Dental Care Should Be Part of Universal Healthcare

[mnhtnbb]

117. Tell me about it. I am having a tooth extracted on Monday

which has become infected. Some years ago--6 or 7-- I had a root canal done on the tooth.
Since the gap would be apparent when smiling, I'm going to have an implant to replace
the missing tooth.

Here's the cost:

$1262. for the removal and guided tissue regeneration (prep for the implant) done under sedation.

$250. for the CT scan done prior to the implant.

$2808. for the implant placement, done under sedation.

These prices do NOT include the tooth and crown to be done by my regular dentist.

We checked with our insurance carrier yesterday--ZERO coverage--even though all the above work will
be done by an oral surgeon.

Those costs don't include the $71. consultation fee when I saw the oral surgeon on Thursday, nor the $88. consult
to my regular dentist--who took x-rays--when I went to see him Thursday about the 'bump' on my gum that turned
out to be a fistula--pus packed--from the infected tooth.

The only saving grace? The drugstore charged me $.64--yes, less than $1.00--as co-pay for the antibiotics I was prescribed
to take for a week. Insurance picked up the remaining cost of the $20. prescription.


I lost a tooth--a molar--some years ago. Did not replace it since it was a back tooth and my dentist said it really wouldn't
matter. But, yikes! By the time this is all done, I figure we'll have spent at least $5 grand for ONE tooth--that I already spent
almost $1k on for the root canal 6 or 7 years ago.