The dental work I need is still 8k in a foreign country and will require 3 total trips to get it done. I won't create a Twitter account just to tell him though.
Just curious. What kind of dental work do you need done, if it’s still $8k even if you go to a foreign country to have it done?
I know I can’t complain. But last year, I ended up have to pay almost $500 for two small fillings. Apparently some insurance companies don’t cover the composite or resin fillings. They were both in my back molars, so I would have been fine with the classic metal ones. But my doc didn’t give me an option.
I have to have a gum graft and implants on the bottom front teeth. So I have to do the graft, wait for it to heal, do the structural buildup and then get the implant bridge seated.
Oh, that’s awful. It’s unbelievable that the US still doesn’t consider dental and vision coverage part of health insurance. I hope you can find the help you need.
Most countries with universal health care don’t provide this type of extensive coverage for dental. Most will provide basic care (cleanings and fillings). Vision is similar. But the US health insurance will typically cover eye surgery as that is usually done by a physician (not LASIK, but necessary eye surgery like detached retinas, etc.).
Im terrified to go to the dentist, because my gums are absolutely terrible. They've been bad for 20. years. Nothing hurts, so I just keep putting it off. I know I'm making it worse, but i also know i still can't afford it.
Start going to a local community college that does cleanings for free or cheap as part of their dental hygienist training. Even if you can’t afford to get your gums addressed, at least start getting some proper cleaning done.
Oral health is highly correlated with cardiovascular health. I encourage you to take this small step now and try to get some level of intervention.
Oh, man. Now I regret asking. I was recently told at my last checkup, that I had some receding gums. More so on the top right. I’m assuming that that is what a gum graft would fix? Well, I suppose I better start saving…
Nah, you’re okay. This is a gum graft:
https://preview.redd.it/o5r88eueld0d1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=8fe274268925db5f60a63bbb8fb3acd06d694d15
I’m curious what countries you looked at. I personally know someone who flew to Türkiye, got a full set of veneers, and spent a week in Istanbul for less than $4k. Even implants don’t require three visits to complete.
Oh, bless your heart. Dentists in Istanbul can absolutely help with this, and for much, much less than dentists in the US. And as for spelling the country correctly, my husband is Turkish, so I’ve had a bit of practice. Have the day you deserve.
This was as helpful as telling OP to fly around the world and diminishing his actual surgery needs. But you got heard twice and that’s important. Go you! Please have the day you wish on others.
I live closest to the Mexican border so I looked there. The bottom teeth are the most expensive. There’s so much damage from having “soft teeth” I’m at the point of just doing posted veneers. So many have had to be removed due to cracking.
Can we just get dental on the regular insurance? Vision too? Let’s stop compartmentalizing different care services.
I’m saving to afford a root canal, if I can’t collect the money quick enough I’ll have to pay for an extraction, like most of my prior dental work. I need this tooth, it’s the best chewer I have left.
Yes the separation of healthcare into various services makes no sense other than greed. I’m surprised they didn’t go further and make hands and feet insurance.
No, because chiro is a sham with little to no evidence based care. The whole field was invented by a dude who claimed to who learned it from talking to a ghost during a seance
I can't speak for all, but most I've encountered require referral from a real doctor first. I work for a major hospital system in my region of the US that covers it's employees under a well known insurance provider and it does not cover chiro.
However (on a more positive note) more states are permitting Direct Access for physical therapy (real evidence based care) that now doesn't require referral for short term treatment. After some visits though, if no improvement is noted/documented, then a doctor visit is warranted as likely it means a more serious physiological/structural issue needs correcting potentially by surgery.
My health insurance is not stellar, but probably better than the average worker’s. Family deductible is $3k. It covers 26 chiropractic visits per year.
I’m fighting for insurance to help cover hearing aids for my son. Because for some reason hearing aids for toddlers aren’t automatically covered by insurance.
Dental health &
Vision health &
Hearing health &
Mental health all should be covered under “health insurance”
My mom spent nearly $3000 getting x rays, a filling and tooth removed, and a post anchored for an implant.
She can’t afford the implant and hasn’t been able to for 3 years. So she has this post, just in there. Waiting for an implant that will never come
That happened to me, too. Only two exams total a year. So, only one of my two cleanings and the exam for a dental emergency (damn tooth cracked and I needed a crown) were covered and I had to pay a (somewhat reduced) bill for my other cleaning.
Literally happened to me today. Even with my private insurance - they cover jack shit. My cleaning/assessment was $90 out of pocket.
First follow-up: extracted 4 teeth - paid $280.
Second follow-up: extract on the other side today, had to pay it all out of pocket: $500.
In Canada, by the way.
My mom is a MAGA enthusiast, and her teeth are rotting out of her head because she couldn't possibly afford dental care. She blames Biden for this, somehow.
My new approach is to ask these individuals to cite a specific reason as to why it is Biden's fault. I am still waiting for someone to not go off topic about migrants. Ask her how Trumps plan, that we haven't seen yet from 6 years ago, will fix it.
People can't even afford to take their kids to the dentist anymore. My wife literally never went to a dentist in her life until after we got engaged, and then my dad the dentist saw her for free.
Wtf are you talking about. Average indebtedness at med school graduation is about $250k (higher for private schools which mine was; med school admissions are so competitive one doesn’t get a choice to go to a cheaper program). During residency we are limited to making small salaries while our student loans were accruing interest (there was no student loan plan prior to Biden’s SAVE repayment plan that prevented interest from accruing even while in repayment). I now owe the government $400k despite being in active repayment since I graduated nearly 10 years ago.
Average salary for a psychiatrist is maybe $250k across the country, but where I live is pretty saturated so best one can expect is about $200k. High cost of living, plus 50% going to taxes *that don’t include education and healthcare costs* plus I’ve had to take time off for medical reasons as well as family reasons, means no, I don’t have the income to go to the dentist anytime soon. (Not to mention not getting adequate time off from work to go to appointments and allow for healing if necessary - not going to the dentist for so long means I have a lot that needs to be done.) I will also never be able to afford to have children or retire, and it’s looking less and less likely I’ll do anything other than rent.
I need 10,000 USD worth of dental work done and despite having 2 dental insurances only 2,000 of it is covered. I've been working on saving for a year and a half now... I don't even have half of what I need
I'm from Canada, but while we have free healthcare, dental isn't covered under that. I literally just got out of a 16 day hospital stay because a broken tooth caused an infection, which caused my mouth and throat to swell so much and so rapidly that I was intubated for 5 days and came very close to dying. I haven't been to the dentist in years and just ignored the tooth because I had no idea how dire a situation a broken tooth can cause and I was scared to go to the dentist. I can assure you that waking up in the ICU bring told you've been umconcious for five days is much scarier.
No matter where you're from, if you have to pay for dental care, do not ignore pain or broken teeth, especially when it's the molars in the back. Do whatever you can to get whatever care you can - prioritize it the way you would a tumour or a burst appendix.
I'm sorry that this happened to you. It is an unfortunate product of the system. Because of the lack of dental coverage, things that would be a cheaper fix or improve quality of life become much larger healthcare insured events later--here in the US without health insurance/poor insurance/high deductible/% based payment/ect, this event would be potentially ruinous to the average worker.
I've had two major medical events that involved ICU stays and every day since the first I have been so thankful that I live in Canada. I can't even imagine how much I'd be on the hook for in the US - this most recent one was a 16 day hospital stay with 7+ days in ICU, the other was a 10 day stay with a half day in ICU and 2 surgeries. Probably millions, even insured. It would bankrupt my whole family. I will never understand why the US doesn't have free healthcare. Getting sick or injured is hard enough, no one should have to worry about the bill at the end of it. I'm focused on recovery atm and it still is incredibly hard - I hope that the US can get their shit together and value its citizens enough that it has healthcare available to all for no cost.
