today i went to the dentist. i never really have a good experience there because i have some jaw issues so it hurts me to keep my mouth open wide, but ever since i got married & got my own insurance things have been especially crappy. we have the cheap version of dental insurance through work (i always forget this difference between the two, but i think we have a DMO...whatever type is crappy, that's what we have) and last year i went to some weirdo in culver city whose office was wallpapered in 70s wood paneling -- and i kid you not, the man was so non-tech that he did not even have a spit-sucker wand. YUCK. that whole experience scarred me enough to wait almost 18 months before my next appt (saying a lot, coming from someone who went to the dentist every 6 months without fail until age 22).
i went back to the pasadena dentist today, the one who said it would be $545 for my wisdom tooth removal, to get cleaned. it was still kind of lame but not as bad, although i am 85% sure the hygenist called me a "juicy patient" (sorry that i have a lot of spit, people!). i didn't particularly love them but at least they cleaned my teeth. then they racked up all these other future costs at my orthodontist consultation to discuss the production of an invisiline retainer to keep my other teeth in place so that we don't have to remove my baby teeth right now. three years of braces did make me a little weary of anything mouth-related, but this is lame. it's like $900 for the wisdom tooth + retainer. but now i'm wondering if i wait till the end of the year and switch dental insurances to the one that covers more, will it end up saving me more money? aren't insurance peeps supposed to pay for wisdom teeth? (mine is only signed up to pay about $121 at this point.) are these people trying to pull something over on me? dentists are lame. i wish i could find one that i liked and trusted and who could answer all my questions.
5 comments:
That's super sucky. I seriously hate dealing with insurance and health care (as if someone else actually likes it). It's just so complicated and no one is ever helpful. I'm sorry it's costing you so much! I just hope you're not in pain from anything right now.
If you can, go to Doctor Baker in Ontario, CA. He is extremely honest and is reasonable. I drive an hour to go and see him because I am still paying money from three years ago, when I got ripped off from another dentist. Think over $4000 dollars and not for braces! I went to Dr. Seth Baker and he told me there was no way, I would have needed all the work they did!
Number is 909-984-6868 and he is LDS.
Lynds- I worked for a dentist for 2 yrs doing the insurance thing. DMOs are not good. They limit you quite a bit. If you can, switch over to a PDP. MetLife is a great option but Delta Dental is the best. They are better at paying. If you have any other questions, I would be happy to help. Dental insurance all around is a rip off, but I suppose its nice to have in the event of major work.
yikes. stock up on ice cream for the recovery for sure! whens the big day?
"Juicy"...haha, oh gosh. I'm sorry about your frustrations. I wish you could just TRUST the dentist you were at. A good dentist must be a little hard to come by... I'm sorry.
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