings or crowns (the broken teeth) that is.
I'm old enough to remember when we played with metallic mercury as kids. It was lots of fun rolling those little liquid mercury balls around the sidewalk or driveway and trying to pick them up. No hazmat teams, no evacuation and trembling in fear at the thought of the extreme "toxicity" of that mercury we were rolling around. I don't think we are the worse for wear for having done this. In fact I recall hearing at a later time that elemental mercury is not the toxic form as the body does not absorb this, it's the organometal form (ie, mercury complexed with organic compounds, such as those found in fish contaminated with mercury, when those are ingested) that is toxic.
The most toxic form is mercury vapor, and it evaporates very quickly from the liquid state.
That's why playing with it is not a good idea. Outdoors your exposure to the vapor would have been limited.
Well, I'm sure not suggesting it's ok to play with elemental mercury, I'd never do it these days and I'd never allow anyone I had responsibility for to do it either. As children, neither we (or our parents, apparently), had any idea of the toxicity of mercury vapors. And any of that mercury ball rolling (done infrequently as it wasn't too often anyone broke a thermometer, or gauge containing mercury) was always done outside. But I've always found the contrast between the cavalier manner in which exposure to mercury was considered when I was a kid, and the extreme manner in which even potential mercury exposure ( ie, involvement of guv'mint environmental workers in hazmat suits and respirators, and forced evacuations of wide areas) in the event these days of even a small mercury spill, ie, a broken mercury containing thermometer, or gauge, just a tad ironic, and IMHO, overkill. I recall reading of incidents where a small mercury spill from a broken thermometer ( one that apparently escaped being removed and replaced by non-mercury containing devices, LOL) brought in the hazmat team and required evacuation of a health care facility and an entire elementary school. Too bad there isn't a happy medium, one involving common sense, to handle such scenarios.
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