$1500 for dental work

[MRG]

If you live near a university with a dental school, consider signing up for services there - you can get pretty significant cost savings. Downside is that the appointments/procedures tend to take a little longer because the work is extremely thoroughly supervised and double/triple checked.

A friend needed major work. I pointed her to the dental college and she was amazed at the cost. Everything she needed at a fraction of the cost. She even went to this guy's state boards for him. Thinking she gets discounts for life.

 

[braumeister]

Coincidentally, there was a bit in the WSJ today that included a startling (to me) statistic: 25% of the US population over age 60 have lost all their teeth.

Makes you realize how important it is to take good care of your mouth.

 

[folivier]

Dare I even say it? Mexico!

 

[gerntz]

I thought Costa Rica was the place.

 

[Texas Proud]

If they're done all at once they're more like $30-$40k. Mine ran $5k each but I still have most of my own teeth.

Why implants? My understanding is that when you get dentures the jawbone shrinks over time because it's not stimulated by the chewing action of natural teeth. So, you need new dentures every once in awhile and the narrower the jawbone, the harder it is to fit them well. Hence the clacking you hear when people with ill-fitting dentures talk. It also can limit what you eat- the dentist who did mine had a friend who couldn't eat a hot dog on a bun at a baseball game. He said the implants changed his life.

Remember, too, that fresh, crunchy fruits and vegetables are out if your dentures don't fit- so then there's the impact on nutrition.

We are getting them done piecemeal.... but the ones going in right now are 4 uppers in the back... total cost of $17K....

Also, this is the second round and she has needed bone grafts for both... probably will for any new ones...

She did say that she would like to get larger chunks done, but I worry about her front teeth... we paid $1k (oh, forgot to add that into the cost!!!) for some false teeth... she does not wear them as it gags her.... and since it takes almost a year from start to finish I know she would not want to be without teeth...

 

[John Galt III]

Last fall I had a tooth that a filling came out and I broke a piece off the same tooth. I go to a different guy and he had to fill and build this broken part up and only charged me $40 for the job. I have known him for 35 years and has always done a great job for me. My wife won't go to him so that is that. lol

I have a similar thing. One of the upper front teeth is starting to chip at the corners, and it feels like the enamel is coming off the back of it, or a filling has come out. Afraid to see the dentist since they will try to find all sorts of other problems while I'm there! But I'm hoping he can just put on some composite resin (filling) and shape it like the original tooth.

 

[sengsational]

200k for implants. they must be a cash cow. why do people in that situation not use dentures, instead of all implants? its been done for years.

I feel like my latest set of dental visits ($2.2K) were cheap! For decades, I suppose, dentists have been telling me that without removing the fillings, there was no way to tell if the exterior visible cracks went farther in the teeth. So I had all the amalgam fillings replaced, and got the bad news that I've got deep cracks in 6 or 7. I wish I would have asked beforehand to have him take pictures after cleaning it out and before refilling. He said those teeth with cracks "really should have crowns" and that "they could break tomorrow or in 10 years or never". But if I were going to do a bunch of crowns, I might check the expat communities outside of the US...why not get a vacation and crowns for less than crowns only here?

 

[travelover]

I have a similar thing. One of the upper front teeth is starting to chip at the corners, and it feels like the enamel is coming off the back of it, or a filling has come out. Afraid to see the dentist since they will try to find all sorts of other problems while I'm there! But I'm hoping he can just put on some composite resin (filling) and shape it like the original tooth.

I have a problem with a corner of a front tooth chipping. It turns out it is from grinding my teeth (bruxism). So the back of the tooth is thin and the corner is the weak point. I had a white resin repair which lasted a year, then it chipped off. Additional attempts only lasted weeks. The dentist wanted to do a veneer, but found stress cracks on the back of the tooth so, a full crown is needed. I decided to go with the chipped look until it gets worse, then do a crown.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

For me it is a big cost... she has horrible teeth and over the next 10 to 20 years she will probably have every natural tooth pulled and an implant in its place... so probably a total of $200K when all said and done!!!

Dare I even say it? Mexico!

Blog post and specific recommendation/referral for getting implants done in Mexico from popular "mobile codger", Randy Vining using the Yuma/Algodones portal ----

1st - Mobile Kodgers: THE JOY OF GETTING A TOOTH BACK

2nd - Mobile Kodgers: GETTING MY SMILE BACK IN ALGODONES

 

[Teacher Terry]

I lost all my teeth a year ago due to my CPAP machine. They don't bother to tell you that it causes severe dry mouth which causes your teeth to decay, lose their enamel and come loose. It costs 33k to just have the bottoms done. The tops would cost 38k due to also needing a bone graft. Most people only get the bottoms done due to the top denture fitting better due to suction. It has taken a year. I have to cut everything into small pieces to chew it. It takes me forever to eat and often my food is cold before I am done. I also have a lisp now that I never had. Eating is no longer much of a pleasure.

