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I asked every single one I've been too, I have a folder collecting estimates, and none of them was willing to let me to pay them directly through a "payment plan" that I could actually afford! They all wanted to force me into making loans, applying for credit etc etc etc which I don't want to do because it is completely unaffordable for us. So I live with the pain instead, because none of them are willing to help out. I stopped smiling in 2004.
Quote:
Originally Posted by floridagirl777
Believe me, I completely understand what you are saying. I do not have dental insurance and pay out of pocket for my dental care. (My dad is a semi-retired orthodontist and does not do general dentistry unless he is volunteering.) If you are a cash patient, most dentists in private practice will allow you to do some sort of payment plan and will not do unnecessary, costly procedures if you let them know up front that you cannot afford it.
I asked every single one I've been too, I have a folder collecting estimates, and none of them was willing to let me to pay them directly through a "payment plan" that I could actually afford! They all wanted to force me into making loans, applying for credit etc etc etc which I don't want to do because it is completely unaffordable for us. So I live with the pain instead, because none of them are willing to help out. I stopped smiling in 2004.
Sorry to hear that. There really needs to be some sort of plan to help those of us in that "middle" range where we make too much to qualify for assistance but not enough to pay for dental procedures out of pocket.
I asked every single one I've been too, I have a folder collecting estimates, and none of them was willing to let me to pay them directly through a "payment plan" that I could actually afford! They all wanted to force me into making loans, applying for credit etc etc etc which I don't want to do because it is completely unaffordable for us. So I live with the pain instead, because none of them are willing to help out. I stopped smiling in 2004.
Ive been reading this thread through my wife's account and felt the need to comment. To put things in perspective, there's a saying among dentists that put teeth problems in a purely medical perspective. It goes, "All dental work beyond extractions is cosmetic." What that means is nobody has to live with dental pain. You can have a bad tooth taken out and be done with it. Obviously, society frowns upon people with missing teeth and considers them "low class." So dentistry has come up with many ways to replace bad tooth structure (crowns, fillings, implants, dentures, etc.). All of this btw is relatively new. Not too many years ago in human history we just pulled teeth...without novicaine. Anyways, stop and think about what dentists actually do. We are trained to turn the nerves in your jaw off temporarily and replace parts of your body with artificial substances that need to function perfectly and seamlessly in your mouth for many years as well as look beautiful. This is not easy to do. The training, materials, staff, etc. is really expensive. Our overhead is very high. So though we make a good living it's not this profit center people believe it is. So the answer is prevention. Prevent the problems. Everyone reading this post should ask themselves when the last time they went to a dentist for a six month exam. It's at these exams that we catch these problems before they become unaffordable. It's at these exams that we teach you about oral hygiene and diet to prevent these problems from ever occurring. I know most of you aren't going to the dentist for these exams, because less then half of America has a dentist they see regularly. And if you aren't flossing, I dont have much pity for you. Flossing takes 30 seconds a day, costs a few cents, and can prevent tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to your mouth.
Well, I have about 17 that need to come out........at this point....The COST has been extremely prohibitive for me since moving to the US. I didn't have ANY issues when I lived in Europe because I had a dentist there I was seeing regularly, and insurance!!!!!!!!! Here I have two options:
1. live under a bridge to qualify as homeless
2. Win the lottery
There is NO help for middle class ppl. I lost some of my teeth during pregnancies...flat out due to acid reflex...so when you have more than one problem at any one time it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a dentist in this country to UNDERSTAND that $0 really means $0! Or if I have $100, that means I have $100 and not a million dollars! & WANT me to buy a tooth brush that costs $199! I have the estimate if you'd like to see it!
I can imagine how nice it must be to sit up on your high throne preaching to others, while flashing your $30,000 smile at me! GFY
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeanne0626
Ive been reading this thread through my wife's account and felt the need to comment. To put things in perspective, there's a saying among dentists that put teeth problems in a purely medical perspective. It goes, "All dental work beyond extractions is cosmetic." What that means is nobody has to live with dental pain. You can have a bad tooth taken out and be done with it. Obviously, society frowns upon people with missing teeth and considers them "low class." So dentistry has come up with many ways to replace bad tooth structure (crowns, fillings, implants, dentures, etc.). All of this btw is relatively new. Not too many years ago in human history we just pulled teeth...without novicaine. Anyways, stop and think about what dentists actually do. We are trained to turn the nerves in your jaw off temporarily and replace parts of your body with artificial substances that need to function perfectly and seamlessly in your mouth for many years as well as look beautiful. This is not easy to do. The training, materials, staff, etc. is really expensive. Our overhead is very high. So though we make a good living it's not this profit center people believe it is. So the answer is prevention. Prevent the problems. Everyone reading this post should ask themselves when the last time they went to a dentist for a six month exam. It's at these exams that we catch these problems before they become unaffordable. It's at these exams that we teach you about oral hygiene and diet to prevent these problems from ever occurring. I know most of you aren't going to the dentist for these exams, because less then half of America has a dentist they see regularly. And if you aren't flossing, I dont have much pity for you. Flossing takes 30 seconds a day, costs a few cents, and can prevent tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to your mouth.
