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Dentist - Another Decision
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Oct 20, 2016 11:38:12   #
Impressionist
 
Calsnap wrote:
I've met a lot of people from all over the US in the waiting room of my dentist in Algodones Mexico. You can get the root canal and crown for $700 have a vacation and still have money left.


Need to beat the Wall tax.

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Oct 20, 2016 11:38:27   #
EdJ0307 Loc: out west someplace
 
When I was living in Southern California Tijuana was the go-to place for a lot of people for dental work. I never went there so I wound up spending a lot of money for dental work. Insurance helped some.

Have the tooth extracted. I had to have my #30 molar extracted because of an abscess but the two teeth behind it moved forward and filed about half of the empty space. However, that took about 30 years.

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Oct 20, 2016 11:55:46   #
mikedent Loc: Florida
 
"Ohio State." My wife would give you grief- she is a big Michigan fan! Good dental advice- a lot depends on the situation and condition of the tooth. Root canal may or may not be best solution depending on what's wrong. Generally best to keep it if possible and the bone support is stable. Molars and rear teeth generally need crowns to protect weaker parts of the tooth from snagging on food on a wrong angle and fracturing. The crown would cover all the biting surfaces for you. It could of course still break later but at least you would have had it in place for that time and keep the bone from dissolving away, so you could do a bridge or implant later. Implants are often preferred because you don't have to grind down the adjacent support teeth for the crowns and bridge. If extracted and not replaced, usually the rear teeth start to tip forward as they are no longer "braced" by their neighbor. Or the top teeth start to drift downwards- both of these can cause bite problems and/or gum tissue problems from food getting caught in the newly-created angles of the teeth. Best wishes on your treatment.

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Oct 20, 2016 12:11:23   #
buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon
 
Did a google search about crowning a tooth after root canal. Web MD says it all depends on the tooth condition. There is NO reason to arbitrarily add a crown on a tooth after a root canal.
Most if not all dentists will argue that fact as they get to add the price of a crown to their bill.

Buyer beware. If you think dentists, surgeons, etc. are altruistic you obviously don't have my experience with unnecessary medical recommendations. In my experience, many physicians/dentists, etc. will recommend a higher priced and sometimes unnecessary procedure.

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Oct 20, 2016 12:32:52   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
buckbrush wrote:
Did a google search about crowning a tooth after root canal. Web MD says it all depends on the tooth condition. There is NO reason to arbitrarily add a crown on a tooth after a root canal.
Most if not all dentists will argue that fact as they get to add the price of a crown to their bill.

Buyer beware. If you think dentists, surgeons, etc. are altruistic you obviously don't have my experience with unnecessary medical recommendations. In my experience, many physicians/dentists, etc. will recommend a higher priced and sometimes unnecessary procedure.
Did a google search about crowning a tooth after r... (show quote)


I would respectfully disagree. Perhaps it's because I grew up in medicine/hospitals - my father was a microbiologist (not an MD), my mother was a lab tech, and my wife is a retired RN, so I've seen it from the inside. Now, at my age, I'm incredibly lucky to have a platoon of long-term excellent caregivers, including a fine dentist, an oral surgeon, a general practitioner, an ENT physician, a cardiologist, an orthopedist, a GI specialist and an ophthalmologist. Not once have I been subjected to unnecessary tests or procedures, and I don't for a moment believe that any of them were profit-driven. Maybe I'm just lucky, and perhaps there are physicians that fit your description, but I haven't encountered one, and I'd be in real trouble without this excellent cadre of caregivers.

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Oct 20, 2016 12:38:37   #
agillot
 
had same problem , remove it , you wont notice the missing tooth , then use the money saved for a week cruise on a ship . had 3 cruises all ready , waiting for the 4th !!!

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Oct 20, 2016 12:51:34   #
Robert R Loc: Indianapolis and Naples
 
mikedent wrote:
"Ohio State." My wife would give you grief- she is a big Michigan fan! Good dental advice- a lot depends on the situation and condition of the tooth. Root canal may or may not be best solution depending on what's wrong. Generally best to keep it if possible and the bone support is stable. Molars and rear teeth generally need crowns to protect weaker parts of the tooth from snagging on food on a wrong angle and fracturing. The crown would cover all the biting surfaces for you. It could of course still break later but at least you would have had it in place for that time and keep the bone from dissolving away, so you could do a bridge or implant later. Implants are often preferred because you don't have to grind down the adjacent support teeth for the crowns and bridge. If extracted and not replaced, usually the rear teeth start to tip forward as they are no longer "braced" by their neighbor. Or the top teeth start to drift downwards- both of these can cause bite problems and/or gum tissue problems from food getting caught in the newly-created angles of the teeth. Best wishes on your treatment.
"Ohio State." My wife would give you gri... (show quote)


I wish I had said it as well. When I was a dental student in the 1960's, I was golfing with my father and another dentist. My father ask his friend, "What is the biggest problem you face in your office". Without a second thought, he said "convincing patients to keep their teeth". I will never forget a poster my father had in his office, it is on my wall today. "Without teeth, there can be no chewing. Without chewing, there can be no nourishment. Without nourishment, there can be no health. Without health, what is life?"

