budgeting for dental costs

[pb4uski]

....My sister is one who hasn't been to a dentist in a very long time. I got her signed up with a Human DHMO plan ...

Yes, I suppose for her that is a better choice than the Animal DHMO plan....

 

[easysurfer]

Yes, I suppose for her that is a better choice than the Animal DHMO plan....

Funny catch!

I read my post several times and didn't catch that. That happens after a long day.

If pet insurance had only $10 copays for exams and x-rays, that would be a great deal!

 

[MichaelB]

Back in my college days I worked with a guy who had very bad teeth but couldn't afford to have them fixed. He had them all pulled by a veterinarian. While I was there (summer job) he was waiting for the swelling to subside so he could buy dentures. All I ever saw him eat was white bread with jelly, IIRC he needed to wait 6 months.

 

[Sue J]

Our dentist charges $99 for cleaning, X-rays and exam if you do not have insurance. He calls it the "coupon rate" but there is no coupon necessary.

I just had a Cerec crown done this week. The retail price (if you have insurance) is $929, but when I told him we didn't have insurance he charged this as a regular type crown at $529. He's a great dentist and everything he does is absolutely painless including the novocaine injections which really is the worst part. He has a technique where he squeezes your cheek where the nerve is and you don't feel the injection.

 

[MRG]

Funny catch!

I read my post several times and didn't catch that. That happens after a long day.

If pet insurance had only $10 copays for exams and x-rays, that would be a great deal!

Sure would, one of ours needs an extraction and cleaning. The other just a cleaning.

 

[nuke_diver]

I actually spoke to my dentist about this since I like her and would prefer to stay put if possible after ER. She said private dental ins was rarely worth it (though it was through work) and suggested budgeting for it. Also like Sue J's dentist she has a plan for those that do not have insurance to keep long term customers like myself.

And she has pretty eyes so it dulls the pain for me

 

[Theseus]

Back in my college days I worked with a guy who had very bad teeth but couldn't afford to have them fixed. He had them all pulled by a veterinarian.

Hmm, that changes my LBYM dental equation. To explain, after years of paying to have X-rays, cleanings, fillings, root canals, and a half dozen or so crowns, I was surprised to find that having a tooth pulled was only around $250. So if one made a commitment to be extremely frugal with their dental care, worst case or max OOP (OOM?) would then be $8,000 (32*250), would it not? But if one were to utilize this alternative source of dental care, perhaps the max OOM oops, I mean OOP could be further reduced.

 

[MRG]

Theseus, Google and utube are your friend(?) if you choose to go that route. I'd get lots of antibiotics, I'm no dentist(no advise here), but I bet the ADA probably has an opinion.

Think dental college, if you're lucky to have one in the area. Properly sterilized instruments, real anesthesia, antibiotics, and pain meds. Training and all that junk.

 

[FUEGO]

Our dentist charges $99 for cleaning, X-rays and exam if you do not have insurance. He calls it the "coupon rate" but there is no coupon necessary.

I just had a Cerec crown done this week. The retail price (if you have insurance) is $929, but when I told him we didn't have insurance he charged this as a regular type crown at $529. He's a great dentist and everything he does is absolutely painless including the novocaine injections which really is the worst part. He has a technique where he squeezes your cheek where the nerve is and you don't feel the injection.

I asked my dentist about cash discounts when we lose dental coverage through DW's job. They have the same $99 plan for cleaning, x-rays and exam. They said it's for new patients but they would give it to us. $69 and $99 specials for cavities too (depending on complexity, and it could be more). There was something about we can't come in on a Saturday, but any weekday is fine.

Everything else comes with a 10% cash discount, and they have thrown in free fillings before (DD had 5 (!) cavities due to a birth defect and they only charged for 3 since a couple were small).

 

[John Galt III]

Wow, that poster who pays $19 a month for 100% preventative and 80% restorative has a good plan. I wonder what company it is. I pay $12 a month with a Delta Dental PPO, and have 100% preventative and 50% routine dental (which means fillings only, no crowns). Max benefit per year is $1,000. Annual deductible $55. I like my dentist and asked the office about cash prices with no ins, and found them to be quite high. Exam and cleaning $133. Bitewing Xrays $50. No cash discount. So I'm paying $144 per year for the insurance. Hmmmm.... I guess it makes sense just to go without dental insurance in my case. I only have about one cavity every 3 or 4 years.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We decided to try Delta Dental through Healthcare.gov. $40/mo for 3 of us. DH has extra cleanings, but DS and I get cleanings 2x/yr. DS less because it's hard to schedule around college breaks. I broke a tooth the weekend before I started the new insurance. Got the crown put in yesterday. I'll keep you posted what happens when the dental office runs it through the insurance. They're just as curious as I am. If it costs less because of the insurance, then it will have been worth it.

 

[Sue J]

We decided to try Delta Dental through Healthcare.gov. $40/mo for 3 of us. DH has extra cleanings, but DS and I get cleanings 2x/yr. DS less because it's hard to schedule around college breaks. I broke a tooth the weekend before I started the new insurance. Got the crown put in yesterday. I'll keep you posted what happens when the dental office runs it through the insurance. They're just as curious as I am. If it costs less because of the insurance, then it will have been worth it.

