Monday, November 16, 2009

The Dental Blues

I didn't actually get in to see a dentist today. The receptionist told me that there was an 8am appointment but I didn't confirm. So I showed up at 8am and the dentist wasn't there. I made a real appointment for Wednesday afternoon then went across the street and tried that dentist. He wasn't in either, it was his day to be at his other office. I made an appointment there too just to get a second opinion.

One thing that I noticed for both dentists is that their offices are very elegant and state of the art. Of course that made me think that their fees are very expensive. I asked one of the people behind the counter about prices and he referred me to a brochure on the counter. It was for My Smile Discount Plan. For a little over $100 I can sign up and pay only $800 per crown, $500 for a root canal plus $100 here and $100 there for little things like anesthesia and tooth surface preparation. They also have a payment plan. Cash negotiations are not going to work with these dentists.

There is still a chance that my insurance will cover the majority of my bill (although I have never had insurance that covered the majority). Neither dentist office recognised my insurance but promised to look in to it by tomorrow. The initial consultation should be free with one dentist and $40 with the other but I will cancel with the second one if they don't accept my insurance. If my insurance doesn't pay for most of this then I am seriously considering going over the border to a Mexican dentist. I already have a couple of names.

4 comments:

Over the Cubicle Wall said...

You could go back to your Tennessee roots and just have it pulled :P

If you can find a good dentist in Mexico, I don't see why not.

Daizy said...

I always thought my wisdom teeth should be able to fill in the gap in case my other teeth fell out. Here is there chance! Seriously though, if the price is too high I will go with an implant, that means going toothless for a while.

KoBold said...

Seeing a Mexican dentist if locals charge too much is what market economy is all about. Aint so?

Daizy said...

KoBold, how expensive are the dentists where you are? Maybe I should get a vacation at the same time. :)