# Dentist



## cash (Mar 5, 2011)

I just got back from the dentist and it wasn't cheap. I have partial coverage through extended health & dental, and I still get a student discount despite being a few years out of university. But still, dentists are expensive. How do people save money on dentist bills?


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## Jim9guitars (May 5, 2012)

Refuse the flouride treatment. The jury is still out on whether these have any benefit and some feel they are harmful, plus, I don't think many plans cover them(mine doesn't). It has also become an issue in recent years how often we need to see a dentist for check ups and cleaning, most feel once a year but some dentists try to insist on booking all their patients in every 6 months. The general concensus is once a year is good, if your dentist doesn't want to go along with that find another dentist. Also, brush after you eat anything if you can(I keep a travel brush and toothpaste with me at my job), and floss several times a week, this all may seem obvious but it really works at keeping cavities down and gum decay/bone loss at a minimum, thereby saving you money and discomfort.


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## crazyjackcsa (Aug 8, 2010)

DIY my friend, DIY:biggrin:


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Isn't that what Tom Hanks did in Castaway?

Ugh.

Besides, I like flouride. Great taste.

Seriously though, great suggestions by jim.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Jim9guitars said:


> Refuse the flouride treatment. The jury is still out on whether these have any benefit and some feel they are harmful, plus, I don't think many plans cover them(mine doesn't). It has also become an issue in recent years how often we need to see a dentist for check ups and cleaning, most feel once a year but some dentists try to insist on booking all their patients in every 6 months. The general concensus is once a year is good, if your dentist doesn't want to go along with that find another dentist. Also, brush after you eat anything if you can(I keep a travel brush and toothpaste with me at my job), and floss several times a week, this all may seem obvious but it really works at keeping cavities down and gum decay/bone loss at a minimum, thereby saving you money and discomfort.


All good

Also brushing too hard/too much can damage your teeth as well. I'm late 20's and never had a cavity yet, but I have one sensitive tooth the dentist says I brushed too much :chargrined: You also don't need expensive brushes or tooth paste imo. I've been told by several dentists that the cheaper basic softer brushes (if you can find such a thing..) are better than the typical expensive ones

When I was a teen, a dentist was about to drill a bunch of "urgent" fillings in my teeth during an annual checkup. Skeptical, I got up and walked away. I tried another dentist who said my teeth were fine and wasn't surprised at all about what almost happened. Seems an awful lot of kids have fillings and braces nowadays....

The military has never used fluoride that I can remember, and we only require an annual checkup with a dentist (certainly not cleaning every 6 months if you do it yourself). We get a cleaning every 12/18/24 months depending on the checkup and it seems enough to me. Of course the more you go the more $$ for the dental industry


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## rd_aaron (Jun 24, 2011)

Save money by flossing, then you'll end up with less cavities and less expensive bills.

You could find a cheaper dentist, but I'm not sure that's something you want to cheap out on.


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

Dental care in Mexico is very cheap yet every bit as modern as Canada. Mix a visit with a holiday to Vallarta or something.(Also no distant appointment needed..normally just walk in...I haven't confirmed they will take a chicken in lieu of peso's though)


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

Eder said:


> Dental care in Mexico is very cheap yet every bit as modern as Canada. Mix a visit with a holiday to Vallarta or something.(Also no distant appointment needed..normally just walk in..


Lots of people border cross from Arizona to Mexico at Los Algodones, a small town that specializes in dentistry:

http://www.dentistsofalgodones.com/


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

I would have a frank discussion with my dentist about what my exact needs are. Every patient has different needs.

There is a tendency for people to think of check-ups or cleanings as a scam, but regular check-ups can catch issues early before they result in expensive bills. Usually, check-ups are scheduled every 3, 6, 9, 12, or 24 months depending on the patient and their history.

How often you need a check-up, or a cleaning, depends on the individual and their dental hygiene. Some people are simply more prone to tartar build-up and tooth decay no matter how well they take care of their teeth. If you have good genes (ie, your saliva has the right enzymes), then you can probably get away with less frequent check-ups. If you don't think you can trust your dentist to give you unbiased advice, then get a second opinion.

