Dentists (Had Your Wallet Drilled Lately?)

[bigbuck]

I'd interview the dentist first. If the eyes light up when insurance is mentioned, go to another down the street. I've learned the hard way, in the past 6 years, I have had so many cavities drilled that it is not funny. Strange though, in the previous 32 years, I only had 4 cavities and in the year and a half since I changed dentists, I have had none. But with my previous dentist, I averaged 2-3 cavities per year.

What I'm getting to is that there are some dental offices out there that are very 'aggressive' with their dentistry especially when you have coverage. My current dentist makes a good living and is not interested in taking new patients and doesn't call every couple of months to go in for a cleaning (max. 4/year with insurance). I go once a year for a cleaning and checkup and have had absolutely no problems with my teeth. To boot, he doesn't charge a dime over what the insurance company covers.

Edited July 10, 2009 by bigbuck

[CLofchik]

Who said we have free healthcare??? 50% of my income goes to taxes,the only ones who get free healthcare are welfare bums,single women who have kids every nine months and other social misfits.

 

What he said. "Universal" is not "Free", universal just means those that can't afford coverage on their own leech off those that can.

 

On the subject of Canadian dental coverage, seriously think about a trip to Mexico or South America if you need a large procedure. All their docs are US trained (which generally means better training than in Canuckistan), and for the price of a procedure here you can get the same thing done in Mexico or Costa Rica for 1/10th the price and have a vacation on top of it. Girlfriend got an implant that would've cost $2k here for under USD$500 in Mexico, the whole week for the two of us came in under what just the procedure here would've cost.

 

Hey Photoz, I hear there's some jumbo carp in Mexico.......just say'n

[Uncle Buck]

I guess i better start brushing my teeth then... LOL

[Billy Bob]

Well just for perspective, keep in mind that the vast majority of people will never need the kind of dental intervention that has been mentioned here. I would still rather have "FREE" health care for the basics. My wife & I have just had 2 kids in the last few years. What does that cost in the states? $30,000+ per? My mom's last husband died of Luekemia after a 2 month battle. At one point the doctors told us that 1 procedure out of the dozens that they did was a $400,000 procedure. We were saying at the time that if we lived in the states we would be selling our house to get it done, if that would even cover it. He lived in the hospital for 2+ months at our bill: $0

 

So some perspective is a good thing.

 

I like the conversation on this from both sides but if we have to exchange info ALL must be real facts not hear say.

 

Where is the world did you hear it cost $30,000 per child ? ? ? Under our health insure the cost would be $10 for every doctor or hospital visit. So that would equal 3000 Dr/Hosp visits per child to add up to $30,000.00..........Now of course you have to factor in the cost of the insurance per year and that right now is $1300 per year for the family plan. Dental is ZERO deductible but eye glass coverage only pays about 10% of the total bill including the exam. I'm 54 years old and know too many folks that had to be confined in the hospital for days, weeks or even months like when my mom passed away. NO one ever had to sell their homes or anything else. The most my dad had to pay when my mom was in the hospital for months was under $2000.00

 

There is a saying going around here in the Great USA..........."If you think Health Care Cost too much now, wait until it's Free from the government".

 

Bob

[Fish4Eyes]

You just have a dentist who is a shwindler. Shop around.

[markiemark70]

I like the conversation on this from both sides but if we have to exchange info ALL must be real facts not hear say.

 

Where is the world did you hear it cost $30,000 per child ? ? ? Under our health insure the cost would be $10 for every doctor or hospital visit. So that would equal 3000 Dr/Hosp visits per child to add up to $30,000.00..........Now of course you have to factor in the cost of the insurance per year and that right now is $1300 per year for the family plan. Dental is ZERO deductible but eye glass coverage only pays about 10% of the total bill including the exam. I'm 54 years old and know too many folks that had to be confined in the hospital for days, weeks or even months like when my mom passed away. NO one ever had to sell their homes or anything else. The most my dad had to pay when my mom was in the hospital for months was under $2000.00

 

There is a saying going around here in the Great USA..........."If you think Health Care Cost too much now, wait until it's Free from the government".

 

Bob

 

 

OK Mea Culpa, the $30,000 per child thing was me being dramatic, but the story that neither of us have touched on so far is that there is a population the size of Canada in the US right now that has no insurance, meaning either come up with the funds or die. Surely any universal (albeit sometimes pretty crappy) system is better than that.

 

I do tech support for a living and one day while working on the computer of a client from the US, she told me how at her previous job, they messed up the paperwork on some type of insurance that carries you from the day you leave one job to the day that you start the next (she had a name for it, but I can't remeber). So as luck would have it, on the 1 day that she technically had no insurance, she needed an emergency gall bladder removal. Well the list price is $60,000 for that, but there was a way that you could apply to the hospital to have it done for 60% of the cost by claiming hardship. SO it cost her $36,000 out of her own pocket for what amounts to day surgery. And that is a first hand story, no hear say.

 

I just want to make clear I am not bashing the US. I love the US and it is without a doubt the 2nd greatest country in the world. I just know that it will be even better when you guys stop paying gazillions of dollars for private fat cat executives who actually have business plans detailing how they can provide LESS health care to Americans. THe government can't possibly darn it up any more than those guys.