After a life of dental problems and what seemed like hundreds of extractions they finally pulled out the last tooth about 10yrs ago,never had a dental problem since and i have a beautiful smile thanks to dentures,very happy.I always went through the low budget places that usually have a store front in a mall/plaza,not sure what an extraction costs today but i never paid more than $25.Usually if you tell em you dont have insurance and you just want an extraction they'll give you some slack on the bill.
If you are somewhat apprehensive about such a large procedure it sounds like its something that has to be done before other more dangerous complications arise,nervously talking to my doctor last year about being petrified before a needed operation,he said Jim,sometimes we just got no choice, it didnt do much to allay my fears but it did point out the futility of worrying about something that had to be done...
Ive been reading this thread through my wife's account and felt the need to comment. To put things in perspective, there's a saying among dentists that put teeth problems in a purely medical perspective. It goes, "All dental work beyond extractions is cosmetic." What that means is nobody has to live with dental pain. You can have a bad tooth taken out and be done with it. Obviously, society frowns upon people with missing teeth and considers them "low class." So dentistry has come up with many ways to replace bad tooth structure (crowns, fillings, implants, dentures, etc.). All of this btw is relatively new. Not too many years ago in human history we just pulled teeth...without novicaine. Anyways, stop and think about what dentists actually do. We are trained to turn the nerves in your jaw off temporarily and replace parts of your body with artificial substances that need to function perfectly and seamlessly in your mouth for many years as well as look beautiful. This is not easy to do. The training, materials, staff, etc. is really expensive. Our overhead is very high. So though we make a good living it's not this profit center people believe it is. So the answer is prevention. Prevent the problems. Everyone reading this post should ask themselves when the last time they went to a dentist for a six month exam. It's at these exams that we catch these problems before they become unaffordable. It's at these exams that we teach you about oral hygiene and diet to prevent these problems from ever occurring. I know most of you aren't going to the dentist for these exams, because less then half of America has a dentist they see regularly. And if you aren't flossing, I dont have much pity for you. Flossing takes 30 seconds a day, costs a few cents, and can prevent tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to your mouth.
Just my 2 cents. I hope you use it on some floss
Great post! I know my dad would probably say the same thing if he were on here.
Well, I have about 17 that need to come out........at this point....The COST has been extremely prohibitive for me since moving to the US. I didn't have ANY issues when I lived in Europe because I had a dentist there I was seeing regularly, and insurance!!!!!!!!! Here I have two options:
1. live under a bridge to qualify as homeless
2. Win the lottery
There is NO help for middle class ppl. I lost some of my teeth during pregnancies...flat out due to acid reflex...so when you have more than one problem at any one time it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a dentist in this country to UNDERSTAND that $0 really means $0! Or if I have $100, that means I have $100 and not a million dollars! & WANT me to buy a tooth brush that costs $199! I have the estimate if you'd like to see it!
I can imagine how nice it must be to sit up on your high throne preaching to others, while flashing your $30,000 smile at me! GFY
I'm truly sorry to hear about your negative experiences. I'm concerned that you are misinformed and/or misremembering the history of your care. How long have you been away from European dental care if I may ask? It takes a very long time to go from great oral health to needing 17 extractions. Many years usually without seeing a dentist. Furthermore, tooth loss due to acid reflux is very rare is usually accompanied by some other disease process (tooth wear, cavities, periodontitis, etc.) to get to the point of extraction. If you were told your tooth loss was due solely due to acid reflux, you need to seek a second opinion. You've either been misinformed, are misremembering, or need to see a physician ASAP for extreme acid reflux.
Also, you need to understand that what I'm doing is not preaching. Had you the knowledge of prevention earlier in your life, you may not be in your current situation. The expensive toothbrush was recommended to you with this prevention in mind. This toothbrush is optional, btw, so you don't need to stress over it if you don't want to purchase it. You sound angry and frustrated with your oral health. It's understandable. I urge you to investigate what is going on in your mouth via google first, then second opinions when you are more informed. It's likely you can overcome your oral health issues with patience and due diligence, but it will be impossible if you blame and do not trust the profession in place to get you there. Good luck.
Look! The reason I did not have any problems in Europe was because dentists there actually TREAT patients and dentistry is treated like medicine, not like some BUSINESS. When I had a small cavity my dentist patched it up beautifully instead of doing a root canal for no reason.
In the US Root Canals are #1 item dentists make profits from; and at $500 a root canal plus $1500 for the crown you do the math! It is they HOT TICKET ITEM...and recurring business, cause every time that crown falls, or breaks, POOF another $1500 to put it back over and over and over, its not like "buy one, get one free"!.... or comes with "Lifetime Warranty"! "Dentistry" in the US is a FOR PROFIT ONLY business.