 

[John Galt III]

I have a problem with a corner of a front tooth chipping. It turns out it is from grinding my teeth (bruxism). So the back of the tooth is thin and the corner is the weak point. I had a white resin repair which lasted a year, then it chipped off. Additional attempts only lasted weeks. The dentist wanted to do a veneer, but found stress cracks on the back of the tooth so, a full crown is needed. I decided to go with the chipped look until it gets worse, then do a crown.

Interesting. I may be grinding my teeth in my sleep, too. I do have a slight underbite, since I had braces as a teen, which left me with lower teeth that I cannot retract behind my upper teeth, meaning the tops of the lower front teeth hit the bottom of the upper front teeth every time I bite down. Been living with this for 30 years and hasn't been a problem until now, although you can clearly see wear patterns on the top teeth where they connect with the lowers . Maybe just the repetitions over the years finally wore this particular tooth down too much and it's crumbling away. I'm going with the chipped look also, for now.

 

[MRG]

For several hundred dollars your dentist can provide a bite guard for bruxism. You can get cheapies at a Walmart etc. Amazon has some DIY molds that are supposed to be pretty good.

I eat one ever 24 months, but they've saved thousands in dental repairs.

 

[travelover]

For several hundred dollars your dentist can provide a bite guard for bruxism. You can get cheapies at a Walmart etc. Amazon has some DIY molds that are supposed to be pretty good.

I eat one ever 24 months, but they've saved thousands in dental repairs.

I've worn one for 40 years, but there was damage done before I got it and there is slight damage when not wearing it if I unconsciously grind my teeth.

 

[MRG]

I've worn one for 40 years, but there was damage done before I got it and there is slight damage when not wearing it if I unconsciously grind my teeth.

I understand. When I w*rked an unintentional nap might break something. I don't believe I grind as much now, but I'm still wearing mine to bed.

 

[sengsational]

I lost all my teeth a year ago due to my CPAP machine. They don't bother to tell you that it causes severe dry mouth which causes your teeth to decay, lose their enamel and come loose. It costs 33k to just have the bottoms done. The tops would cost 38k due to also needing a bone graft. Most people only get the bottoms done due to the top denture fitting better due to suction. It has taken a year. I have to cut everything into small pieces to chew it. It takes me forever to eat and often my food is cold before I am done. I also have a lisp now that I never had. Eating is no longer much of a pleasure.

Sorry to hear that.

Very interesting to learn about CPAP oral health issues. And the prices you mention for dentures are crazy high! I had no clue.

I have all of my original teeth at this point, but two are "non-viable" (aka, they've had a root canal). My position has generally been to leave things alone (if it ain't broke, don't fix it). But I've got several that are now reported to have cracks that are subject to failure...a failure that could take the tooth. A crown would prevent that. Crowns seemed expensive, that is, unless I compare it to dentures!

 

[RobbieB]

I don't mess with cracked teeth. I go to the dentist the next (or same) day and get it glued temporary and set a crown prep appointment and just do it.

One cracked all the way to the pulp and needed to be pulled. I ate soup and vicodin until it was out. The pain was unbelievable.

 

[tn3sport]

Costa Rica is the real deal. There are very reputable dentist there. To think you can't get reliable and safe medical work done in CR is very naive.

My brother had a $10k estimate for implant work in Pensacola, FL. He researched and found a place in CR and saved $7,500. I was a skeptic before actually seeing his results. Now, I'm a believer in what I guess is being called medical tourism...

$400 flight out of Tampa. Get the procedure done and spend a week or so vacationing.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Sensa: I did not pay that for dentures. I realize I left out that I paid for a permanent denture (bottoms only) which is implanted into your gum and bone. If I got the tops done it would be an additional 38k. I am starting to think I may look into medical tourism as it sucks to have a top denture and the implant is much nicer.

 

[splitwdw]

For those that are talking about going to Costa Rica. Are there different procedures for implants? Do they do all the work in one sitting? I'm having 2 teeth done right now and it's a long drawn out process. I developed an infection in my jaw and the back two teeth had to be pulled and a bone graft done. Now I'm waiting for that to heal and then they put in the inserts and then that has to heal. Then they start on the teeth that go into the inserts.

 

[Texas Proud]

For those that are talking about going to Costa Rica. Are there different procedures for implants? Do they do all the work in one sitting? I'm having 2 teeth done right now and it's a long drawn out process. I developed an infection in my jaw and the back two teeth had to be pulled and a bone graft done. Now I'm waiting for that to heal and then they put in the inserts and then that has to heal. Then they start on the teeth that go into the inserts.

Someone else with REAL knowledge might come along and answer your question....

But, from what I understand, there are two kind of procedures.... one where they can do almost everything in one day... including the crowns... our (do not know his specialty) doc who did the implants said that the bone does not have enough time to heal and the material used is not as strong...

I also think that if you do all teeth, they do only a few posts, but if you do it piecemeal then you can have a post for each tooth.... much more expensive this way...