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What to do if you have cavities and no dental insurance?

I

imported_Tomato

Diamond Member
My fiance has been experiencing a lot of pain when chewing lately, and I suspect he has a cavity. Apparently USC student insurance doesn't include any sort of dental work, and I know fillings can be pricey sans insurance. Would it be a good idea to buy dental insurance separately/independently? Do you know of any other affordable options when it comes to needing dental services? Thank you.
 
A bottle of 100 proof or higher liquor, a pair of pliers and and gause to stem the blood.

All kidding aside, check to see if there is a dental school in the area. May be good chance for a free or very low clost way of getting some fillings.
 
have it done at a dental school? they will "practice" on him for very little money, from what I've heard, they do a better job than a real dentist, since they get graded on. good luck!
 
Call around and see if you can find a dentist that is cheaper but still does decent work. I have never had dental insurance, so this is the route I go when looking for a dentist. Back in Indiana, I found a guy that did fillings for $70 each. Cheaper than anyone else I found. I had three fillings done by him in 2001 and they're fine so far.
 
Like Dagta said, call around first. And the dental school option is a good one too, I had a root canal done at a dental school when I was in college and had no money.
 
is there a dental school there? they gotta practice on someone.. so they're usually an affordable option if there's one handy. ok.. I'm not sure that's still the case.. it used to be. it's worth checking. 🙂

fillings aren't horridly expensive though.. root canals are. get it filled before it gets to that point.

dental insurance isn't cheap and it won't cover a lot of stuff until you've had it for a year.. for a young single person, unless he has horrible teeth.. I wouldn't recommend going out and purchasing it independently.. but it is a nice benefit to have in your package when you're job hunting.

either way.. he still needs to get that tooth looked at.. and taken care of.. buying insurance now won't cover what's already wrong.. at least not without waiting for it to get much more wrong..

anno

 
Make him get them fixed, or it will turn into a root canal and crown, which costs a lot more.

I could have saved a lot of money taking better care of my teeth in college -- when I got a job and insurance it only covered part of the work I needed by then.

Also, those "denntal discount plans" are worthless, just pay the $75-100 for the filling and be done.
 
some string and a door will do fine. just tight one end of the string around her tooth, and one end to the doorknob. then just SLAM the door. it'll come off in a jippy. 😛
 
Allowing a dental student to work on his teeth would probably be the cheapest option.
 
You know, Tomato, I get the feeling that you wouldn't be a very good significant other without ATOT, since you have to ask the forum for solutions to every little problem that your fiance has.

Then again, it's probably his fault for needing his hand held all the time. 😛
 
Originally posted by: Balt
You know, Tomato, I get the feeling that you wouldn't be a very good significant other without ATOT, since you have to ask the forum for solutions to every little problem that your fiance has.

Then again, it's probably his fault for needing his hand held all the time. 😛
Click to expand...

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 😛

I called the USC dental school, and they offer an automatic 10% off for students (which still isn't very much). A comprehensive exam will cost $80 before the discount... I wonder if I can find a dentist who will offer one for less around here. Not sure how much comprehensive dental exams cost these days...
 
Originally posted by: Tomato
Originally posted by: lordtyranus
brush your teeth
Click to expand...

That doesn't help fix cavities, only prevents them.

I'm calling the USC dental school right now...
Click to expand...

doesn't prevent all of them, either.. there's all kinds of reasons for cavities.. he could have cracked or chipped that tooth, or have a previous filling that's failed.. weak spot in the enamel, any number of reasons..

so.. now I'm curious.. what luck are you having with the dental school? good I hope. 🙂

oh... now I read the update.. that's not as good as I hoped.. but I don't know what comprehensive exam costs nowdays either.. my insurance does cover that.. and I'm sure any price knowledge I did have (in south carolina) would be irrelevant to california anyway.

still.. get him fixed. severe dental pain is horrible, and it usually commences at 5:00 on a holiday weekend.

anno
 
Originally posted by: anno
Originally posted by: Tomato
Originally posted by: lordtyranus
brush your teeth
Click to expand...

That doesn't help fix cavities, only prevents them.

I'm calling the USC dental school right now...
Click to expand...

doesn't prevent all of them, either.. there's all kinds of reasons for cavities.. he could have cracked or chipped that tooth, or have a previous filling that's failed.. weak spot in the enamel, any number of reasons..

so.. now I'm curious.. what luck are you having with the dental school? good I hope. 🙂

anno
Click to expand...

Not too much luck with the USC dental school (only a 10% student discount), trying UCLA now... I also came across this coupon online:

$49 seems fair
 
Not too much luck with the USC dental school (only a 10% student discount), trying UCLA now... I also came across this coupon online:

$49 seems fair
Click to expand...


it's a fair price for an initial visit but I'd call and find out what the other services might cost.. a cosmetic dentistry practice doesn't seem like the place to go for what you're (your fiance is )needing done.. and just the label makes me think their subsequent services are likely to be overpriced..

did you ask the school what their prices were on other services? that'd be useful to know for comparison purposes too.

wonder if the city has dental services.. I know people can get a variety of healthcare services from the health department.. and because it's a public service income doesn't come in to it.. I went to the health department to get a measles shot years ago.. because I couldn't find anyone else to give it to me (pediatricians wouldn't because I was too old and nobody that dealt with adults would because there wasn't enough demand to buy the vaccine), and I needed to have it, because I flunked the rubella test and I intended to become pregnant. 😛😎 was a case of the only way to be responsible was to take the cheap way out. not sure if they offer dental services or not (may depend on the city too).. but it's worth asking.

anno
 
I would assume that you would just pay out of pocket. I had insurance, but when I had my cavity filled it was only 150.00.

-sp
 
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