I personally go every six months, but again this will vary. Recently had a cavity filled that would have lead to a root canal if left unchecked (the dentist showed me the cavity and the decay was obvious)

Also, I second the importance of flossing.

One other thing I forgot -- avoid routine X-rays. Many dentists like to do X-rays every 12 months, yet there's little consensus on the benefits of this practice, and too many x-rays may be a cancer risk. Unless it's been several years since your last x-ray, ask why it is necessary, and refuse if a concrete answer is not given.


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## colossk (May 11, 2011)

Marektplace did a segment on dentists a while back. It was pretty scary. I think they went to 15 different dentists with someone who had a small cavity and they got estimates anywhere from as little as a few hundred to 12k plus. The opinions and recomandations that were given by the dentists were so wildyl different.


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## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

get better coverage.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

As mentioned above, diet and oral hygiene at home are probably 2 of the biggest factors that can influence an individuals oral health status. The great thing about those are that we have full control of them.

Yes, there can be developmental or hereditary factors. But the greatest factor is brushing and flossing. 

As mentioned above as well, hard or even medium toothbrushes, are too abrasive for the fine, tissue paper like, gumline, and can cause premature wear. As soft brush, or even an automatic tb, is great to use. Most companies only make brush heads for their automatic brushes in soft.

Everyone has different needs and conditions, so some people do need cleanings more often than others for various reasons.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

The big missing on that list is tooth formation in utero. This is really when the impact of flouride can be felt: not after you are born, but when your teeth are developing as a fetus.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

cash said:


> How do people save money on dentist bills?


Even if you brush several times a day, and are a daily flosser, you should not skip visiting your dentist at least once/yr. IMO.

It's not just your oral, but also your overall health that should concern you, as these are related.

Also, remember that restorative treatments are more expensive than preventative care, so the latter will save you money.

Hopefully in the future, you'll get better coverage.

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/oral-health-the-mouth-body-connection


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## dubmac (Jan 9, 2011)

I like a dentist that is competent and keeps their business small (low overhead) and personable. That means, avoiding dentists that have large, expensive operating places in expensive towers in busy places. Give me a dentist who is 50+ yrs old, values my business and knows me and my family well. - They will likely not rip you off, and they will give you good service because they want you to come back.


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## Potato (Apr 3, 2009)

MoneyGal said:


> The big missing on that list is tooth formation in utero. This is really when the impact of flouride can be felt: not after you are born, but when your teeth are developing as a fetus.


After looking it up I was surprised at how young we are when the crown forms, but it's still around age 1-4 rather than in utereo.

And if you find cheaper ways for restorative dental care, let me know: I've got (another) crown coming up next week that's going to run me a few hundred out of pocket (and nearly $1000 before insurance!). Yes, prevention...


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## cedebe (Feb 1, 2012)

dubmac said:


> I like a dentist that is competent and keeps their business small (low overhead) and personable. That means, avoiding dentists that have large, expensive operating places in expensive towers in busy places. Give me a dentist who is 50+ yrs old, values my business and knows me and my family well. - They will likely not rip you off, and they will give you good service because they want you to come back.


 My concern with a dentist who's getting up in years is the fact that s/he may not be keeping up with new techniques/technology. I've got a new dentist who's in her mid-40s and is proving to be far more skilled and knowledgeable than the previous one who was probably late 50s/early 60s.


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## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

One way to save and also be sure of correct, ethical assessment is to book at your university's dental program- in Vancouver they offer work at a 30% discount to standard fees. The work is performed by 3rd-year students and supervised by their professors. So you save money, and the students get to work on real patients under stringent supervision by a professor who is up on the latest techniques and technology.


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## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

Potato said:


> After looking it up I was surprised at how young we are when the crown forms, but it's still around age 1-4 rather than in utereo.


Um...tooth development begins about week 6 of gestation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_development (ordinarily I do not link to Wikipedia but this is a good overview). 

