Dental Insurance

[Marilyn. 340]

My hubby is in the middle of getting some dentist work done... root canal and some cavities taken care of...

the total bill is close to $4000 does that sound reasonable??

Our damm dental insurance is only going to cover about $1500 of it...

then he finds out that if he would have got some of the work done last year and the rest this year, they would have covered $1500 for each year so we would have had to pay only @ $1000....

Edited January 5, 2007 by MarilynP

[Cali Gal CPA 0]

How many teeth are we talking about?

I had a root canal done, with crown that looked like the real tooth, and I paid $600 for that. Total bill is about $1,000, our insurance covers 40% and we pay the rest.

[Marilyn. 340]

he said he had one root canal and 12 cavities.....

they showed him the bill and their was like 30 items on it.... I am sure they charged for each cotton swab etc.. they used....

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Dental coverage usually has an annual max that may range anywhere from 1K-5K depending on what type coverage you have. The part that really sucks about dental insurance is that the major procedures which cost more is covered at a lower percentage. But yeah, especially towards the end of the year, you'd want to get as much done as possible and then carry the rest into the next year to maximize your benefit.

Still, 4K for the root canal and some cavities sounds like a lot. Nani just had a root canal done and it wasn't but $185.00 (covered at 50%) out of pocket including her $50.00 annual deductible. I think the cavity they still have to work on is $32.00 out of pocket (covered at 80%). Doing the math on this 320.00 root canal and 160.00/cavity the total bill for such would be about 2,250.00 at our dentist.

[Marilyn. 340]

hubby said they covered 80 percent but up to a limit of $1500... or something like that...

and the basic stuff was covered 100% by the dental insurance...... stuff like x-rays etc.....

like I mentioned earlier he had one root canal and 12 cavities....

they take about $10 bucks off every check for Dental Insurance....

the last dental insurance he had covered more he said.... he said he had about the same amount of work done and it only cost him a couple of hundred... so either the old dental insurance covered more or this dentist is trying to overcharge us...

Edited January 5, 2007 by MarilynP

[isleta521 5]

Our next dentist visit will be in Juarez Mx. cause our dental plan really suxs!!!!

[melly 0]

My hubby is in the middle of getting some dentist work done... root canal and some cavities taken care of...

the total bill is close to $4000 does that sound reasonable??

Our damm dental insurance is only going to cover about $1500 of it...

then he finds out that if he would have got some of the work done last year and the rest this year, they would have covered $1500 for each year so we would have had to pay only @ $1000....

I think I'd be more concerned about having 12 cavities than the bill!!

[irishgirl73 0]

I worked for a cosmetic dentist & they charged about $150 per cavity(depending on how deep it was-they can charge more if it is on more than 1 surface, it also depends on which teeth have the cavities) & root canal was around $800.00

I think $4000 is a bit high but dental work IS ridiculously expensive

[Kathryn41 3,205]

This may be time to get a second opinion. Dental work is expensive - I had to have 4 crowns last year (tooth shattered and 3 others in bad shape). Our total bill was in the neighbourhood of $3400 as well - and our insurance only covers $1000. The dentist kept telling me I might need a root canal on one of the teeth as well - for about $795 - but I insisted on an antibiotic instead and it has been fine since.

[Garfield fan 0]

Root canal for which tooth ? Molars cost more than the ones in the front because they have two roots instead of just one. I got one done for my molar, the dentist charged me around $600 for it and insurance covers 70%. Crown is more expensive and also covered less with our insurance.

Your $4000 estimate is bit high I think, but I guess as you live in CA, everything there is more expensive than here in MN Try shop around and see what other dentists say.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

he said he had one root canal and 12 cavities.....

they showed him the bill and their was like 30 items on it.... I am sure they charged for each cotton swab etc.. they used....

Marilyn, I'd recommend going to another dentist. California is notorious for having dentists charge exhorbitant fees and telling you things you need that you don't need. 12 cavaties seems extreme to me and that cost is outrageous! My insurance will cover cavaties that are on the crown of the tooth and will pay 100 percent if metal is used. I'll try to ask Jinky about cavaties - what really is a cavity vs. tooth abrasion from brushing (which is something dentists have recently been claiming - from brushing too hard).

[Marilyn. 340]

well, it is too late to get a new dentist.... he has already had some of the work done....

they told him the first time he went for the X-rays etc.. that the person in charge of billing wasn't there... then i am pretty sure when he went the 2nd time they didn't show him the bill and how much it was going to cost until after he had the root canal etc...

he has to go back next week for the rest of the dental work.....

yeah 12 cavities does seem like a lot... he does brush every day....

Edited January 5, 2007 by MarilynP

[isleta521 5]

Sodas and fruit juices will do that to you with time.

[Marilyn. 340]

Sodas and fruit juices will do that to you with time.

he likes his soda

[isleta521 5]

Sodas and fruit juices will do that to you with time.

he likes his soda

Another excellent reason to switch to beer