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Dentistry Question

Discussion in 'Questions and Answers' started by pennphinfan, Jul 20, 2009.

  1. pennphinfan

    pennphinfan Stelin Canez Arcade Scorz

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    Hey everyone. Not sure if we have any dentists on the site but I went for a looong needed checkup today (hadn't been there for a few years :no:) and i have a question. along with my wisdom teeth needing out which I knew about already, they found a bunch of other things wrong with my teethies.

    now, i know dentists can be a bit like auto-shops and give you doomsday scenarios about everything, but at the same time I know I haven't been exactly taking the best care of my teeth. (I almost never floss)

    so they tallied up everything after my checkup and came up with a 'treatment' plan. i have pretty good insurance from my work, but even with that they said i'm looking at a bill nearing 4 grand. yeah. :cry:

    the bulk of this, is that apparently i need a bunch of these onlay things, which i guess is like a worse-than-normal cavity. the insurance covers a bulk of it, but apparently this place refuses to use the porcelain onlays that the insurance is expecting, so they want to charge me an extra 300 dollars for each of them (5 total) to get this special "Empress" onlay. so that 1500 dollars for somethign they said will look aesthetically better and supposedly last longer.

    i tried to do some google searching for this stuff and i can't seem to find any opinions on it. my question is if anyone has any knowledge of these things and if i should start to look for a different place. i really can't afford to pay 4 thousand dollars at all. they said if i dont get things done it could get 'real bad' in just a couple months.

    i'm gonna get everything taken care of in time, i'm just not sold on whether this extra 1500 for some special material is really worth it.
     
  2. Crappy Tipper

    Crappy Tipper AKA Hero13

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    One piece of advise I'll give you is get a guy dentist or at least a chick with big arms because my dentist, very nice woman, had to try to pull a wisdom tooth that I had split in half (long story) and she basically had to climb onto my chest and use both hands to pull the little plier things and ultimately call Ronaldo the mountain dentist into the room where he almost tore my head off.
     
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  3. TrueDolFan

    TrueDolFan Minion of Satan

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    It sounds like the dentist you just saw has a hard on to do some major work on you. There's no doubt some work that needs to be done, but who knows if he's making a mountain out of a molehill or telling you the truth.

    Here's what you do. Go to another dentist and get yourself a second opinion, and a second estimate on the how much work needs to be done, and how much it's going to cost you.
     
  4. Ludacris

    Ludacris Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    I agree, get a second opinion or a third in fact. I've been screwed by dentists before for over charging and also for recommending unnecessary procedures. One dentists said I only needed one wisdom tooth out and another advised me to take all four out so I took 4 out. Then another dentist found out that it wasn't the wisdom tooth that was causing the toothache but instead it was a crack along my tooth which needed a root canal. So I had a root canal. That didn't work so I got an implant which they said wound cost $4000. Then I found out from a family member that she got it done for $1500 by the same dental practice. So suffice to say, I don't trust them.
     
  5. cnc66

    cnc66 wiley veteran, bad spelur Luxury Box

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    I am as I write suffering from a botched extraction where the dentist punched a hole into my sinus. Four attenps to fix it have failed and I now have an infection in the bone of my upper mandible.. and my sinuses are LIT up. Almost time to see Laurie Goldstein for the injured.
     
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  6. like2god

    like2god Typical white person Luxury Box

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    Was she cute? :groucho:

    Ouch, that's horrible. I hope you aren't getting saddled with the medical bills. Thoughts and prayers brother.
     
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  7. Crappy Tipper

    Crappy Tipper AKA Hero13

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    Yes she was and aside of the issue she was dealing with I didn't mind it one bit.
     
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  8. DaFish

    DaFish Well-Known Member

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    Funny this thread popped up. I just had a wisdom tooth extracted last Thursday.
     
  9. dolphindebby

    dolphindebby Season Ticket Holder Luxury Box

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    Darn Marty this has been going on for a long time.
    Are you still on antibiotics?
    My thoughts and prayers are with you my friend.
     
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  10. dolphindebby

    dolphindebby Season Ticket Holder Luxury Box

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    do get a second or even a third opinion.
    I had one dentist tell me I'd have to have work done the insurance wouldn't pay up to about $4,ooo plus cleanings and ex-rays every 3 months after having surgery.
    Another actually sat down and talked "with" me on different options. I chose dentures for the cost and the health benefits of it. cost? about $3,ooo less. For me this was the best decision I've ever made.
    What ever you do keep up with your cleanings etc. I only missed about 3 years of cleanings, due to no insurance at the time, and ended up with peridontal disease. Very painful and awful. Didn't have but 1 cavity when I had them pulled. It was a shame, but I'm comfortable now and have a beautiful smile once again.
     
  11. 1armychick

    1armychick New Member

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    If a doc told you that you had a life-threatening illness, would you seek a second opinion? That really is your best option. Sounds like the guy just wants your money, especially if he didn't offer you other options. Bottom line - teeth are indicators of other systems in the body gone awry. Take care of them now, but shop around first.
     

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