D
Deck2015
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2015
- Messages
- 165
Re: Yuki's Dental Hell (dentists, implants, extreme anxiety- a real fun read)
Yuki..I hope you won't take offense to this, but reading your story, I was laughing out loud. Certainly *NOT* laughing at you, but laughing at the insanity of it all.
Why? Why would I understand the obscene costs & sarcasm associated with your story? Because I too am in the process of a front upper tooth extract, zombie mouth (bone graft ), implant...I'm 13 months in and still no perm crown. Worse, worse, I too spent close to $1000 USD just in consult fees.
My advice: Get the best oral surgeon you can to do the implant and the best prosthodontist to do the crown. Also, if any of your providers give you a sketchy feeling, run the opposite direction.
To summarize my very similar hell:
1. Tooth hurts, go see Dentist. Dentist says tooth fine, you're crazy.
2. Tooth still hurts, go see a new Dentist. New Dentist say tooth is re-infected (RCT'd and Apico years ago)
3. New, greedy Dentist sends me to see her "buddy" who is an Endo will sketchy reviews online --Sketchy Enod says "Sure, we can repeat Apico!! It'll run you $1,500 USD with zero guarantees"....what he *DOESN'T* tell me is that repeat Apico has about a 30-40% success rate.
4. I keep my $1,500 and seek the advice of another, well respected Endo. New Endo says "We could repeat Apico but I think you're wasting your money due to success rates of repeat Apico - may be time to give up the ghost on this front upper tooth"...I see my new Dentist who has earned my trust at this point. New Dentist agrees with New Endo...says Apico are "last heroic effort to save RCT tooth with re-infection"...says Repeat Apico even more bad, bad idea and I might as well throw my good money into a toilet.
4. See new Oral Surgeon -- well respected. I like him. He says "Sure, we extract but because you have had repeat infection that ate away at the bone, need bone graft. Bone graft / Implant success directly tied to how strong it is when Implant is place. Best extract/zombie bone same procedure. KEY to Wait 4 months to make sure Zombie jaw has essentially fused with your own bone and then ok'd to have Implant. Had Implant done 4 mos later. Still no crown. Return in 4 mos to have final testing of implant to make sure it's all sound before they put a crown on it and put pressure on the implant. <<This was the explanation for not getting same day extract/zombie bone/Implant procedure.
During this horror of a process, You're not toothless...you get the dreaded flipper. Love/hate relationship with flipper...some days would love to throw it across the room but then glad I have it when I want to show my face in public.
Cost sounds about right. I had IV sedation for extract/zombie face, and had IV sedation again for implant surgery. Total cost for this single implant so far is roughly $5,000 USD -- and I had insurance that covered some of the cost - not much, but some. Mind you, that figure includes cost of flipper (front tooth sister, I hear you!!!)...crown and abutment at obscene cost yet to pay for...it'll run me about half what I'm already into for this tooth.
The effing consult fees...you had me right there. I think the highest consult fee I paid was $180 -- but for not actually having anything done, spending a grand to listen to greedy professionals tell me they knew how to suck money out of my bank with ZERO guarantees about the work just made my stomach turn. To be fair, they use their equipment, staff and some materials to consult and I get that it's not free but I do believe it could be more reasonable.
This is America -- where even Dentistry is for profit. I can't imagine what it's like for people who can't afford real dentistry. It's all horribly expensive. I don't know what people in horrible pain do when they need treatment if they don't have an extra grand burning a hole in their pocket.
Yuki..I hope you won't take offense to this, but reading your story, I was laughing out loud. Certainly *NOT* laughing at you, but laughing at the insanity of it all.
Why? Why would I understand the obscene costs & sarcasm associated with your story? Because I too am in the process of a front upper tooth extract, zombie mouth (bone graft ), implant...I'm 13 months in and still no perm crown. Worse, worse, I too spent close to $1000 USD just in consult fees.
My advice: Get the best oral surgeon you can to do the implant and the best prosthodontist to do the crown. Also, if any of your providers give you a sketchy feeling, run the opposite direction.
To summarize my very similar hell:
1. Tooth hurts, go see Dentist. Dentist says tooth fine, you're crazy.
2. Tooth still hurts, go see a new Dentist. New Dentist say tooth is re-infected (RCT'd and Apico years ago)
3. New, greedy Dentist sends me to see her "buddy" who is an Endo will sketchy reviews online --Sketchy Enod says "Sure, we can repeat Apico!! It'll run you $1,500 USD with zero guarantees"....what he *DOESN'T* tell me is that repeat Apico has about a 30-40% success rate.
4. I keep my $1,500 and seek the advice of another, well respected Endo. New Endo says "We could repeat Apico but I think you're wasting your money due to success rates of repeat Apico - may be time to give up the ghost on this front upper tooth"...I see my new Dentist who has earned my trust at this point. New Dentist agrees with New Endo...says Apico are "last heroic effort to save RCT tooth with re-infection"...says Repeat Apico even more bad, bad idea and I might as well throw my good money into a toilet.
4. See new Oral Surgeon -- well respected. I like him. He says "Sure, we extract but because you have had repeat infection that ate away at the bone, need bone graft. Bone graft / Implant success directly tied to how strong it is when Implant is place. Best extract/zombie bone same procedure. KEY to Wait 4 months to make sure Zombie jaw has essentially fused with your own bone and then ok'd to have Implant. Had Implant done 4 mos later. Still no crown. Return in 4 mos to have final testing of implant to make sure it's all sound before they put a crown on it and put pressure on the implant. <<This was the explanation for not getting same day extract/zombie bone/Implant procedure.
During this horror of a process, You're not toothless...you get the dreaded flipper. Love/hate relationship with flipper...some days would love to throw it across the room but then glad I have it when I want to show my face in public.
Cost sounds about right. I had IV sedation for extract/zombie face, and had IV sedation again for implant surgery. Total cost for this single implant so far is roughly $5,000 USD -- and I had insurance that covered some of the cost - not much, but some. Mind you, that figure includes cost of flipper (front tooth sister, I hear you!!!)...crown and abutment at obscene cost yet to pay for...it'll run me about half what I'm already into for this tooth.
The effing consult fees...you had me right there. I think the highest consult fee I paid was $180 -- but for not actually having anything done, spending a grand to listen to greedy professionals tell me they knew how to suck money out of my bank with ZERO guarantees about the work just made my stomach turn. To be fair, they use their equipment, staff and some materials to consult and I get that it's not free but I do believe it could be more reasonable.
This is America -- where even Dentistry is for profit. I can't imagine what it's like for people who can't afford real dentistry. It's all horribly expensive. I don't know what people in horrible pain do when they need treatment if they don't have an extra grand burning a hole in their pocket.