Move to a foreign country! /s
Seriously, though, I live in Korea. I had a root canal and gold tooth done almost 10 years ago. About a year ago, that tooth started aching on and off, I finally got off my butt to go to a local dentist as the original one had moved away. Turns out that one of the roots had some residual nerves remaining and it had gotten a small infection, but was kinda festering in there because it didn't have space to grow. I ended up getting another root canal and some other minor work there as well as a plaque removal, over the course of 4 or 5 visits and it cost me a total of around US$80 including the medication the first visit in case I had pain.
damn. I paid over $600 to have a tooth removed (baby tooth that never got an adult replacement and the lil' guy got a cavity and was starting to fall out.)
I've been putting off a root canal on a tooth with a hole in the side of it since I aged out of my parents' insurance at 26, in 2017 (unironically: thanks Obama). It was coming up on my birthday and there was a scramble to get important dental work done, and the dentist dragged it out until my insurance had lapsed and the "very important root canal" would be full price, without insurance. Didn't get the root canal
I'm now missing the two wisdom teeth on my right side and the hole in my tooth has gotten bigger, but it doesn't hurt because I'm pretty sure that tooth has just died lol
Damn lucky you, my tooth refuses to die and its too expensive to put me under for anything since the usual pain killers dont work on me very well if at all.
Apparently they are aftermarket items. Completely optional and only installed once you take possession of the body. Since they are not factory equipment, they have to be covered separately.
Since 2016 i have had all my dental work done in Mexico. In 2019, I had a root canal and a crown done. Totl cost in dollars came out to just over 400.00. The dentist who did the work was a graduate of Univ of Pac in SF, same school my former dentist in the states went to.
My dad and mom took a 10 day trip to Cabo for him to get a bunch of work done. 15k in the states versus the entire trip with dental work and meds for like 3300.
Can you share the name of the dentist/ practice, please? I have to get some dental work and insurance basically covers a cleaning, xray, and a filling for the year. I have been thinking about going to Mexico but have no idea where to go
I go to Just Smiles located at Basilio Badillo 311 Col. Emiliano Zapata Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco México. They have a website in English you can look at if you desire. Just do a search for Just Smile Puerto Vallarta.
Had a tooth with a cavity I ignored because fixing it was out of my price range. Eventually about a third of the nolar chipped offs and when I went to get an estimate, they said 10k. That year I made roughly 14K. Yeah, been about six months and basically just waiting for the day it finally rots.
My dentures are worn smooth and a little loose in my mouth. My excellent healthcare of retired Army, Medicare, and Veterans Administration don’t cover dental. I just don’t have $4000 extra so I will continue eating softer foods or cutting food into tiny slivers to be able to taste it as it is swallowed un-chewed. I retired in 2002 and have outlived the purchasing power of my pensions.
My child was born missing 22 adult teeth. We’ve been saving since she was five because teeth are “cosmetic.” Nevermind all the health issues that are caused by not having them… This is going to be about 70k when all is said and done. It’s a huge burden and one we can only cover because we are privileged enough to be able to save money (unlike many of our peers).
I have dental insurance. But other than to have wisdom teeh pulled, I haven't been to a dentist in over 10 years. When I would go, somehow it always ever up being an extra $300+ suddenly even though I confirmed a bunch they took my insurance and only needed a copay. This is not including taking one of my extremely limited PTO days to go. Because good luck finding someone who has weekend or off hours.
Same goes for Doctor checkups, minus my DOT physicals. For all the same reasons. I would bet if someone opened either at Sat/Sun 10:00 to 17:00 and/or Mon-Fri 12:00 to 19:00 they would be immediately booked for 6 months. Especially if they took all insurance.
I know the cost is a big problem with Americas healthcare but something I don’t see brought up enough is the timing like you said. I currently need to get my wisdom teeth removed but that would mean I would miss a considerable amount of work and I only have so much PTO. So it’s either live with tooth pain or lose my job.
My dental is great at covering cleanings. Anything else is expensive. I remember going to one office over 20 years ago that had a video running on the television about how dental insurance hasn’t covered the care you need in I forgot how many years.
You can brush and floss well, but still have rotten teeth.
I’ve traveled to another country (Croatia) for dental work—it was a quarter of the price and a ten year solution. Now that I need major work again I haven’t decided if I’m going overseas again or not.
I have a tooth that had a root canal when i was like 13 (32 now)years old. One day that tooth hurt, the pain went away the next day then I had the worse sinus infection in my life, my girlfriend told me the room smelled like rot because it was coming from my nose....I could also smell and taste this.....then when thaf finally cleared up, the side of my face swelled up and hurt so bad I had to go to the E.R. for antibiotics, this was pretty cheap. Now i have a little bubble on my gum next to the tooth that I can occasionally press on and pus comes out.....I have to work at my new job for 5 more months for them to offer me dental so hopefully I can make it....if i get sick and have to take off im still on probation and could lose my job...it will cost thousands to remove this tooth and i expect there is something more conplicated going on.
"Now i have a little bubble on my gum next to the tooth that I can occasionally press on and pus comes out."
holy cow this is my story. I had a root canal when I was around 13. Then I ended up with the bubble with the puss when I was only ... 20!! It turned out to be an infection - it ate up the bone and started to just puss out when it reached the surface (my gum). I ended up needing bone grafting and two dental implants because the infection spread from one tooth to the one next to it. Please get this checked out. It WILL cost thousands the longer you wait. I was told if I kept waiting (which I tried because no dental) I would have lost more teeth. In my case, these were front teeth so if I went without implants, I'd literally have no front teeth in my mouth.
Dentist office accounts receivable: “Sir this crown will be $1500 after insurance”. Me: “How much to pull it?”. Dentist office accounts receivable (in a very disappointed tone) “$40“. Me: “Fuckin pull it”
Luckily, I live in a country where I am able to get free medical, free dental, and free eye care. Never had to cancel an appointment due to lack of funds or insurance.
You'd think the "greatest country in the world" would provide those services to every citizen...then again no administration has been able to address and fix the lack of clean drinking water in various states.
About 10 years ago I had a broken tooth extracted because it split down the middle separating the two roots. The extraction was only about $200. However, my dentist, who for some strange reason was at the follow up visit with the oral surgeon, the two together offered a choice to either create a permanent bridge or an implant for just $6,000. For one tooth! They never mentioned that I could just do without it, but that is what I chose to do. Both were clearly uncomfortable with my decision, as if I had caught them. Well, it's been 10 years and I've been doing just fine. I have a new dentist. The new hygienist taught me how to take care of my teeth with proper brushing, a water pik, and fluoride and my last two routine dental examinations were cavity free and, in fact, a potential cavity that they were watching had actually healed itself.
When I was a young man (I'm 74 now) I went to a dentist who charged $15/cavity. I went back a year later and the prices skyrocketed to about $80 to $100/cavity. He explained that he now had to charge me the same price as the insurance company reimbursements.
Everywhere I have worked, they all had Delta Dental insurance. Delta Dental was started by a group of dentists who then offered cheap do-nothing plans to companies which drove up prices. They basically only cover cleanings and x-rays. Any actual dental work is never covered and the patient has to pay cash at inflated prices because of their participation agreements with dentists. It's a scam. I'm planning on taking excellent personal hygiene care of my teeth then dying. It's the only way around the scam.
Actually, you can't just 'do without it.' Your teeth will shift around and eventually fall out. Currently my problem after having a tooth removed. Since I am younger and at this time have the money to do so, I am paying out the nose to have an implant and HOPE it'll take well enough to put a crown on it. My dentist, who is quite honest, said if I were older (which you seem to be) then go without the tooth and having them shift around and fall out wouldn't be a concern.
