Are root canals worth the dental insurance?

[SonnyJim]

I probably should not say what I do in the service, BUT the fosamax thing is real. You have a 3 year window to get your dental work up to date. If you have an infection or need an extraction after that 3 year window, you run the risk of osteonecrosis (bone rot) that does not seem to be responding to conventional treatments. Beware!!! True, the first and worst cases were associated with cancer treatment and multiple myeloma treatment using IV bisphophonates, but now there are cases of oral meds such as fosamax.

As for the root canal dilema, it is now almost a wash between a root canal / crown and implant / crown. Best bet would be the implant route. Implants do fail, but not as often as root canals (10% failure rate). Root canal treated teeth are more "brittle" making them more difficult to remove, explains the 90 minutes of torture Sundance Kid endured.

Is dental insurance worth it? Usually only if your employer is paying. You can usually negotiate a cash, up front, rate. I do not carry dental insurance for my family and pay out of pocket for their treatment at a private dentist.

[Leslie]

Nords--my vote is yes on dental insurance.

I had my last military dental exam in May of last year. Now just over a year later, I have 6 cavities, need two extractions (wisdom teeth--they needed root canals, but extractions are cheaper) and need a crown. Its hard to believe my teeth deteriorated that much in a year...I think I got blown off for my last freebie dental visit. I found out the crown alone is worth having insurance. Also, my hubs had an abscess too that erupted over 24 hours--he was really sick. You just never know about your teeth!