Is My Dentist Telling Me the Truth?

I think a lot of them are going to the porcelain crowns. Out of pocket $500 soounds about right. I just had a bridge work done and so two crowns, filling...out of pocket was $3000(I have had to have a lot of work done this year so I had already used up my ins. limit)...take the $500 and run with it.

It will cost you more when they have to do a root canal...and I guarantee you they will. That's why I'm in the bridge position now! I waited too long,

Get a second opinion. Don't ever let anyone rush you into something. I have delayed dental work as has my husband and he had to have 2 root canals and see a special dentist to save a tooth that got infected. He is lucky the tooth could be saved and it cost $2300 for that.

The amount seems right. If you do not have the money for the crown yet, you can put it off awhile. He will put in a temporary filling. I had a temp filling for 2 years prior to getting my crown put on.

Actually, it sounds like you have good insurance AND he charges decent rates. My husband just had a crown done and we had to pay $540 for his part.

And you do want a porcelain crown. I don't know who would do the other kind, except maybe rappers who want the gold ones (more expensive for those, I assume.)

Crowns are great - I have to say. I love mine!

Dawn

Sounds about right, even with insurance. I've had 3 crowns...it's no big deal. Neither is a root canal--you won't feel a thing....

Sounds about right.. You do know the crown has to be custom made just for you..

See if he has a payment plan. For large dental bills. I make payments.

Dental work is very expensive to which I have recently found out also. Since you have been waiting a while by the sounds of it maybe you could get a second opinion from another dental office. There are many out there and make sure to find one your ins works with. Just FYI very few insurances will cover any work besides preventative. Best of Luck with your choice.

I have to agree... sounds like GREAT insurance, and good rates. Out of pocket after our mediocre insurance (my husband has terrible teeth) implants cost us about 4000 per tooth (Two 2k payments) and crowns about 2500. Each of these totals include the multiple appointments that go along with each. We chose to go with implants, because crowns often have to be redone, for the same sticker price, while the implants come with something of a 'lifetime guarantee' because they rarely if ever fail AND only involve the affected tooth (meaning no heathy teeth are being ground down to nubs). I know I sound like we're buying a car. When we're talking 4 teeth, we really are. What we do to mitgate the cost is to have the tooth pulled, and then have spacers put in. Spacers are dirt cheap, and the pulled tooth gum has to heal first before the implant can be put in anyway, so we're adding teeth at a rate of about 1 per year. But pulling them NOW (yes 2nd opinions gathered) keeps him from needing more root canals. The boys teeth LOOK fine, but man oh man, are they a MESS under the gums. Poor nutrition in your childhood will do a NUMBER on your mouth!

I was told by my regular dentist that I needed a crown and that it would cost $700. I didn't have insurance, so I decided to get a second opinion. My new dentist told me I didn't need a crown. That was 14 years ago and I still don't need a crown. I love my current dentist and trust her with my teeth. Get a second opinion!

Anything beyond the bare bones is considered cosmetic so the price sounds about right.

If you knew how little of your insurance premiums go to the dental portion you will understand why it covers so little. Just wait till you go get glasses. :(

Try another dentist 1st. My crown was 500 before insurance. My out of pocket was more like $160. I have Medico Dental insurance and it is good and it is cheap. $30 a month. There is a 1 yr waiting period on some things, but after 2 yrs, they pay 80% of almost anything.

I had a horrible cavity in between 2 teeth & my dentist tried to get in there to do fillings. They worked for about 18 months but then it started hurting again. I ended up needing a root canal in 1 of the 2 teeth which also involves a crown. Since he had already done a filling on that tooth he deducted that from the root canal/crown cost so it came out to be a mere $800. I almost threw up when he told me how much it was going to be since we DO have insurance.

My DH's crown was not cheap. I don't remember how much, but we were surprised at the cost, even after insurance. You can also go to another dentist to get a 2nd opinion, but I would not continue to wait. Just because it doesn't feel worse doesn't mean it's not worse and bacteria from tooth infections can be very dangerous.

Hate to say it, but I think it depends on your insurance. I had good dental insurance and my dentist insisted on replacing all my old metal fillings (none of which were bothering or loose - just preventative), also wanted to do a special gum treatment. I finally switched dentists (and insurance) and have had no talk of replacing fillings that are fine or extensive gum work. Shop around. That said, I think my SIL has paid $800 for crowns, though her insurance is horrible.

You could call around for prices. My dentist wanted to pull one of my teeth years ago. I told him no, it wasn't bothering me so just leave it alone. He really tried to convince me, but I didn't have the money so it really didn't matter what he said. Well, over five years later I still have the tooth and have NEVER had any pain so yeah, I think sometimes they suggest things that are not really necessary.