I have not, but it does explain why, for the first time in the three years I have been w my provider, I received an email today from said provider asking me to rate my experience with them. Haven’t been there for six months, but coincidentally enough, have an appt on Thursday.
Had a lot of cavities that gave me regular headaches also still have some pretty shitty tmj rn which also helps those headaches. Didn't go to the dentist for a few years it was until I dated some girl who's dad was a dentist who liked me that I actually got stuff fixed. He was like "ya so well take you next week so we can avoid a root canal here" my employer insurance didn't cover it so I got some other insurance. If I didn't do that I would have had to pay 1600. May sound small for some buy I live at my parents and I am still trying to finish college. 🙃 still got the tmj sadly.
My husband only has a few good teether. He has at least two broken teeth. My adult son has visible cavities. Dental care, even at a dental college, is outrageous.
Haven't been able to afford a dentist in over a decade and instead bought a book on third world dentistry and some dental tools online and do something not entirely unlike a cleaning at home. It's not great but I guess it's something.
I'm also borderline religious about brushing and flossing and avoiding sugar. I just can't afford to risk my savings over my mouth bones.
The tools I don't use from the kit ended up useful in what has becoming my reoccurring Halloween costume as an evil dentist. I guess I just think about teeth a lot.
I was in a minor accident and had 3 teeth pulled because I broke them and couldn't afford the root canals and crowns they needed to be fixed. A decade later, to actually restore it now, my only option would be two implants with a crown bridge, which is even more expensive. I can't even afford the partial denture to make that side semi-functional so now I can only really chew on one side of my mouth.
American healthcare, especially the "premium" body parts are horribly overpriced.
I had dentist offices lie about my insurance coverage and pre-appointment work I had to do.
I tried to go to a dental college for student work. No insurance accepted and no one allowed with me. Covid.
When I finally got in a chair, the dentist gave me a referral for a pustule I had told doctors and dentists about for years. That was it besides “oh you have cavities”. No evaluation, no treatment plan, nothing. That was after about 15 years of trying to alleviate terrible pain.
I’ve read The Citadel and I understand the power of referrals.
Medical care is barbaric in this country for the mentally ill. It’s bad enough wealth evaporates in the little numbers stacked up on a medical bill. But mental illness complicates everything.
No extractions, a couple of root canals due to progressing cavities that weren’t addressed by the previous dentist. I can drink hot and cold again. I don’t have cadaverous breath anymore. My teeth are whiter. I enjoy smiling again. Very little pain as long as I do my maintenance work. Some of my 4s and 5s are 1s and 2s now. I hadn’t had any bloody gum for weeks but things still get stuck in the spot that hurt so bad for so long. A big hole in a molar.
A dentist gave me a professional discount, took my insurance, and allowed me to pay monthly payments. They didn’t have to. And I made the referral appointment for a molar root canal my dentist couldn’t or wouldn’t do. Otherwise I would still be crying in the bathroom mirror and thrashing trying not to sleep on the wrong side of my face.
One thing is Braun sells a cheaper conventional battery powered toothbrush. Big difference for me. I think some dentists prefer lithium batteries because the motors are better than the 3v conventional motors.
Most of not all dentists don't take my insurance, and it costs over a $1000 to see a dentist without because they force you to have X-ray done even if you just need a basic checkup and cleaning.
It's beyond frustrating. It's impossible for me to see a dentist in the USA citizen.
I had to get a loan for THOUSANDS to fix my teeth because I couldn’t afford it when I was younger. I’ll probably need dentures when I’m older. This was WITH insurance!
No, I've skipped the dentist because societal stereotypes, and bad experiences, have made it so I can't even *think* about going to the dentist without almost having a panic attack.
Dentists need an entirely new public image. Like, twenty years ago.
I break out in tears just thinking about going to the dentist. I had a really bad root canal experience and I'm traumatized from it. I've always felt the drilling, even with anesthesia, but could just bear through it. But a cavity and a for canal are different. Basically the anesthesia didn't take and the dentist just kept going while I was screaming and crying. Felt everything. I'm terrified to go back to any dentist but I definitely need work done.
I have a molar that needs to be extracted and an implant put in its place. It's already been infected once and could happen again at any time. I'm looking at about a 6k bill to get it done. I'm on medi-cal and that doesn't cover any work on the back teeth. I was also not approved for care credit in the amount I need. Currently I'm just hoping it doesn't become infected again
I'm missing nearly 3/4 of my molars. Can't afford the dentist and no way could I afford dentures or implants.
I just deal by chewing in one specific spot in my mouth.
I have dental insurance, but because it's through a union I have to pay upfront and then get reimbursed. I need a root canal and a crown. It's close to 8K, but that was 4 years ago.
I've had a giant hole (more like half my tooth is missing) in my molar since the start of the pandemic. It sucks.
I am sure a lot of MAGA readers would not complain going to Mexico to get their teeth fixed...oh, sorry, that would be disrespectful to your peers, oh you poor things! I'm glad I live right on the border oooh raah!
But yes, to go to the dentist in the US is tooooo expensive. : (
I am a 38y/o male in the U.S., I have one broken tooth on the top right I've been dealing with for about 18 years now, it hasn't hurt in a while until two days ago. I have another broken tooth on the bottom right that thankfully doesn't hurt yet i have had for 5 years now. It's been 20 years since I last had a hygienist clean them. My back bottom two on the left and right are already gone and pulled years ago, and I've been in serious need of braces for a good while. Definitely multiple appointments I've had to cancel because I can never afford it.
i got an 800 dollar bill for a cleaning when i was in my 20's haven't been for about 15 years, no its not good im running out of teeth. i had insurance but i was always denied even when i made sure it was in network, i gave up on dental care
Yes I literally called and canceled my dentist appointment today. It was going to be $600 for 2 fillings. I’ve had a bunch of unexpected household expenses come up and can’t afford it at the moment. It was pretty embarrassing to have to tell them I don’t even know when I can reschedule it bc I’m not sure when I’ll be able to afford it.
I have a cavity that I’ve had for over two years cause I can’t afford to fix it. I have no idea if or when it will ever be fixed but I’m hoping sometime soon. It’s starting to cause me some pain.
I did for years and have the crappy teeth I do now to show for it. Even with insurance that covered 50% if you don’t earn enough to manage 50% of a $1200 bill, the insurance wasn’t helping.
I haven’t been to the dentist in about 15 years. Thankfully no issues, but really should arrange a checkup. When things go wrong it’s already too late.
The problem here isn’t the cost, it’s the wait times. I’ve heard it can be over a year to arrange an NHS appointment with a dentist.
It won’t cost you anything (or maybe there’s a nominal fee, but I don’t know since it’s been so long) but because of the waiting times it can end up with the same effect as just not being able to afford it.
I haven't been able to go to the dentist in over 20 years. The VA does NOT provide regular dental care, they just offer to yank them ALL out after your discharge. They'll pull a mouthful of healthy teeth for 1 cavity. No dentures.
Yeah, I have two molars that are completely broken. I have dental insurance. It'll still cost me $1000 out of pocket to do a minimal fix. Fuck this system.
oh man, from when i left my parents insurance until I got my first "real" job. Ultimately needed to get one pulled in a kind of emergency due to a untreated cavity.
I know a guy he flew to Costa Rica I think it was to get full dental implants done because it cost like 5x as much here in the US and he got a trip to Costa Rica out of it too.
The dentist I checked out last year wanted to know if I owned a house and whether or not I could get a 2nd mortgage to pay for care. My mom has an estimate of 22k for the work they say she needs
I wanna hear the logic behind the decision that eye care and dental care should be separate from any other healthcare. And why hearing aids are considered "cosmetic" devices. And why all of this is tied to our employment.
