I’ve been suffering from some tooth pain and now it’s beeing coupled with some very nasty headaches so I need to get myself to a dentist asap.
I have no dental insurance however (my work only provides health insurance), and I need to get to a dentist soon.
I can’t really get dental insurance because they don’t cover preexisting conditions, and are extremely expensive. But I have seena a lot of websites with these dental discount plans which sound too good to be true. One, Delta dental in New Jersey promises upto 70% discount for some procedures (and as much as 30% to 50% on others) and almost immidiate cover (I could purchase it today and use it next week), all for around $100 a year or so.
Are there any downsides to these type of plans? Are there any other options for someone who doesn’t have dental insurance? Have oyu used one of these disount plans and liked it/were burned? Please le me know.
Delta Dental is a reputable company and is the primary dental provider for most of the mega-corps I work with although I don’t know much about their private plans. The claim is probably true however because they are big and have a strong influence on dentists. My wife and I had AFLACK for a while and that was no good. The coverage was all over the place for different procedures and even when something was partially covered, the dentist office had trouble getting paid and bugged me about it.
If you’re near Newark, have a look at the New Jersey Dental School They do charge, but it will at least be less than walking into a dentist’s office without insurance. Before you do that, check with these other two plans that may be cheaper and more convenient…
Delta’s “Patient Direct” program for individuals in NJ. It’s not insurance, but something closer to a “buyers club” where you pay an annual charge, then your dental care is done at a negotiated rate.
There’s also something called Careington that looks like it works very similarly to Delta’s Patient Direct and I’d expect their fees for service will be also very similar to Delta’s. Their fee schedule is here.
One thing to watch for is that it’s all ala carte, and if you walk in and say “my tooth hurts” and they need to pull it. you have to add up $17 for the exam, probably $45 for xrays, $58 for au uncomplicated extraction, or $60-150 for a composite (white resin) filling) and I’m sure you’ll want to spring for anaesthetic at another $14. That is crazy cheap for dental care, but you just need to be aware of all the little bits that will be added up. Root canals, OTOH, get really expensive no matter how you do them, and will quickly get near $1000 for the whole works.
My completely uneducated guess is that you do. And that’s worth as much as you paid me for it. Don’t panic, I just had one myself, and with current technology, it really can be the next closest thing to painless. That pain that’s turning into headaches means (most likely) that the nerve that runs across the side of your face is exposed within your tooth, or has a pocket of infection around it pressing on it. The root canal will get rid of the pain entirely, and it will do so very quickly - within a matter of hours. During a root canal, they drill into the roots of the tooth (usually two, sometimes up to four) and relieve the pressure on the nerve by scraping out a bunch of gunk, and then fill the hole with…well…filling material of some sort.
I have to be honest, though, I don’t think I would go to a school for a root canal, especially if it’s in a molar. Some molars have funky twisting roots, or more roots than one would expect, and you want someone experienced who can clean them all out the first time, without leaving any pockets of infection or bubbles in the filling material behind. I dunno…maybe a dentist can weigh in and tell us if it’s difficult or not, but I’m inclined to think that if someone is literally poking AT an inflamed nerve, I want that guy to have been doing this for at least 10 years before I get in his chair, y’know?
My dentist did a root canal, post and crown over 4 visits, two weeks apart for each. He let me pay for each step separately, so it was more-or-less a payment plan with no interest. The most I had to pay at one visit was $510, but I’m in a different state than you and I have a slight discount offered by my health insurance company (Blue Cross). It’s not dental insurance, but a discount plan for Blue Cross insureds.
I need a lot of dental work done and although I have dental insurance through work, it just doesn’t pay enough for me to afford it. I’ve been thinking about some medical tourism to Mexico to have it done there. where I understand it’s much, much cheaper. Does anyone have any experience with that?
You make it sound like the students are reading “How To Do A Root Canal” from a correspondence school. They’ve had a ton of classroom training, and have done a lot of simpler work before they get into the endodontic work. They’re also under a lot of supervision and mentoring by the professors. By the time students get to touch patients, they’re pretty much near the end of their training. (Every so often, I’ll see craigslist postings from students looking for people needing xyz treatment so they can finish their requirements and take the final exam.)
About 15 years ago, I had a root canal and porcelain crown done at University of the Pacific, and other than the color of the crown being a shade off, the work was every bit as good as a “regular” dentist. Strike that. It was **far ** better than the crown that was installed by a regular dentist downtown whose co-pay was significantly more than what I paid at the college.
It’s gonna run you about $1000, if you do. Just had one in October. They take several hours. I had mine done by a guy who specialized in them, not just a regular dentist. However, just pain alone does not mean you need a root canal. Only if the pulp of the tooth is compromised. They do them so you can keep the tooth, in lieu of extraction.
A couple of years ago, I had a treatment plan, including costs, done by a local dentist; the total cost was more than I could afford. I sent the plan and costs to three Mexican dental clinics. Their estimated costs were somewhat less than the local guy, but they were kind enough to include estimated costs of local hotels, dining, etc., etc., for a period of three weeks; the work I needed couldn’t be accomplished in less time than that. Plus, I would lose three weeks income. In short, if you are within driving distance of a border city Mexican dental clinic, the savings would be worthwhile. If you are not within driving distance, you best weigh ALL expenses associated with the project and not just the cost of the dental work.
Oh, you’re right. It’s not that they’re not qualified, it’s that I’m a total lameass wimp when it comes to my teeth. I didn’t go to a dentist for 14 years until my cracked molar and the pain made it Not An Option anymore. It’s just not an all-or-nothing game here. Method can be taught. Technique and ease can only be learned by lots of practice. I’m sure there are fantastic students who are naturally great at it, and there are experienced veterans who suck. I just choose to hedge my bets in favor of experience 'cause I’m a Wimpy McWimperson. YMM(obviously)V.