The charges are usually for the lab work to make the crown. I think $500 is reasonable. Mine cost about $1000 for one crown and that was with insurance. No they are not solid gold, diamond studded or platinum, LOL.
You can always get a second opinion from another dentist and compare.

I went to a dentist once that while sitting in the chair said my teeth looked fine blah blah. I got a call from the receptionist a short time later asking when I wanted to schedule an apt, I had 8 cavities etc etc. I was shocked! I asked how I could be told one thing in the chair and another on the phone. I didn't go back. I went to another dentist. I had 2 cavities that he took care of and I was good to go. Where were these 8!?! This is the same dentist that said I needed a root canal in a tooth and a bunch of extra expensive work done. I got a second opinion and found that the cavity did not go as deep as the first dentist implied and while it did need a crown it did not need a root canal.
There are dentists that will tack on extra work and expenses to make money.
I remeber talking to a man in the waiting room of the one I got the second opinion from and kept at my main dentist. He was saying he went for a second opinion after his dentist went on to list thousands of dollars of work he "needed". The dentist said he's seen it a lot.
If the dentist's office has all the latest equiptment and only does the most expensive options etc and so on think twice before taking them at their word. That money to buy all that gear has to come from somewhere.
I only get the porceline because I hate my teeth enough and am slowly working on fixing that. They do costmore than metal and even the best insurance does not pay that much of them because there are cheaper options available to you. They make you pay for your choice basicly. The dentist I see does offer metal fillings but I don't want them personally even if they would be free to me. The fact that my dentist offers them is a good sign that he's not in it for the money to me.
I wouldn't wait to get a second opinion because a tooth can head south faster than you think it can. But I would suggest a second opinion and get it taken care of soon.

Sounds about right. I got my first crown this year. I worry about this guy being able to predict a root canal. A second opinion may be worth it. I was in pain. My dentist said it was needed and I went for it. He also accepted payments. Our dentist treats all the relatives on my mom's side and is up to 3-4 generations. We love him and trust him completely!
He is also very easy on the eyes! "What? You need to pull all of my wisdom teeth? This will involve you holding me in a head lock for hours? OK!"

This sounds right, anything dental is expensive. The dentist has to pay the lab fee too. If you are in doubts of getting a crown and possible root canal, get another opinion or two. Maybe you will get the same advice...cost estimates are probably close to other offfice, treatment?? not so much.

thats cheaper then one crown i have. i had to have a front tooth crowed last year and i had to pay 1100 for it!! AFTER INSURANCE!!!. thats triple what it will cost me when i get all 4 wisdom teeth out and im getting knocked out for that!!!

what we did to cover the tooth i had crowned and my wisdom teeth (that will be done soon) is put the on the care credit my dentist offers then i can pay it down slowly.

I have Delta dental. I am getting the same thing done in a few weeks and my out of pocket will be around 250.00

Could you get a second opinion? Would you have to pay again, for another office visit/consultation?
I had a root canal. When the tooth becomes infected, yes, things go downhill fast. The pain comes on quick and for me, it was horrendous.
If you let it go to that point....believe me you will find yourself begging for an appt. to get the work done ASAP.
The actual root canal was painless...they completely numb the area. It was a relief!
They typically put the crown on at a separate visit. That was uncomfortable but NOT painful.
As far as I know, porcelain is standard now.
And I believe it's healthier, than having metal in your mouth.
And oh yeah....500 sounds standard, for a copay for that kind of work, with dental insurance. It's a ripoff.
Good luck!

That is the typical cost for a porcelan crown, after insurance pays around here, no matter which plan we are on. I keep trying to convince my husabdn to drop insurance and just pay as we go. I bet in the long run it is about the same, plus we do not get any perks with insurance like the teeth whiting discounts.

Just being there - i can say get a second opinion - i really liked the dentist i went to - the office was very high tech (lots of expenses!!) however i was told about a year or so ago i needed a crown - then it went to two - and i got the feeling they were disappointed that i wasn't making the app't (total for 2 was $2400) - then in April i was told i needed a 3rd!! on my b-day no less, now were talking LOTS of $$$$ ... i was feeling pressure and not comfortable - went for a second opinion - better payment plan - a little bit better pricing and i only NEEDed one crown - the new dentist said she can see where there may be problems down the road - but it isn't needed NOW ... much better than the other one!! Insurance, we have found is really expensive and not great coverage .... there is that dental credit card - 100% free of interest if it's paid off i the time period .... good luck!!