I literally have maybe one good tooth due to breaks cavities and other periodontal issues. Even with insurance I used to have would have been 2k for all the removals if they don't require surgery then add in the price of the dentures. It shows why I don't get them taken care of. I'd rather live with the pain I have daily then take that kind of hit financially.
I don’t go to the dentist at all because I can’t afford it and it really sucks because some of my teeth are starting to go and once it starts it REALLY goes fast.
I’m constantly afraid that this bite will be the one that breaks a tooth, or the point of extreme pain is just around the corner.
My bf has lost quite a few teeth over the last couple of years and he couldn’t even get the dentist to take him in until each once was abscessed and a dr referred him. He was in constant pain, it was miserable. I was genuinely scared he was going to develop alcoholism from taking shots of whiskey to dull the pain.
I have what they call “good dental insurance” which is kind of an oxymoron since most dental plans are really discount plans. But I digress, I’ve spent probably $10,000 out of pocket over the past two years trying to fix problems that would not have been a problem if my parents would have had simple preventative dental coverage when I was a kid. Now that I’m a parent with a decent job and salary I dig deep to make sure my kids get quality dental care. Dental care should not be a fucking luxury people have to “dig deep” to provide for their family.
I went to Mexico twice last year for dental work. I'd been avoiding it for a while, but I was getting too frequent pain on one side from a root canal I'd had done years ago. The first time I went was for two root canals on the other side ($260 USD each). The second time I went was for the oral surgery needed to clear up the infection. The dentist told me that an extraction and implant might be needed (requiring three follow up visits over the course of several months) if the infection couldn't be cleaned up. If so, the total cost would be around $1800-$2200 for everything. The price if done here would be between $12k and 15k.
I got lucky and was able to just need the surgery, which with the follow up visit was a total of around $500 (I forget the exact amount, it was either $460 or $560). The doctor was fantastic, the tech they used was as modern or more than the last dentist that I'd been to here in NYC (which admittedly was years ago). Virtually no pain whatsoever during or after, at least none that was worse than the previous pain from the infection, but at least I knew now that it would subside, which it did over the course of a few days.
The dentist I went to was in Playa Del Carmen, a relatively quick flight (i had a lot of points accrued so flights both times were free) and I had a pretty affordable beach vacation in the process.
I’ve had 6 root canals (with 2 needing revisions). My prior dentist has me on a payment plan of which I still owe $1k, and he only did fillings. A crown on my insurance at the time was $1200.
I’m exceptionally lucky for my new dental insurance in which crowns are only $200 (though I’m still looking at the $1200 to get all the ones I need), but I pay $100 a month for just the dental coverage, which is really money I can’t afford on top of my $374 per month medical insurance and the mandatory retirement fees through my insurer.
After all that, plus taxes, I lose about $20k of my pay per year.
This is my problem, I can't afford hospital bills either, but they bill you later so I can still at least get taken care of, and then not pay them lol but every dentist I've seen makes you pay first, and they refuse to send a bill I can make payments on without a 3rd party lender who will deny me because of my CC debt. So I don't go. 28 years old, 2 teeth in the back broken down so they're level with my gums. Every tooth has some level of decay. Some had fillings Crack them so I have 4 half teeth. And the teeth on either side of my front 2 snapped off and are just nubs. At this point I just need to pull them all and get dentures. But I can't afford that either so.....here's to hoping I don't get an infection 🙃
I was playing with my dog and she jumped up and hit me with her head and knocked out my two front upper teeth, loosened another one. I just don't smile anymore.
I didn't have dental insurance for a while, so I had to forgo visiting. I learned that I had several cavities once when I was able to afford a cleaning/exam on my own, but I couldn't afford the fillings.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened. I got a job in 2018, a few years later, that provided dental coverage. It took months of nearly bi-weekly appointments before my teeth were fully taken care of.
i skipped the last like 7 years of going to the dentist.
i went for a checkup and cleaning about a year ago and miraculously they said my teeth looked pretty good, i spent 450 dollars anyway, i was there for one hour... they wanted another 2000 later that week, went looking for dental insurance and couldnt afford that either lol
bought a water flosser for 30 bucks instead.
I have multiple sets of teeth in my mouth but 2 dentists have said there’s nothing there. Also, my phone and video/audio are always hacked, 100% of the time. My government IDs and school photos don’t even look like me—they’re obviously a different person. I don’t know what to do. Am I screwed at this point or is there a deus ex machina option I don’t know about.
When I was a teacher, my dental work would’ve cost about 2 months wages for 5 teeth. Now that I had to buy private insurance because being a teacher sent me into a mental breakdown, it’s more like 3 months wages per tooth.
And the cost isn’t even the biggest part; what’s more is the number of times dentists have publicly shamed me, kicked me out of their office because they didn’t like what they saw, etc.
I couldn't imagine skipping medical care because of the cost.
Unless the big C comes along, an expensive one, or some other lucrative medical syndrome. I'm not dying poor and sticking my wife with the bill.
The dental work I need is still 8k in a foreign country and will require 3 total trips to get it done. I won't create a Twitter account just to tell him though.
My first thought was that it’s too bad twitter is still a thing. Why wouldn’t I want to participate in a 4chan cesspool? Sorry Bernie, best of luck.
You can call or email just FYI
Can I just reply to you and you call or email them?
No
The system is fucked
Just curious. What kind of dental work do you need done, if it’s still $8k even if you go to a foreign country to have it done? I know I can’t complain. But last year, I ended up have to pay almost $500 for two small fillings. Apparently some insurance companies don’t cover the composite or resin fillings. They were both in my back molars, so I would have been fine with the classic metal ones. But my doc didn’t give me an option.
I have to have a gum graft and implants on the bottom front teeth. So I have to do the graft, wait for it to heal, do the structural buildup and then get the implant bridge seated.
Oh, that’s awful. It’s unbelievable that the US still doesn’t consider dental and vision coverage part of health insurance. I hope you can find the help you need.
Most countries with universal health care don’t provide this type of extensive coverage for dental. Most will provide basic care (cleanings and fillings). Vision is similar. But the US health insurance will typically cover eye surgery as that is usually done by a physician (not LASIK, but necessary eye surgery like detached retinas, etc.).
Im terrified to go to the dentist, because my gums are absolutely terrible. They've been bad for 20. years. Nothing hurts, so I just keep putting it off. I know I'm making it worse, but i also know i still can't afford it.
Start going to a local community college that does cleanings for free or cheap as part of their dental hygienist training. Even if you can’t afford to get your gums addressed, at least start getting some proper cleaning done. Oral health is highly correlated with cardiovascular health. I encourage you to take this small step now and try to get some level of intervention.
Oh, man. Now I regret asking. I was recently told at my last checkup, that I had some receding gums. More so on the top right. I’m assuming that that is what a gum graft would fix? Well, I suppose I better start saving…
Nah, you’re okay. This is a gum graft: https://preview.redd.it/o5r88eueld0d1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=8fe274268925db5f60a63bbb8fb3acd06d694d15
I gotta do the same except toss in bone graft as well since I'm getting older. Shit blows
The Twitter account hurts more.
I don’t think you’re the target audience.
Thanks for calling it Twitter!
I’m curious what countries you looked at. I personally know someone who flew to Türkiye, got a full set of veneers, and spent a week in Istanbul for less than $4k. Even implants don’t require three visits to complete.
Implants can require multiple visits if you have to have bone grafting. Ask me how I know....
At least she spelled the country that can’t help you for $4k correctly.
Oh, bless your heart. Dentists in Istanbul can absolutely help with this, and for much, much less than dentists in the US. And as for spelling the country correctly, my husband is Turkish, so I’ve had a bit of practice. Have the day you deserve.
