Teeth and the aching....

[gidget1978]

Here is an update....

I have an infection in the bottom tooth. (last night when eating supper I knew my cheek was starting to swell) I went to see my Dr today and he took an xray. He also said that my roots were in a "S" shape and that he couldn't do the root canal...I have to go into the city and see a specialist More money! He told me to make a shopping trip out of it but I told him I wouldn't have any money left

So I have some meds for the infection and now I just have to wait for the referral to see the specialist. I have decided to do whatever it is I need to do to keep my teeth and DH is also looking into dental insurance...I have such a great hubby!

Thanks for all your replies!
I read each and every one of them!!!!

Lori

 

[Reese777]

Lori - ITA with others about a payment plan with your dentist. Also, it may help to see if they accept Care Credit. It's basically a credit card for elective health, dental and veterinary services - http://www.carecredit.com/.

My dog had surgery last year to the tune of $1400 and the vet's office recommended it. They participated in a promotional thing where you could take a year to pay it, interest free. It was very handy for us at the time. Different doctors/offices may have different levels of participation, but it might be worth checking out.

One more thing, from experience, if you need a root canal, get it before it becomes an emergency root canal.

Thank you SO much for posting information on this carecredit stuff - I applied and was instantly approved for what I need to get my tooth worked on. The interest rate is higher than I'd like but I don't plan to keep the balance long. I go MOnday to have my root canal done! :E eek

 

[janie1234]

Have you looked into dental implants? It might wind up costing the same in the end.

Implants actually will cost much more and take much longer to do, but they are a great option for people with missing teeth.

 

[janie1234]

Here is an update....

I have an infection in the bottom tooth. (last night when eating supper I knew my cheek was starting to swell) I went to see my Dr today and he took an xray. He also said that my roots were in a "S" shape and that he couldn't do the root canal...I have to go into the city and see a specialist More money! He told me to make a shopping trip out of it but I told him I wouldn't have any money left

So I have some meds for the infection and now I just have to wait for the referral to see the specialist. I have decided to do whatever it is I need to do to keep my teeth and DH is also looking into dental insurance...I have such a great hubby!

Lori

That sucks!!! A little info on the dental insurance thing though, . . .make sure that there are no waiting periods for root canals or basic coverage like fillings or else you will end up paying insurance and not getting insurance to even cover the procedure. The good thing about insurance is that if you go with a Dr. that is contracted they legally cannot charge more than the contracted fee of the procedure. Also a disclosure, . . . .there is a possibility that even with a root canal that the procedure can fail, . . .meaning they may have to extract your tooth anyway even after the root canal. Most endodontic doctors will disclose this information to you and make you sign a disclosure. If your infection is bad, . . which it sounds like it is if your swelling bummer sounds like a doser of a root canal to be performed. Make sure you take your antibiotics by the way, . . they will help. Keep us posted. Hang in there! This too shall pass.

 

[kathryn]

I've had one root canal, and numerous crowns.

A friend of mine had a choice of root canal and crown or pulling a tooth that was 2nd from the back. Her dentist told her that teeth don't migrate backwards, or something like that, so losing the tooth wouldn't change the alignment of the other teeth. She decided to have it pulled.

It depends on you: do you not care about having an empty space where there used to be a tooth (like my friend), or do you want a full mouth of teeth (like me).

When I was a kid, my family had no insurance of any kind. My father alway negotiated with doctors and dentists (who would take less if paid in cash upfront, or sometimes in 2 or 3 installments). Not dealing with insurance companies often saves them time and money, so they pass on those savings to you.

 

[fitlulu]

Thank you SO much for posting information on this carecredit stuff - I applied and was instantly approved for what I need to get my tooth worked on. The interest rate is higher than I'd like but I don't plan to keep the balance long. I go MOnday to have my root canal done! :E eek

I've worked with CareCredit for many years, and it is a great program. Two things I wanted to bring up in case you are not aware of--

1. Does your dentist accept CareCredit?
2. CareCredit has promotions for up to 18 months interest free. All of the dentists I've worked with who accepted it usually wouldn't go higher than 12 months due to the increased merchant fee, but be sure to ask because they have to enter the transaction with a special code first.

Good luck!

--Sharon

 

[Reese777]

Yes, both my regular dentist and the specialist that will do the root canal accept the creditcare. I will definitely ask about the interest free for 12 months. That will be a major savings...