Ever since I moved here and lived in SoFla neither myself or my husband could find a normal dentist that would treat a problem. Every time we walked into a dentist office they would tell him, who has PERFECT TEETH STILL that he needs all these things done, and when we looked at the xrays there was NOTHING on them, not even one cavity. I have been to over 56 dentists so far, and counting...from $199 tooth brushes, to $55 floss to procedures that were not needed....my acid reflex stopped when I stopped being pregnant, I've already been to my dr about it. Plus I am not some uncontrolled 4000lbs eater either.
Angry? How would you feel when you had root canals done on healthy teeth just for the hell of it?
I can read an xray, I was very good friends with my dentist back in EU, he would show me and explain things always...from day one here when I walked into a dentist office I was never treated like a patient, I was seen like a walking bag of dollars! Nothing more. I always floss...
I had the "knowledge", and "prevention" that's insulting, I am from Europe not some remote mountain in Sahara.....my dad was a doctor too, that has nothing to do with what, and how they charge! Guess what, I can defend my profession too...it costs a professional photographer upwards to $34,000+ accessories etc., for a medium format camera! and $85,000 for the Bachelor Degree in Photography!!!!! everyone thinks they can be a photographer these days, and I am noxious every time I open a magazine and see horrible photos, skewed, over saturated, full of shadows etc, just horrendous photos because everyone thinks they can buy a camera and start taking our job away! This is not about respecting one's profession, this is about the fact that dentists have no concern that not everyone is making $190,000 a year like they do, and can blow $2000 a day on ONE TOOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus additional expenses for cleanings, accessories etc etc etc. I feel cornered since 2004 when this started; Because it started with $2500 for one tooth...out of the 3 that needed a crown...completely unfordable considering we had just had a new baby....since then, I've been to several who continually inflated that price, so I've been watching my teeth go bye bye one by one, because I cannot afford to go and get the problem fixed....There is no help. If I blow my balance on my Care Credit card that they shove down my throat every time I walk into their office, that means I can fix 10%, then I have to wait one year to pay that off, because I cannot afford $600 a month payments, we have a family to take care off...so fixing my teeth is out of the question financially, and IS considered an extravagance at these costs. More expensive than jewelry. Dentists are not willing to work with me, and let me pay a fixed amount that I can afford monthly without jeopardizing the ability to buy food and gas; they rather force me into making loans I cannot afford to pay back in a timely manner, and I am not willing to pay DOUBLE (interest considering) either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeanne0626
I'm truly sorry to hear about your negative experiences. I'm concerned that you are misinformed and/or misremembering the history of your care. How long have you been away from European dental care if I may ask? It takes a very long time to go from great oral health to needing 17 extractions. Many years usually without seeing a dentist. Furthermore, tooth loss due to acid reflux is very rare is usually accompanied by some other disease process (tooth wear, cavities, periodontitis, etc.) to get to the point of extraction. If you were told your tooth loss was due solely due to acid reflux, you need to seek a second opinion. You've either been misinformed, are misremembering, or need to see a physician ASAP for extreme acid reflux.
Also, you need to understand that what I'm doing is not preaching. Had you the knowledge of prevention earlier in your life, you may not be in your current situation. The expensive toothbrush was recommended to you with this prevention in mind. This toothbrush is optional, btw, so you don't need to stress over it if you don't want to purchase it. You sound angry and frustrated with your oral health. It's understandable. I urge you to investigate what is going on in your mouth via google first, then second opinions when you are more informed. It's likely you can overcome your oral health issues with patience and due diligence, but it will be impossible if you blame and do not trust the profession in place to get you there. Good luck.
I too wonder how you go from perfect dental health to 17 extractions needed. Sounds like a whole lot of ignorance and lack of personal care.
Instead of looking at the patient's side of the equation, let's see what it takes to become a dentist. The average cost for tuition and fees for 4 years of dental school is about $100,000 and higher in private schools. A student graduating from dental school has about $120,000 to repay in school loans. In private schools it can amount to up to $250,000.
This of course does not include all the expenditures that one will incur such as equipment, living expenses, books and so forth. The costs will be far lower for students who are residents of that state when compared to students coming over from different states. It is more than double for non-residents. There are several challenges for dental students and the high cost of education could be one of them. Dental students at a public university will pay about $5700 to $34,800 per year if they are residents of the state or about $22,800 to $139200 for four years.Non-resident tuition fees are about $11,000 to
$ 53,000 per year or $ 44,000 to $ 212,000 to complete the four year program. Out of all the dental accredited universities the average cost is about $130,200 for residents and $ 179,350 for non-residents. There are additional costs such as admission tests, instruments, laptops, dental school software and so on and once they are out of school they need to rent an office, purchase thousands and thousands of dollars worth of equipment, hire staff, and run a business.
So, why would a dentist, or any other highly trained professional offer things like payment plans, discounts, free treatment, etc. If you have major dental problems, get an insurance plan to absorb most of the costs. Another simple way of avoiding massive dental bills is to take personal responsibility for your health and perform the necessary daily care. Also, those 6 month check ups certainly can catch problems before they require major correction in the future.
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I stopped smiling in 2004.
There really needs to be some sort of plan to help those of us in that "middle" range where we make too much to qualify for assistance but not enough to pay for dental procedures out of pocket.
I am a dentist
GFY