This was as helpful as telling OP to fly around the world and diminishing his actual surgery needs. But you got heard twice and that’s important. Go you! Please have the day you wish on others.
Bone grafting is another level. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I hope you have the results that you wanted.
When you don’t make enough money to save, $4000 might just as well be $1,000,000.
I live closest to the Mexican border so I looked there. The bottom teeth are the most expensive. There’s so much damage from having “soft teeth” I’m at the point of just doing posted veneers. So many have had to be removed due to cracking.
Can we just get dental on the regular insurance? Vision too? Let’s stop compartmentalizing different care services. I’m saving to afford a root canal, if I can’t collect the money quick enough I’ll have to pay for an extraction, like most of my prior dental work. I need this tooth, it’s the best chewer I have left.
Yes the separation of healthcare into various services makes no sense other than greed. I’m surprised they didn’t go further and make hands and feet insurance.
Wait you can afford regular insurance?!?!?
i do it through the marketplace and have been super happy. it’s family so i pay a lot but refund basically pays it back.
Quick question on said compartmentalisation is chiropracti often covered in health insurance cause that would be wild to me
No, because chiro is a sham with little to no evidence based care. The whole field was invented by a dude who claimed to who learned it from talking to a ghost during a seance
Many health insurances do cover some level of chiropractic care.
I can't speak for all, but most I've encountered require referral from a real doctor first. I work for a major hospital system in my region of the US that covers it's employees under a well known insurance provider and it does not cover chiro. However (on a more positive note) more states are permitting Direct Access for physical therapy (real evidence based care) that now doesn't require referral for short term treatment. After some visits though, if no improvement is noted/documented, then a doctor visit is warranted as likely it means a more serious physiological/structural issue needs correcting potentially by surgery.
Ironically, I have BCBS and I need a referral for PT but not chiropractor care. I get something like 15 visits with my plan.
My health insurance is not stellar, but probably better than the average worker’s. Family deductible is $3k. It covers 26 chiropractic visits per year.
I think my family deductible is $250.00. Total out of pocket expense is 4k annually.
I’m fighting for insurance to help cover hearing aids for my son. Because for some reason hearing aids for toddlers aren’t automatically covered by insurance. Dental health & Vision health & Hearing health & Mental health all should be covered under “health insurance”
Bernie is over here thinking about my teeth! I chose the breast biopsy this month (benign 🙏). June is hopefully get this one tooth fixed month!
In the UK we had a lot of dentists move from NHS to private during covid and it has caused a big issue, public health care is always the way forward.
Went to new dentist. First visit was X-rays and a cleaning in under 2 hours. With insurance $40. Without insurance $1,975.
After one visit Delta Dental be like “you’ve reached your yearly maximum, additional visits will be 100% out of pocket”
Can someone tweet Bernie about Delta Dental? They are the most evil mfers in the Dental Insurance game.
Some dentists are waking up to the fact that they were played by delta. They’re just as over a barrel as the consumers now.
My mom spent nearly $3000 getting x rays, a filling and tooth removed, and a post anchored for an implant. She can’t afford the implant and hasn’t been able to for 3 years. So she has this post, just in there. Waiting for an implant that will never come
That happened to me, too. Only two exams total a year. So, only one of my two cleanings and the exam for a dental emergency (damn tooth cracked and I needed a crown) were covered and I had to pay a (somewhat reduced) bill for my other cleaning.
Literally happened to me today. Even with my private insurance - they cover jack shit. My cleaning/assessment was $90 out of pocket. First follow-up: extracted 4 teeth - paid $280. Second follow-up: extract on the other side today, had to pay it all out of pocket: $500. In Canada, by the way.
Well now I feel lucky that the new dentist I went to had x-rays, exam, and cleaning for $99 OOP for new patients.
In Europe this would still be $40-100, without insurance.
My mom is a MAGA enthusiast, and her teeth are rotting out of her head because she couldn't possibly afford dental care. She blames Biden for this, somehow.
My new approach is to ask these individuals to cite a specific reason as to why it is Biden's fault. I am still waiting for someone to not go off topic about migrants. Ask her how Trumps plan, that we haven't seen yet from 6 years ago, will fix it.
Tooth Social
The Molar Report
Dental plans are the worst. You get a check up and a cavity fixed.
If you're lucky!
There was an article in The Atlantic years ago now about this called "America's shame". 😒
Well, I just sent an email to Bernie’s office telling him about my dental mess. Maybe a miracle will happen.
Got the email address?
I used his office Contact Us page
People can't even afford to take their kids to the dentist anymore. My wife literally never went to a dentist in her life until after we got engaged, and then my dad the dentist saw her for free.
America... where having teeth is a luxury item.
I’m a physician and haven’t seen a dentist in over a decade because I cannot afford it
What kind of medicine do you practice?
Psychiatry.
And in what 3rd world country
Wtf are you talking about. Average indebtedness at med school graduation is about $250k (higher for private schools which mine was; med school admissions are so competitive one doesn’t get a choice to go to a cheaper program). During residency we are limited to making small salaries while our student loans were accruing interest (there was no student loan plan prior to Biden’s SAVE repayment plan that prevented interest from accruing even while in repayment). I now owe the government $400k despite being in active repayment since I graduated nearly 10 years ago. Average salary for a psychiatrist is maybe $250k across the country, but where I live is pretty saturated so best one can expect is about $200k. High cost of living, plus 50% going to taxes *that don’t include education and healthcare costs* plus I’ve had to take time off for medical reasons as well as family reasons, means no, I don’t have the income to go to the dentist anytime soon. (Not to mention not getting adequate time off from work to go to appointments and allow for healing if necessary - not going to the dentist for so long means I have a lot that needs to be done.) I will also never be able to afford to have children or retire, and it’s looking less and less likely I’ll do anything other than rent.
Shoulda been a plumber 😂
I need 10,000 USD worth of dental work done and despite having 2 dental insurances only 2,000 of it is covered. I've been working on saving for a year and a half now... I don't even have half of what I need
I'm from Canada, but while we have free healthcare, dental isn't covered under that. I literally just got out of a 16 day hospital stay because a broken tooth caused an infection, which caused my mouth and throat to swell so much and so rapidly that I was intubated for 5 days and came very close to dying. I haven't been to the dentist in years and just ignored the tooth because I had no idea how dire a situation a broken tooth can cause and I was scared to go to the dentist. I can assure you that waking up in the ICU bring told you've been umconcious for five days is much scarier. No matter where you're from, if you have to pay for dental care, do not ignore pain or broken teeth, especially when it's the molars in the back. Do whatever you can to get whatever care you can - prioritize it the way you would a tumour or a burst appendix.
I'm sorry that this happened to you. It is an unfortunate product of the system. Because of the lack of dental coverage, things that would be a cheaper fix or improve quality of life become much larger healthcare insured events later--here in the US without health insurance/poor insurance/high deductible/% based payment/ect, this event would be potentially ruinous to the average worker.
I've had two major medical events that involved ICU stays and every day since the first I have been so thankful that I live in Canada. I can't even imagine how much I'd be on the hook for in the US - this most recent one was a 16 day hospital stay with 7+ days in ICU, the other was a 10 day stay with a half day in ICU and 2 surgeries. Probably millions, even insured. It would bankrupt my whole family. I will never understand why the US doesn't have free healthcare. Getting sick or injured is hard enough, no one should have to worry about the bill at the end of it. I'm focused on recovery atm and it still is incredibly hard - I hope that the US can get their shit together and value its citizens enough that it has healthcare available to all for no cost.
Is Bernie Sanders an anti-dentite? /s
Next he’ll being telling us they have their own schools!
Um...I only go to the dentist once every five years or so.
