I am in tears!
 

OMG, i just came back from the dentist and i am in absolute tears right now.... I dont know how i am going to be abble to pay for the stuff that HAS to be done
I need my wisdom teeth rmoved
I need a cleaning
A deep cleaning
and a crown......
I dont know how much the widom teeth are going to cost but i am guess 300...(this is probably wishful thinking)
all in all it is going to cost more then $1200 and i am a college student..... i dont have that kind of money, i dont know what i am giong to do....
does anyone have any suggestions??? I have allready asked about a payment plan, but they can only do a payment plan for the crown....the rest has to be up front

Is there a dental school at a nearby university? They will probably do the work for much less.

Sorry to hear about your dental needs and costs. I think eensor has a good idea about trying to find a dental school.

I would try the a dental school also. Ours has payment plans.

i just called our insurance company and they said that the work has to be done at one of their approved offices........ if i go to a dental school and pay out of pocket the cost will be WORSE........
BUT...... i when they were talking to me abotu all the fees and such that they were going to charge they were going through it really fast...... i just printed out a list from my dental insurance company of "patient costs" and i dont see the stuff that they were tellign me about...... at least not in the dollar amount they said, so when i go for my cleaning i am going to show them the patient costs list and tell them to highlight exactly what they are having done....... i ahd this problem with my last dentist (they charged more than necessary from patients........ so i am going to see what happens)....
i will talk to my mom and see if i can trade her some custom paintings for money

Often times your parents can keep you on their insurance if you are a student can you ask your parents to look into adding you to their policy?

OR... if you do a google search for "dental plans" there are companies that you can sign up with that offer individual insurance that seem affordable.

Good luck!! I understand your frustrations, I recently had the same sort of dental work done but I have insurance and I still had to pay 1400 :eek:

LMAO................. I AM INSURED......... can you believe how much it would cost if i werent???!!!!............... our insurance is supposed to be good too, i just cant believe how much this is going to cost....... would you believe i had SURGERY and it didnt cost me a thing, but this!!!! OMG, anything having to do with dental and you break the bank...

I hate to tell you this but the crown alone will probably be $1200 :cry: I am sure that your dentist would be able to make payment arragements though.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I am notorious for teeth grinding and did so much damages I needed to have a few of those crowns put on and my bill was close to $4k. I could not afford it either so my dentist took what my insurance would pay and then took whatever I could afford for the month until it was paid off!

I see!! LOL :p

It is very expensive! You can still look into getting added to your moms insurance? If you have double coverage thats the best!

I had double coverage last year and I had dental work done and between the 2 companies everything was covered.

If thats not an option, another idea is trying another dentist who may take payments? I know it sounds funny but maybe you can shop around.

I recently got braces on my lower teeth and I was quoted 4700 from one orthodontist and thought thats what I was gonna have to pay. But a friend of mine suggested I shop around so I went to another ortho, and he said 3500, then I went to another and she said 2500! :eek: AND the 1st 2 orthos wanted 1/2 down and monthly payments there after but this last ortho told me to pay what I could afford as the down (she said even $50 was OK) and she will stretch the rest out in monthly payments.

I got the braces and all the dental work done in May and paid it all off with my tax return. It was great being able to pay it all off and take care of everything but I am sure my hubby and kids would of much rather gone to disneyland or somewhere fun with the money. Oh well

You poor thing!! I just had alot of the same stuff done too. The crown was the most expensive thing tho.
I am still not done ,I need 2 wisdom teeth out. But with insurance it really was not all that much out of pocket. good luck!!

i just talked to my mom........... the crown that they need to do, is because of a silver filling that i had put in years and years ago. This does not hurt me at all and seem as how i cant afford it anyways i have decided not to go through with getting a crown put in.. . . . if it starts to hurt or i have the money, i will do it then........ i wanted my wisdom teeth out so i am going to do that, and i am also going to get the cleaning done....... if they try and make me feel guilty or bad about my inability to pay or my resolve not to get the crown done then i will find anotehr dentist.......
ok....... what do you all think? am i going about it the right way?

Go back and talk to your dentist. Tell him that you are not able to pay all at one time, and can you set up a payment plan. As far as the crown, Gosh I have many.. The reason they usually put in a crown is because you had a root canal?? (am I right?) when you have a root canal the tooth dies, and becomes brittle. If the tooth cracks and it cracks below the gum line you will have to have it pulled. and then you run into other problems.. May I suggest that you ask them to put in a post, and later put in a crown.
If you never had a root canal, they just want to do the crown because they think that you have too much silver in your tooth, if this is the case you can put thst off for awhile.
You should get cleanings every 6months, and that is something your insurance should pay for. Deep cleanings are usually when you haven't had a cleaning in a while, and they can hurt and be expensive.
Now Wisdom teeth. Are they impacted?? Do they hurt? My 18 yr old daughter had all 4 of hers out 2 yrs ago. I still have mine and they never caused a problem.. If they aren't impacted and not over crowding your mouth, leave them alone.
Good luck, Let us know what you decide to do.