I broke my tooth in Nov 2014 and I knew it needed a crown. I looked at Healthcare.gov for the dental plans and every one that I looked at had a 6 month or 12 month exclusion for major restorative, like a crown. Then there is also the deductible and only 25% or 50% co-pay. So don't be surprised if they don't cover it. Let us know, I'm curious how it turns out.

 

[John Galt III]

A heads up about Delta Dental. I used them when w*rking, and all was well. After I signed up via Healthcare.gov, with Delta Dental of Pa, it got worse. The 800 number at Delta told me the deductible would be waived for preventative and diagnostic. Went for cleaning, deductible was NOT waived. I called up the 800 number again to complain, and they said too bad, can't do anything about it. Then I found a web page on their own website showing deductible should be waived, called a different 800 number at Delta, they apologized, said they would fix it and send me a new EOB in mail. I got a reference number for the "fix", and am currently waiting for it to arrive. BTW, Delta has many, many different plans, in different states, with different coverages. I have Delta Dental of Pa low PPO for Families and Individuals.

 

[mn54]

Back in my college days I worked with a guy who had very bad teeth but couldn't afford to have them fixed. He had them all pulled by a veterinarian. While I was there (summer job) he was waiting for the swelling to subside so he could buy dentures. All I ever saw him eat was white bread with jelly, IIRC he needed to wait 6 months.

I find it hard to believe that a veterinarian would risk his/her license not to mention the liability of doing something like this. Was this in the U.S.?

 

[MichaelB]

I find it hard to believe that a veterinarian would risk his/her license not to mention the liability of doing something like this. Was this in the U.S.?

South Chicago suburbs, around 1975. It was a forging mill, and like most of the workers, he was an former steelworker who had been laid off, they were all hard up financially. No one there seemed to think it was unusual or inappropriate. Of course, they all drank beer for (not with) lunch, their idea of inappropriate rarely agreed with mine.

 

[M Paquette]

A heads up about Delta Dental. I used them when w*rking, and all was well. After I signed up via Healthcare.gov, with Delta Dental of Pa, it got worse.

Ditto. I signed up with Delta Dental (California) when I first got my HMO individual coverage several years ago. They happily accepted my payments for a family plan, but when we went to the dentist, they denied knowing who we were. The dentist's office was told that we didn't have coverage with them. This went back and forth for several months, and we dropped the coverage out of sheer annoyance and figuring out that with a small cash discount the annual cost for just paying the dentist wouldn't be too different from paying the insurance plus deductibles and copays.

Another factor in 'going without' was that all dentists in the area were 'out of network' for the plan that had what looked like the best pricing. Using the Delta Dental website, we couldn't find a single dentist within 75 miles who was 'in network' for that plan. We had to bump up to much more expensive coverage to get an 'in plan' dentist.

Currently, we use a Health Savings Account (HSA) to accumulate and save for unexpected dental and medical costs. That gets us a 'discount' from the tax break, and may be handy for folks managing their income for ACA premium support eligibility, as contributions to an HSA reduce Modified Adjusted Gross Income.

 

[Nunthewiser]

We are dentally "nekkid" so far ( it has only been a month since FIRE) and , naturally we made it a point to fully use up what my employer provided.

We looked at the Marketplace options and really didn't find anything that appealing that we couldn't find ourselves on the web.

Here, in Florida , we can get this plan ( and others) for about $200 year for the two of us that pays for cleanings, xrays and exams from the dental equivalent of McDonalds.

https://argusdental.com/Members/Dental-Plans

I was thinking of trying out the local dental college that offers cleanings and exams at $20/pop. SWMBO is not thrilled at this idea, but the hygenist that I had been going to for 20 years was a Nazi anyway (so how bad could it be?).

Today I got a notice in the mail from my ex-employer offering the dental plan we had (Delta of Ohio)for about $800/year. I was kind of surprised that we can get it without having to get the outrageous Medical plan ($14K/yr...no thanks we have ACA coverage now).

The $800 means we could keep our old very competent dentist and the Nazi, but we would have a deductible and it maxes out at $1200 each. We might just sit it out a year or two as we think we are in pretty decent shape dentally for now.

 

[Sunset]

....Today I got a notice in the mail from my ex-employer offering the dental plan we had (Delta of Ohio)for about $800/year. I was kind of surprised that we can get it without having to get the outrageous Medical plan ($14K/yr...no thanks we have ACA coverage now).

The $800 means we could keep our old very competent dentist and the Nazi, but we would have a deductible and it maxes out at $1200 each. We might just sit it out a year or two as we think we are in pretty decent shape dentally for now.

Ouch, $800/yr for a dental insurance with a deductible. To me that sounds incredibly expensive unless you know you have rotten teeth.
Especially if there are any limits per year (like only pay $1,000 per yr for crowns).

 

[MRG]

Ouch, $800/yr for a dental insurance with a deductible. To me that sounds incredibly expensive unless you know you have rotten teeth.
Especially if there are any limits per year (like only pay $1,000 per yr for crowns).

Well 2 people (I'm guessing) about 33 a month per person. Thats in line with what's available here. Even Megacorps was no cheaper. Yes, these plans typically top out around $1000-$1500 per year total.

When I priced dental out it prepaid for cleaning and xrays, allowing part of a crown yearly. Then there was a year(?) waiting period for the first crown.

Didn't make sense, I'm a grinder I eat dental work, even with splints, I ran into "oh that crowns not 5 years old:. If I could find a insurance decent product I might buy it.

Our dentist gives a 10% discount for checks or cash.