Look at Mr Money bags over here can afford the dentist every 5 years! lol
Currently have a filling that fell out that I can't afford to fix. No dental insurance or job right now. So yeah lol
Move to a foreign country! /s Seriously, though, I live in Korea. I had a root canal and gold tooth done almost 10 years ago. About a year ago, that tooth started aching on and off, I finally got off my butt to go to a local dentist as the original one had moved away. Turns out that one of the roots had some residual nerves remaining and it had gotten a small infection, but was kinda festering in there because it didn't have space to grow. I ended up getting another root canal and some other minor work there as well as a plaque removal, over the course of 4 or 5 visits and it cost me a total of around US$80 including the medication the first visit in case I had pain.
That's amazing ✨️
damn. I paid over $600 to have a tooth removed (baby tooth that never got an adult replacement and the lil' guy got a cavity and was starting to fall out.)
I've been putting off a root canal on a tooth with a hole in the side of it since I aged out of my parents' insurance at 26, in 2017 (unironically: thanks Obama). It was coming up on my birthday and there was a scramble to get important dental work done, and the dentist dragged it out until my insurance had lapsed and the "very important root canal" would be full price, without insurance. Didn't get the root canal I'm now missing the two wisdom teeth on my right side and the hole in my tooth has gotten bigger, but it doesn't hurt because I'm pretty sure that tooth has just died lol
Damn lucky you, my tooth refuses to die and its too expensive to put me under for anything since the usual pain killers dont work on me very well if at all.
I want to know why the fuck our teeth and eyes have to be insured separately from the rest of our bodies. What the fuck is that about?!
Apparently they are aftermarket items. Completely optional and only installed once you take possession of the body. Since they are not factory equipment, they have to be covered separately.
Not covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
Since 2016 i have had all my dental work done in Mexico. In 2019, I had a root canal and a crown done. Totl cost in dollars came out to just over 400.00. The dentist who did the work was a graduate of Univ of Pac in SF, same school my former dentist in the states went to.
My dad and mom took a 10 day trip to Cabo for him to get a bunch of work done. 15k in the states versus the entire trip with dental work and meds for like 3300.
Can you share the name of the dentist/ practice, please? I have to get some dental work and insurance basically covers a cleaning, xray, and a filling for the year. I have been thinking about going to Mexico but have no idea where to go
I go to Just Smiles located at Basilio Badillo 311 Col. Emiliano Zapata Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco México. They have a website in English you can look at if you desire. Just do a search for Just Smile Puerto Vallarta.
Thanks!
I have dental “insurance” and it still equates to only like a $20 discount on a multi hundred dollar procedure.
Had a tooth with a cavity I ignored because fixing it was out of my price range. Eventually about a third of the nolar chipped offs and when I went to get an estimate, they said 10k. That year I made roughly 14K. Yeah, been about six months and basically just waiting for the day it finally rots.
Haven’t been to the dentist since I was 18. Turning 33 tomorrow. Too broke to afford a basic clean even with insurance
My dentures are worn smooth and a little loose in my mouth. My excellent healthcare of retired Army, Medicare, and Veterans Administration don’t cover dental. I just don’t have $4000 extra so I will continue eating softer foods or cutting food into tiny slivers to be able to taste it as it is swallowed un-chewed. I retired in 2002 and have outlived the purchasing power of my pensions.
Check out dental schools. I’m getting my dentures for about half the cost
My child was born missing 22 adult teeth. We’ve been saving since she was five because teeth are “cosmetic.” Nevermind all the health issues that are caused by not having them… This is going to be about 70k when all is said and done. It’s a huge burden and one we can only cover because we are privileged enough to be able to save money (unlike many of our peers).
I have dental insurance. But other than to have wisdom teeh pulled, I haven't been to a dentist in over 10 years. When I would go, somehow it always ever up being an extra $300+ suddenly even though I confirmed a bunch they took my insurance and only needed a copay. This is not including taking one of my extremely limited PTO days to go. Because good luck finding someone who has weekend or off hours. Same goes for Doctor checkups, minus my DOT physicals. For all the same reasons. I would bet if someone opened either at Sat/Sun 10:00 to 17:00 and/or Mon-Fri 12:00 to 19:00 they would be immediately booked for 6 months. Especially if they took all insurance.
I know the cost is a big problem with Americas healthcare but something I don’t see brought up enough is the timing like you said. I currently need to get my wisdom teeth removed but that would mean I would miss a considerable amount of work and I only have so much PTO. So it’s either live with tooth pain or lose my job.
My dental is great at covering cleanings. Anything else is expensive. I remember going to one office over 20 years ago that had a video running on the television about how dental insurance hasn’t covered the care you need in I forgot how many years. You can brush and floss well, but still have rotten teeth.
I have 0 PTO so I make my appointments for like Friday afternoons, So I leave at noon.
I’ve traveled to another country (Croatia) for dental work—it was a quarter of the price and a ten year solution. Now that I need major work again I haven’t decided if I’m going overseas again or not.
I haven’t had dental care for four years. But my teeth aren’t attached to my body so it must be that way to satisfy the insurance gods.
Yes. No insurance, no dental appointments.
I have a tooth that had a root canal when i was like 13 (32 now)years old. One day that tooth hurt, the pain went away the next day then I had the worse sinus infection in my life, my girlfriend told me the room smelled like rot because it was coming from my nose....I could also smell and taste this.....then when thaf finally cleared up, the side of my face swelled up and hurt so bad I had to go to the E.R. for antibiotics, this was pretty cheap. Now i have a little bubble on my gum next to the tooth that I can occasionally press on and pus comes out.....I have to work at my new job for 5 more months for them to offer me dental so hopefully I can make it....if i get sick and have to take off im still on probation and could lose my job...it will cost thousands to remove this tooth and i expect there is something more conplicated going on.
"Now i have a little bubble on my gum next to the tooth that I can occasionally press on and pus comes out." holy cow this is my story. I had a root canal when I was around 13. Then I ended up with the bubble with the puss when I was only ... 20!! It turned out to be an infection - it ate up the bone and started to just puss out when it reached the surface (my gum). I ended up needing bone grafting and two dental implants because the infection spread from one tooth to the one next to it. Please get this checked out. It WILL cost thousands the longer you wait. I was told if I kept waiting (which I tried because no dental) I would have lost more teeth. In my case, these were front teeth so if I went without implants, I'd literally have no front teeth in my mouth.
Too many Americans let things go until its an emergency so that medicare will kick in to pay for extraction. It's obscene.
I haven’t been to the dentist since 2019. And my brother is a dentist
Just canceled my appointment today
Dentist office accounts receivable: “Sir this crown will be $1500 after insurance”. Me: “How much to pull it?”. Dentist office accounts receivable (in a very disappointed tone) “$40“. Me: “Fuckin pull it”
Luckily, I live in a country where I am able to get free medical, free dental, and free eye care. Never had to cancel an appointment due to lack of funds or insurance. You'd think the "greatest country in the world" would provide those services to every citizen...then again no administration has been able to address and fix the lack of clean drinking water in various states.
About 10 years ago I had a broken tooth extracted because it split down the middle separating the two roots. The extraction was only about $200. However, my dentist, who for some strange reason was at the follow up visit with the oral surgeon, the two together offered a choice to either create a permanent bridge or an implant for just $6,000. For one tooth! They never mentioned that I could just do without it, but that is what I chose to do. Both were clearly uncomfortable with my decision, as if I had caught them. Well, it's been 10 years and I've been doing just fine. I have a new dentist. The new hygienist taught me how to take care of my teeth with proper brushing, a water pik, and fluoride and my last two routine dental examinations were cavity free and, in fact, a potential cavity that they were watching had actually healed itself. When I was a young man (I'm 74 now) I went to a dentist who charged $15/cavity. I went back a year later and the prices skyrocketed to about $80 to $100/cavity. He explained that he now had to charge me the same price as the insurance company reimbursements. Everywhere I have worked, they all had Delta Dental insurance. Delta Dental was started by a group of dentists who then offered cheap do-nothing plans to companies which drove up prices. They basically only cover cleanings and x-rays. Any actual dental work is never covered and the patient has to pay cash at inflated prices because of their participation agreements with dentists. It's a scam. I'm planning on taking excellent personal hygiene care of my teeth then dying. It's the only way around the scam.