[fish-miester]

i just had a root canal done last month.. but honestly wish I had just pulled it, as its costed me $1600. and still aches..

[Daplumma]

OK Mea Culpa, the $30,000 per child thing was me being dramatic, but the story that neither of us have touched on so far is that there is a population the size of Canada in the US right now that has no insurance, meaning either come up with the funds or die. Surely any universal (albeit sometimes pretty crappy) system is better than that.

 

I do tech support for a living and one day while working on the computer of a client from the US, she told me how at her previous job, they messed up the paperwork on some type of insurance that carries you from the day you leave one job to the day that you start the next (she had a name for it, but I can't remeber). So as luck would have it, on the 1 day that she technically had no insurance, she needed an emergency gall bladder removal. Well the list price is $60,000 for that, but there was a way that you could apply to the hospital to have it done for 60% of the cost by claiming hardship. SO it cost her $36,000 out of her own pocket for what amounts to day surgery. And that is a first hand story, no hear say.

 

I just want to make clear I am not bashing the US. I love the US and it is without a doubt the 2nd greatest country in the world. I just know that it will be even better when you guys stop paying gazillions of dollars for private fat cat executives who actually have business plans detailing how they can provide LESS health care to Americans. THe government can't possibly darn it up any more than those guys.

Its called cobra..there is much more to this story than she is stating .She would not be liable for those charges if she had paid her cobra.If it was an admin mixup it would be traceable and fixed and she would be covered.We dont have people keeling over in the ditches here.We take care of folks here.Walk into and e-room and you will be attended to.If you cant pay you file for bankruptsy and keep your house and car an go on with it.Its a small % that get in that bind.No sense in burdoning the masses for a few.Thats communism.There are some folks ,like people in their 20's who choose not to pay for insurance because they are not much at risk.Very few folks here have no access to medical care unless they choose not to .The health care system down here need no help from the Government.We cannot afford it !

Joe

[Billy Bob]

I do tech support for a living and one day while working on the computer of a client from the US, she told me how at her previous job, they messed up the paperwork on some type of insurance that carries you from the day you leave one job to the day that you start the next (she had a name for it, but I can't remeber). So as luck would have it, on the 1 day that she technically had no insurance, she needed an emergency gall bladder removal. Well the list price is $60,000 for that, but there was a way that you could apply to the hospital to have it done for 60% of the cost by claiming hardship. SO it cost her $36,000 out of her own pocket for what amounts to day surgery. And that is a first hand story, no hear say.

 

EXCUSE me but that is EXACTLY what "Hear Say" is. When you tell me what someone else says it equals "Hear Say".

 

Again I know NO ONE who is broke or lost their homes because of a stay in the hospital...........Their are MILLIONS of people here that have no health insurance what so ever and get FREE health care at ANY hospital in the US. It's called Medicaid... stop believing what you hear from hear say as I have stopped believing hear say from many here that say if you need a operation in Canada you will probably die before you can get it. I don't see any Canadians dieing along the roads when I fish up there and you wouldn't see any here.

[Roy]

Its called cobra..there is much more to this story than she is stating .She would not be liable for those charges if she had paid her cobra.If it was an admin mixup it would be traceable and fixed and she would be covered.We dont have people keeling over in the ditches here.We take care of folks here.Walk into and e-room and you will be attended to.If you cant pay you file for bankruptsy and keep your house and car an go on with it.Its a small % that get in that bind.No sense in burdoning the masses for a few.Thats communism.There are some folks ,like people in their 20's who choose not to pay for insurance because they are not much at risk.Very few folks here have no access to medical care unless they choose not to .The health care system down here need no help from the Government.We cannot afford it !

Joe

 

Well said Joe. You could have used the word "socialism" instead of "communism"...they're interchangeable eh? If there's one thing you want to teach your children it's to be self-sufficient. I could go on and tell you stories but I won't.

 

Oh, and Billy Bob, you got it right too.

[Aaron Shirley]

Anti-dentite (Seinfeld) LOL. It hurts the pocketbook anytime you hire a lawyer or dentist, but neccessary.

 

Hope the work was good. I had a brutal dentist screw up my front tooth before and charged me the full price. Now that hurts.

 

Aaron

[Kerry]

It ain't dentistry anymore,it's called Cosmetic Surgery.Dental plans are a joke, you're paying for it anyway and it plays right in to the scheme of revolving door dentistry.

Six years ago I was told 'had to have a root canal' blah blah blah.I said no just a filling I'll worry about it when it starts singing.................Still waiting.I pay for my own, no plan.

Kerry

[irishfield]

I have no issues with what a dentist charges to cover his premises/schooling recoup/etc...

 

...now a funeral home RENTING a maple coffin for one afternoon $2275 !!! That's pricy accomodations !

[Flappn]

Get another opinion. Like all industries there are crook's. My old man is a dentist....he is worth every penny he gets. You try working in a mouth

8 hours a day. Think about it. Get another opinion.

[Moosebunk]

Got one cavity when I was a kid so had it filled.

 

2 years ago the tooth got sensitive. In May it finally broke but the filling stayed in.

 

I went to the dentist 3 weeks ago. He removed the old filling, put in a new one, and remodeled the tooth with extra filling.

 

$160.00.

 

You got robbed.