When a pregnant women ingests flouride, it is incorporated into the hydroxyapatite crystal of a developing tooth (through the odontoplasts, or the cells that form dentin; which is mostly what your teeth are made of) and makes it more resistant to demineralization and subsequent decay. 

I think you are talking about permanent teeth, not primary teeth; but the development of mineralized primary teeth is a very good predictor of the health of permanent teeth.

Editing to add that permanent teeth begin to form about about 3-4 months of infancy.


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## Toronto.gal (Jan 8, 2010)

dubmac said:


> - I like a dentist that is competent
> - keeps their business small (low overhead) and personable.
> - Give me a dentist who is 50+ yrs old,
> - values my business and knows me and my family well.


You described my dentist to perfection! His office even has a very small tv., that I'm sure is more than 10 years old. 

He also gives a discount to people without insurance.

*Potato:* all the prevention in the world obviously does not prevent wear & tear, lol. 

Some years ago I needed a root-canal because I felt pain in a particular tooth, though x-ray had showed no problem at all. The crown naturally followed as once the nerves are killed & the tooth essentially becomes dead, tooth becomes brittle, and wow, I still remember how expensive that crown had been, hence the reason such treatment falls under Dental 3 [major restorative] @ typically 50% to 80% reimbursement under most dental plans.

My dentist even gave me a house call after that root canal; how many dentists do that?!


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## dentist101 (Feb 11, 2011)

dubmac said:


> I like a dentist that is competent and keeps their business small (low overhead) and personable. That means, avoiding dentists that have large, expensive operating places in expensive towers in busy places. Give me a dentist who is 50+ yrs old, values my business and knows me and my family well. - They will likely not rip you off, and they will give you good service because they want you to come back.


i hate to agree with this, but i do. i've been practising for 12 years now, and i myself have become quite disenchanted with my profession. lots of dentists with poor ethics, caring about their own interests rather than their patient's, unneccesary treatment, etc...i practise in small town, and totally agree that the bigger and fancier the office, the more likely you are to have larger treatment plans. dentists who run very low overheads practice with much less stress, don't push treatment, and are far more relaxed, while still making a very good income. 

my advice is to find someone you can trust...easier said than done, but true. find someone who will listen to you, explain things to you, hear what your goals are (ie. basic treatment versus high-end cosmetic 'ideal' treatment). we as dentists have to categorize people when we see them. we try to give everyone 'ideal' treatment, but obviously finances dictate treatment plans. the problem with ethics occur when dentists don't properly explain to people what treatment is "necessary" and which are "elective" (beneficial, but not urgently needed). 

very difficult to say who is good and who is bad. second opinions are great. i do them all the time, and i really try not to run down the previous dentist. good luck

words of wisdom...DON'T GO TO MEXICO FOR DENTAL WORK!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! (i cannot even begin to explain why...i've seen brutal, brutal work done to totally unknowing people...so unreal)


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## Nemo2 (Mar 1, 2012)

dentist101 said:


> DON'T GO TO MEXICO FOR DENTAL WORK!!!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!! (i cannot even begin to explain why...i've seen brutal, brutal work done to totally unknowing people...so unreal)


I posted the link to Los Algodones, and although I have never personally undergone treatment in Mexico, my late wife & I were fulltime RVing when we visited that town, and thus in contact with a number of other RVers, some of whom had had dental work with which they were totally satisfied. (Anecdotal 'evidence', I know.)

In Puerto Penasco another RVing friend had root canal work done over a period of days...he too was quite pleased with the outcome, (I drove him to & from the park daily).

You are probably correct that the _chances_ of inferior work, (when juxtaposed with Canada), increase in Mexico, but those odds might be minimized by using due diligence.

_Caveat Emptor_, I guess.


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## cash (Mar 5, 2011)

I think I just found a good way to get my dentist bill down. On the internet, I've found a group of dental hygienists that run their own office. They do all the basic stuff; cleaning, fluoride, ect. and will refer to dentists, that consult through the office, on an as needed basis for more advanced services like cavity filling. This business model will save the patient lots of money.


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