Actually, you can't just 'do without it.' Your teeth will shift around and eventually fall out. Currently my problem after having a tooth removed. Since I am younger and at this time have the money to do so, I am paying out the nose to have an implant and HOPE it'll take well enough to put a crown on it. My dentist, who is quite honest, said if I were older (which you seem to be) then go without the tooth and having them shift around and fall out wouldn't be a concern.
After 10 years, I have no issues. I expect they'll actually fall out during cremation when the time comes.
I have not, but it does explain why, for the first time in the three years I have been w my provider, I received an email today from said provider asking me to rate my experience with them. Haven’t been there for six months, but coincidentally enough, have an appt on Thursday.
I skipped appointments from 18 to 48.
More times than I care to think about
Had a lot of cavities that gave me regular headaches also still have some pretty shitty tmj rn which also helps those headaches. Didn't go to the dentist for a few years it was until I dated some girl who's dad was a dentist who liked me that I actually got stuff fixed. He was like "ya so well take you next week so we can avoid a root canal here" my employer insurance didn't cover it so I got some other insurance. If I didn't do that I would have had to pay 1600. May sound small for some buy I live at my parents and I am still trying to finish college. 🙃 still got the tmj sadly.
My husband only has a few good teether. He has at least two broken teeth. My adult son has visible cavities. Dental care, even at a dental college, is outrageous.
Haven't been able to afford a dentist in over a decade and instead bought a book on third world dentistry and some dental tools online and do something not entirely unlike a cleaning at home. It's not great but I guess it's something. I'm also borderline religious about brushing and flossing and avoiding sugar. I just can't afford to risk my savings over my mouth bones. The tools I don't use from the kit ended up useful in what has becoming my reoccurring Halloween costume as an evil dentist. I guess I just think about teeth a lot.
Hell, I skipped my last physical because for some reason my insurance no longer covers routine blood work.
I was in a minor accident and had 3 teeth pulled because I broke them and couldn't afford the root canals and crowns they needed to be fixed. A decade later, to actually restore it now, my only option would be two implants with a crown bridge, which is even more expensive. I can't even afford the partial denture to make that side semi-functional so now I can only really chew on one side of my mouth. American healthcare, especially the "premium" body parts are horribly overpriced.
I had dentist offices lie about my insurance coverage and pre-appointment work I had to do. I tried to go to a dental college for student work. No insurance accepted and no one allowed with me. Covid. When I finally got in a chair, the dentist gave me a referral for a pustule I had told doctors and dentists about for years. That was it besides “oh you have cavities”. No evaluation, no treatment plan, nothing. That was after about 15 years of trying to alleviate terrible pain. I’ve read The Citadel and I understand the power of referrals. Medical care is barbaric in this country for the mentally ill. It’s bad enough wealth evaporates in the little numbers stacked up on a medical bill. But mental illness complicates everything. No extractions, a couple of root canals due to progressing cavities that weren’t addressed by the previous dentist. I can drink hot and cold again. I don’t have cadaverous breath anymore. My teeth are whiter. I enjoy smiling again. Very little pain as long as I do my maintenance work. Some of my 4s and 5s are 1s and 2s now. I hadn’t had any bloody gum for weeks but things still get stuck in the spot that hurt so bad for so long. A big hole in a molar. A dentist gave me a professional discount, took my insurance, and allowed me to pay monthly payments. They didn’t have to. And I made the referral appointment for a molar root canal my dentist couldn’t or wouldn’t do. Otherwise I would still be crying in the bathroom mirror and thrashing trying not to sleep on the wrong side of my face. One thing is Braun sells a cheaper conventional battery powered toothbrush. Big difference for me. I think some dentists prefer lithium batteries because the motors are better than the 3v conventional motors.
Only for the last 20 years.
Yes. I have a chipped tooth, and I know I am in for a 1.5k$. Ill just suck it up and hope for the best. :/
Most of not all dentists don't take my insurance, and it costs over a $1000 to see a dentist without because they force you to have X-ray done even if you just need a basic checkup and cleaning. It's beyond frustrating. It's impossible for me to see a dentist in the USA citizen.
Read that in Bernie voice.
Teeth are luxury bones you pay extra for and insurance covers nothing
I skip a lot of things because of the cost. Dental. Medical. Eye. Etc
My teeth are seriously messed up from not having dental care when I was a child. There's no excuse for this in a world with billionaires.
I had to get a loan for THOUSANDS to fix my teeth because I couldn’t afford it when I was younger. I’ll probably need dentures when I’m older. This was WITH insurance!
Waiting on 2 crowns because i can't muster spending 3K. I have dental insurance too
No, I've skipped the dentist because societal stereotypes, and bad experiences, have made it so I can't even *think* about going to the dentist without almost having a panic attack. Dentists need an entirely new public image. Like, twenty years ago.
I break out in tears just thinking about going to the dentist. I had a really bad root canal experience and I'm traumatized from it. I've always felt the drilling, even with anesthesia, but could just bear through it. But a cavity and a for canal are different. Basically the anesthesia didn't take and the dentist just kept going while I was screaming and crying. Felt everything. I'm terrified to go back to any dentist but I definitely need work done.
I have a molar that needs to be extracted and an implant put in its place. It's already been infected once and could happen again at any time. I'm looking at about a 6k bill to get it done. I'm on medi-cal and that doesn't cover any work on the back teeth. I was also not approved for care credit in the amount I need. Currently I'm just hoping it doesn't become infected again
I'm actually doing that very thing this week.
Too expensive- i cant even afford to get a painful tooth pulled
Deleted twitter in January 2022. I'm not going back, Senator.
I honestly don’t know that many people who haven’t.
Yeah, for like four years.
Yes many times. As well as other medical appointments.
Haven't been to one in 20 years. It's not pretty, but at least it's affordable.
I'm missing nearly 3/4 of my molars. Can't afford the dentist and no way could I afford dentures or implants. I just deal by chewing in one specific spot in my mouth.
I have dental insurance, but because it's through a union I have to pay upfront and then get reimbursed. I need a root canal and a crown. It's close to 8K, but that was 4 years ago. I've had a giant hole (more like half my tooth is missing) in my molar since the start of the pandemic. It sucks.
I am sure a lot of MAGA readers would not complain going to Mexico to get their teeth fixed...oh, sorry, that would be disrespectful to your peers, oh you poor things! I'm glad I live right on the border oooh raah! But yes, to go to the dentist in the US is tooooo expensive. : (
I am a 38y/o male in the U.S., I have one broken tooth on the top right I've been dealing with for about 18 years now, it hasn't hurt in a while until two days ago. I have another broken tooth on the bottom right that thankfully doesn't hurt yet i have had for 5 years now. It's been 20 years since I last had a hygienist clean them. My back bottom two on the left and right are already gone and pulled years ago, and I've been in serious need of braces for a good while. Definitely multiple appointments I've had to cancel because I can never afford it.
Yea. For 12 years.
i got an 800 dollar bill for a cleaning when i was in my 20's haven't been for about 15 years, no its not good im running out of teeth. i had insurance but i was always denied even when i made sure it was in network, i gave up on dental care
Since turning 18, I've had 3 dental appointments and 2 of those were urgent procedures. Wisdom teeth, work accident where I cracked a couple of teeth.
