Tooth question

teeth is an eternal subject...faced with similar

Mazdax605 said:

Floating Doc said:

Sine_Qua_Non said:

Floating Doc said:

Mazdax605 said:

I see a figure skate, and a large rock in your future. Do you have a volleyball handy?

Is that supposed to make sense?

It’s a joke. Scene is from the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks

I'm familiar with the movie, but not with the cultural reference. 

I agree with docwyte, small businesses often get burned when they do unsecured loans. The veterinary practice I bought had $42,000 in the accounts receivable. Not a penny of it was collectible.

You don't get the cultural reference of a movie scene where a guy knocks out his own tooth with a figure skate and a rock on a thread about a guy with a tooth problem and no insurance? You must be a fun guy at a party. It was a joke and a few people got it. It seems maybe I'm not very funny. It's okay, thankfully I don't rely on laughs to make money. 

Sorry, I didn't intend my replies to be a personal affront.

I hadn't seen that scene. I picked up the movie about half way through when it was on TV, never went back to watch the first half.

Edit: snarky reply deleted, not in keeping with the spirit of this forum.

Please accept my apology.

My dentist seems perfectly happy to accept payments at no interest.  Maybe it's because I've been going to him for years or maybe he's just being cool since he knows his services cost a small fortune.

(obligatory rant: I have some of the best dental insurance in the country with a max annual assist of $10,000 and it still sucks.  I'd probably be better off canceling it and working out my own rates with the doc as a cash patient.  The last few months I got an implant done and it cost me a challenge car out of pocket.  Dental insurance is more of a fancy coupon book than anything actually useful.)

Dental insurance is a defined benefit plan, it's not insurance.

I do allow long standing patients of record to pay me over time.  However, even in that situation I've still been burned and lost thousands and thousands of dollars.  So I don't do that except in very select circumstances now.

Bottom line, I can't afford to do that.  Not only that, it offends me that someone thinks its ok to F me over and steal from me and my family.  It's not like I can send the repo man out and take back that bridge or implant or whatever.

Had an oral surgeon look at it this morning.  It's going to cost about $3200 to have the tooth removed and an implant put in.  :(

Sounds about right.  Figure on $2000+ to actually put the crown/abutment on the implant next.

docwyte said:

Sounds about right.  Figure on $2000+ to actually put the crown/abutment on the implant next.

$3200 is for the whole procedure.  Extraction followed by implant about 4 months later.  Sounds like maybe I got a good deal...?

In reply to stroker :

No, that isn't the entire procedure.  Extraction and bone graft.  Than implant placement, which is the root part of the tooth.  Then 3-4 months later the abutment and crown, which is what you'd consider to be the tooth part, go in.

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear--the $3200 was for the entire process, start to finish.

All I can say is "Thank GOD" for anesthetics. Just had the cracked molar pulled. I absolutely can not imagine what that experience would have been like 100 years ago.

stroker said:

All I can say is "Thank GOD" for anesthetics. Just had the cracked molar pulled. I absolutely can not imagine what that experience would have been like 100 years ago.

20 years ago. Dental bus in a church parking lot. No anesthesia because they were out. 

You don't want to know.

In reply to stroker :

That your co-pay and insurance is paying $1500?  If so, that's also right in the ball park.

stroker said:

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear--the $3200 was for the entire process, start to finish.

That’s a good price. I had to pay quite a bit more than that. I think all in it came in at $5-6k. 

Coolest part was when the dentist pulled the torque wrench out of the drawer for the little standoff or whatever you call it. 

In reply to Slippery :

Abutment.  35ncm. 

docwyte said:

In reply to stroker :

That your co-pay and insurance is paying $1500?  If so, that's also right in the ball park.

I don't have insurance.  That's the entire procedure, start to finish, all out of pocket. 

Ok canoe.