no i have never had a root canal, the reason they are suggeting that i get a crown is because the old silver filling i have in there is in the process of weakening the tooth around it...... if i take my moms advice and wait, she will likely help pay for it .... as far as my wisdom teeth are concerned, yes, they are overcrowded and they do hurt, the previosu dentist i went to said it was a "myth" that the overcrowding would lessen if i got the teeth removed and that it would not necessarily help with the pain :confused: total BS. ...... within five minuits of walking in the dentist asks me why in the world i havent had them removed before...... so yes, the wisdom teeth is something that i HAVE to do...... the crown thing i am a little skepticle on, i think i could go some time as it is and not have a problem, i called my aunt (who used to be a dentist) and she said that it is not a priority but to get it done within the next couple years

I have to get my wisdom teeth pulled too. Before iI turn 23 becuase I will not have dental insurance form my dad after that. I don't want to though. Good luck getting those wisdom teeth pulled

Oh Im sorry that you have to go through all that. I have never had dental problems. Never got my wisdom teeth (no smart ass comments please) and have never had a cavity. But just cleanings aren't cheap. Good luck with all this :)

LMAO......... at least you could make me laugh

Well, I got my wisdom teeth (unfortunately) and they killed me! The doctor made me wait until they had grown in at a certain point before they would remove them. The PAIN was intolerable! The roots were growing forward around the roots of the teeth in front of them and the tooth was facing backward! They said my mouth was too small! :D Anyway, it had to be done in the hospital and the surgery took 5 hours! :eek:

This sux for you and I know; I am in the process of getting the same work done. I got my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday and my insurance paid 80% so I only paid $120. The cost was about $600 total. My root canal and crown will be up to $1400, but insurance will cover part of that as well.

Don't you get insurance coverage through school? I would check it out. Sometimes it is included in the cost of your tuition. I would hesitate to go to a dental school. The students here at NYU dental school joke that they would never let a student touch their mouths! For a cleaning OK, but for surgery, go to a proper oral surgeon. Good Luck!

Teeth
 

I am also a college student and in the last 4 years have had at least 7 thousand dollars in dental bills. I had to take out extra loan money each semester!!. It really sucks but you have to take care of the teeth you have and I am also a bit older student, I feel for you. I could of had that tummy tuck I have wanted for years. The money I have spent on dental work. When I was a child dentists drilled the heck out of teeth and filled big fillings because they figured there would be less decay but when those fillings fell out or they need replacing. There would be issues because the filing was so big and close to the root all that as left to do was "root canal" which meant 800 to 900 dollars then on top of that you need a cap which is also 800.00 and they want the money upfront. Sorry this post is so long but it really is aweful how expensive dentists are and how lousy dental plans are. I spend more time at the dentist then the doctor. Hope things work out for you :aimeeyork :aimeeyork

teeth
 

Oh I forgot to mention that I brush my teeth 3 times a day and floss. But poor hygiene this is not the problem. My hubby and son do not care for their teeth like I do and have I think 2 to three fillings at the most. Atleast some in my family ha decent teeth lol

Sounds like your Mom will help you out & you will be able to wait a while for the crown. Moms are like that. They are always there for you. :D

Speedy recovery with getting your wisdom teeth removed. My one son's wisdom teeth were completely sideways & he had no problems getting them out. He also said the perkasets (sp) they give you for pain afterwards weren't bad either!

You definatly don't want to wait to pull wisdom teeth! I just had mine pulled 3 months ago! I had a impacted wisdom tooth, which I had a problem with my surgery because I am 30..so the root was longer than that of a 18year old, which I was told from the surgeon that's the age usally when the wisdom teeth are removed. My root grew around my nerve at my jaw bone..so now I have some nerve damage when it was removed! I am still on pain killers..yuk! Don't wait!

If it makes you feel any better, I haven't been to the dentist in almost 2 years :eek: Last time I went, they told me I had a few cavaties and from fear, I never went back. Yikes! I am the one in my family, that brushes like crazy and none of them have cavaties, but IIIII DO :mad:

yeah......... its been four years since my last visit, and i didnt have ANY cavaties,
lol........ i think i would have liked to have teh cavaties instead, they are cheaper :rolleyes:

You poor girl...besides the trauma of going through the work, the cost is ridiculous. I have had lots of problems with teeth due to a stupid roller blading incident where my son and his friends were teaching me tricks and I went down mouth first into the pavement. That was 4 years ago and I'm still having problems and have spent an absolute fortune on teeth!

How close are you to Mexico? I know several people who go to Mexico for their dental work and the charges are peanuts compared to the US! My neighbors went to Mexico for dental work which would have cost thousands to get done here and the one paid around $200 and I can't remember what her husband paid, but it was unbelievable. A cousin of mine went there needed lots of work and his bill was under $800...for a number of root canals and crowns. Some people take vacations and with what they save at the dentist in Mexico, it pays for their trips! Anyway...just something for you to think about.

I hope all goes well for you...I feel for you! Teeth are such a pain in the mouth and in the pocketbook!!! *HUGGGG*

Two years of not going for me. My dentist retired. I have really good insurance through my dad's job while I'm still in Undergrad. Every dentist that takes my insurance tells me that they have too many patients and are not accepting new ones. I think I need probably 5 fillings and a couple crowns. I am a "teeth grinder" too. :(

OMG :eek: $1200 I hope you can figure something out, good luck to you

i just got off the phone with the dentist, and my wisdom teeth are going to cost $355 dollars to be removed (that is including everything) and i have to pay a $50 consultation fee so have the oral surgeon tell me how they are going to do it (i dont like this fee.....lol..... just pull thsoe teeth out)