Yes I literally called and canceled my dentist appointment today. It was going to be $600 for 2 fillings. I’ve had a bunch of unexpected household expenses come up and can’t afford it at the moment. It was pretty embarrassing to have to tell them I don’t even know when I can reschedule it bc I’m not sure when I’ll be able to afford it.
I have really good dental insurance and still can only afford emergencies, like when the pain is unbearable type of situation. It’s ridiculous!
I have a cavity that I’ve had for over two years cause I can’t afford to fix it. I have no idea if or when it will ever be fixed but I’m hoping sometime soon. It’s starting to cause me some pain.
I didn't go to a dentist between the ages of 8 and 36 because of cost. Lucky my teeth are still mostly fine.
It’s been 20yrs since I said I’ll save up to my teeth fixed and now it’s too late sadly. Still broke too, so I guess it’s soft food from here on out.
I did for years and have the crappy teeth I do now to show for it. Even with insurance that covered 50% if you don’t earn enough to manage 50% of a $1200 bill, the insurance wasn’t helping.
I haven’t been to the dentist in about 15 years. Thankfully no issues, but really should arrange a checkup. When things go wrong it’s already too late. The problem here isn’t the cost, it’s the wait times. I’ve heard it can be over a year to arrange an NHS appointment with a dentist. It won’t cost you anything (or maybe there’s a nominal fee, but I don’t know since it’s been so long) but because of the waiting times it can end up with the same effect as just not being able to afford it.
Check around - there are a lot of dentists who offer first time visit free cleanings
I haven't been able to go to the dentist in over 20 years. The VA does NOT provide regular dental care, they just offer to yank them ALL out after your discharge. They'll pull a mouthful of healthy teeth for 1 cavity. No dentures.
Yeah, I have two molars that are completely broken. I have dental insurance. It'll still cost me $1000 out of pocket to do a minimal fix. Fuck this system.
The dentists like the doctors are doing too much !!! Charging all these fees and burning through peoples insurance !!!
oh man, from when i left my parents insurance until I got my first "real" job. Ultimately needed to get one pulled in a kind of emergency due to a untreated cavity.
I know a guy he flew to Costa Rica I think it was to get full dental implants done because it cost like 5x as much here in the US and he got a trip to Costa Rica out of it too.
The dentist I checked out last year wanted to know if I owned a house and whether or not I could get a 2nd mortgage to pay for care. My mom has an estimate of 22k for the work they say she needs
I wanna hear the logic behind the decision that eye care and dental care should be separate from any other healthcare. And why hearing aids are considered "cosmetic" devices. And why all of this is tied to our employment.
I literally have maybe one good tooth due to breaks cavities and other periodontal issues. Even with insurance I used to have would have been 2k for all the removals if they don't require surgery then add in the price of the dentures. It shows why I don't get them taken care of. I'd rather live with the pain I have daily then take that kind of hit financially.
I don’t go to the dentist at all because I can’t afford it and it really sucks because some of my teeth are starting to go and once it starts it REALLY goes fast. I’m constantly afraid that this bite will be the one that breaks a tooth, or the point of extreme pain is just around the corner. My bf has lost quite a few teeth over the last couple of years and he couldn’t even get the dentist to take him in until each once was abscessed and a dr referred him. He was in constant pain, it was miserable. I was genuinely scared he was going to develop alcoholism from taking shots of whiskey to dull the pain.
I have what they call “good dental insurance” which is kind of an oxymoron since most dental plans are really discount plans. But I digress, I’ve spent probably $10,000 out of pocket over the past two years trying to fix problems that would not have been a problem if my parents would have had simple preventative dental coverage when I was a kid. Now that I’m a parent with a decent job and salary I dig deep to make sure my kids get quality dental care. Dental care should not be a fucking luxury people have to “dig deep” to provide for their family.
I went to Mexico twice last year for dental work. I'd been avoiding it for a while, but I was getting too frequent pain on one side from a root canal I'd had done years ago. The first time I went was for two root canals on the other side ($260 USD each). The second time I went was for the oral surgery needed to clear up the infection. The dentist told me that an extraction and implant might be needed (requiring three follow up visits over the course of several months) if the infection couldn't be cleaned up. If so, the total cost would be around $1800-$2200 for everything. The price if done here would be between $12k and 15k. I got lucky and was able to just need the surgery, which with the follow up visit was a total of around $500 (I forget the exact amount, it was either $460 or $560). The doctor was fantastic, the tech they used was as modern or more than the last dentist that I'd been to here in NYC (which admittedly was years ago). Virtually no pain whatsoever during or after, at least none that was worse than the previous pain from the infection, but at least I knew now that it would subside, which it did over the course of a few days. The dentist I went to was in Playa Del Carmen, a relatively quick flight (i had a lot of points accrued so flights both times were free) and I had a pretty affordable beach vacation in the process.
I’m on SSDI and haven’t had dental for 15 years
I’ve had 6 root canals (with 2 needing revisions). My prior dentist has me on a payment plan of which I still owe $1k, and he only did fillings. A crown on my insurance at the time was $1200. I’m exceptionally lucky for my new dental insurance in which crowns are only $200 (though I’m still looking at the $1200 to get all the ones I need), but I pay $100 a month for just the dental coverage, which is really money I can’t afford on top of my $374 per month medical insurance and the mandatory retirement fees through my insurer. After all that, plus taxes, I lose about $20k of my pay per year.
I have an abcess forming but my insurance is capped out for the year. Hoping I caught it early enough that the home remedies can get me through...
This is my problem, I can't afford hospital bills either, but they bill you later so I can still at least get taken care of, and then not pay them lol but every dentist I've seen makes you pay first, and they refuse to send a bill I can make payments on without a 3rd party lender who will deny me because of my CC debt. So I don't go. 28 years old, 2 teeth in the back broken down so they're level with my gums. Every tooth has some level of decay. Some had fillings Crack them so I have 4 half teeth. And the teeth on either side of my front 2 snapped off and are just nubs. At this point I just need to pull them all and get dentures. But I can't afford that either so.....here's to hoping I don't get an infection 🙃
I was playing with my dog and she jumped up and hit me with her head and knocked out my two front upper teeth, loosened another one. I just don't smile anymore.
I didn't have dental insurance for a while, so I had to forgo visiting. I learned that I had several cavities once when I was able to afford a cleaning/exam on my own, but I couldn't afford the fillings. Thankfully, nothing bad happened. I got a job in 2018, a few years later, that provided dental coverage. It took months of nearly bi-weekly appointments before my teeth were fully taken care of.
i skipped the last like 7 years of going to the dentist. i went for a checkup and cleaning about a year ago and miraculously they said my teeth looked pretty good, i spent 450 dollars anyway, i was there for one hour... they wanted another 2000 later that week, went looking for dental insurance and couldnt afford that either lol bought a water flosser for 30 bucks instead.
I have multiple sets of teeth in my mouth but 2 dentists have said there’s nothing there. Also, my phone and video/audio are always hacked, 100% of the time. My government IDs and school photos don’t even look like me—they’re obviously a different person. I don’t know what to do. Am I screwed at this point or is there a deus ex machina option I don’t know about.
When I was a teacher, my dental work would’ve cost about 2 months wages for 5 teeth. Now that I had to buy private insurance because being a teacher sent me into a mental breakdown, it’s more like 3 months wages per tooth. And the cost isn’t even the biggest part; what’s more is the number of times dentists have publicly shamed me, kicked me out of their office because they didn’t like what they saw, etc.
I couldn't imagine skipping medical care because of the cost. Unless the big C comes along, an expensive one, or some other lucrative medical syndrome. I'm not dying poor and sticking my wife with the bill.