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I had fillings that failed and three of my teeth needed crowns (they really did). I was quoted $2500 per crown. My insurance only covered up to $1000 per year a

I had fillings that failed and three of my teeth needed crowns (they really did). I was quoted $2500 per crown. My insurance only covered up to $1000 per year and I didn't have a great job at the time, so I was like "well, no way I can afford $6500" and did nothing. Eventually the teeth got so bad they had to be removed, and had to get two bridges put in. That was quoted at $6k apiece. At that point I did have a good job again and could afford it, but yeah, that hurt. Since then one of the teeth in the bridge had to have a root canal, and then the top part of the tooth cracked when the root canal was checked, and so now I need to replace the anchor teeth in one bridge to 2 implants. I was quoted $7k for those (that's one of the cheaper quotes, I've also been quoted over $10k), not including a new bridge that will have to be made, which will be another ~$6k. I've put that off for three years now (even had a scheduled surgery to start the process I ended up cancelling). My bridge just has a good amount of temporary cement over that cracked tooth, which has oddly stayed in place the whole pandemic. Eventually I'll have to get it done, but I'm putting it off as long as possible. If I had somehow figured out how to get those crowns in the first place, I might have saved all this grief and extra expense after. I'm up to 3 removed teeth and 4 teeth stripped of their enamel to become anchor teeth to put the two bridges on, which can never just be 'normal teeth' again. I've also since heard that some places have machines to 3D print crowns onsite and can do it for as little as $300 each. I wish I knew that was a thing before I decided I was too poor to afford proper dental care.

curriculum 4y ago
I think what you're referring to in your last paragraph is a CEREC crown, but it's not always cheaper. In my case, my insurance covers a lab-made crown with a $100 copay. It takes a few days to be made, so it's slightly inconvenient. Same-day CEREC crowns aren't covered by my insurance, and cost around $500-$800 at the dentists I went to. I discovered this last year when I went to a new dentist and they recommended two CEREC crowns and a laser gum cleaning at a total cost of around $2000. This was surprising, because I thought my dental insurance was pretty good. Turns out, it is: the dentist was just electing to use more expensive methods that weren't covered by insurance and failed to tell me about the options. I did some research later and found that the laser cleaning was not demonstrably better than the traditional approach in terms of outcomes (though I think the gums are supposed to heal faster) and was not endorsed by the periodontist professional society. I saw some sources which said that the same-day CEREC crown is actually worse than the lab-made crown in terms of fit and durability.

curriculum 4y ago

I think what you're referring to in your last paragraph is a CEREC crown, but it's not always cheaper. In my case, my insurance covers a lab-made crown with a $100 copay. It takes a few days to be made, so it's slightly inconvenient. Same-day CEREC crowns aren't covered by my insurance, and cost around $500-$800 at the dentists I went to. I discovered this last year when I went to a new dentist and they recommended two CEREC crowns and a laser gum cleaning at a total cost of around $2000. This was surprising, because I thought my dental insurance was pretty good. Turns out, it is: the dentist was just electing to use more expensive methods that weren't covered by insurance and failed to tell me about the options. I did some research later and found that the laser cleaning was not demonstrably better than the traditional approach in terms of outcomes (though I think the gums are supposed to heal faster) and was not endorsed by the periodontist professional society. I saw some sources which said that the same-day CEREC crown is actually worse than the lab-made crown in terms of fit and durability.