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Oct 20, 2016 13:58:56   #
EdJ0307 Loc: out west someplace
 
TriX wrote:
Not once have I been subjected to unnecessary tests or procedures, and I don't for a moment believe that any of them were profit-driven. Maybe I'm just lucky, and perhaps there are physicians that fit your description, but I haven't encountered one, and I'd be in real trouble without this excellent cadre of caregivers.
Good for you. I have been going to dentists every three or four months for cleanings and exams because I have crappy teeth and I'm trying to keep them. The last dentist I had before leaving SoCal did an exam on my teeth and told me I have a small cavity in one of my molars. He said he would take care of it the next time I came in. I figured he was the dentist, he knew what he was doing. The next time I went he said he would deal with the cavity on next checkup. So again I'm thinking he's the dentist, he's a professional, he knows what he's doing, he has my best interest at heart. Turned out it wasn't my best interest he had in mind. The next time three months later he said that the cavity was too deep and he will have to put a crown on it, and maybe do a root canal but wouldn't know about that until he got into the tooth prep. So I thought to myself, 'oh, that is why you waited, you needed someone to make the next payment on your Corvette sitting in the parking lot'. And of course he said I needed the root canal. I'm happy you receive such great care but not all of us can say the same thing. There were other instances of unnecessary procedures but I won't bore you with them.

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Oct 20, 2016 14:47:32   #
rfmaude41 Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)
 
jerryc41 wrote:
Actually, I'm satisfied with my current gear - no buying on the horizon. Another alternative was an implant for about $3,000. I don't think a lump of gold that size would cost $3,000. I bought a nice used car for $3,000 and drove it for years.


Down here, a single implant costs about $1,000; not made of gold (normally porcelain and titanium).

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Oct 20, 2016 15:00:19   #
JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.
 
I just thought I would throw in a comment on crowns. I broke a tooth 48 years ago and was given the choice of 2 crowns: $400 for one that might last 10 years; and $800 for one that should last 25 years. I opted for the more expensive one... and it is still in there and doing fine. Whatever you decide, don't go for the cheapest of the options for the particular procedure. I think you get what you pay for.

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Oct 20, 2016 15:05:24   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
sb wrote:
Fly to Costa Rica, get some really nice photos, get the dental work for $400, and have a great time!


I thought of that, but I'd prefer to have Novacaine.

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Oct 20, 2016 15:07:05   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
rfmaude41 wrote:
Down here, a single implant costs about $1,000; not made of gold (normally porcelain and titanium).


But it would cost me over $2,000 to get there, spend a week or more, and get back home.

I have a vague recollection of my father going south to get his dentures.

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Oct 20, 2016 15:07:57   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
JohnFrim wrote:
I just thought I would throw in a comment on crowns. I broke a tooth 48 years ago and was given the choice of 2 crowns: $400 for one that might last 10 years; and $800 for one that should last 25 years. I opted for the more expensive one... and it is still in there and doing fine. Whatever you decide, don't go for the cheapest of the options for the particular procedure. I think you get what you pay for.


I have three crowns, and they must be over thirty years old because I don't have them listed in Quicken.

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Oct 20, 2016 15:10:05   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
EdJ0307 wrote:
Good for you. I have been going to dentists every three or four months for cleanings and exams because I have crappy teeth and I'm trying to keep them. The last dentist I had before leaving SoCal did an exam on my teeth and told me I have a small cavity in one of my molars. He said he would take care of it the next time I came in. I figured he was the dentist, he knew what he was doing. The next time I went he said he would deal with the cavity on next checkup. So again I'm thinking he's the dentist, he's a professional, he knows what he's doing, he has my best interest at heart. Turned out it wasn't my best interest he had in mind. The next time three months later he said that the cavity was too deep and he will have to put a crown on it, and maybe do a root canal but wouldn't know about that until he got into the tooth prep. So I thought to myself, 'oh, that is why you waited, you needed someone to make the next payment on your Corvette sitting in the parking lot'. And of course he said I needed the root canal. I'm happy you receive such great care but not all of us can say the same thing. There were other instances of unnecessary procedures but I won't bore you with them.
Good for you. I have been going to dentists every... (show quote)


Sorry, but that sounds like a scene from a comedy. It's like a mechanic who says you don't need an oil change yet - not yet - not yet. Whoops! The engine needs a rebuild.

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Oct 20, 2016 15:11:48   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
agillot wrote:
had same problem , remove it , you wont notice the missing tooth , then use the money saved for a week cruise on a ship . had 3 cruises all ready , waiting for the 4th !!!


You know, when you put it in terms like that, I have to rethink this. I've taken lots of cruises, but never paid $2,000 for a week. I look for bargains, always under $1,000 for a week.

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