Dental Insurance Barely Dents the Root Canal Bill
Individuals are frustrated by the high cost of dental care, even with insurance. Many feel the value of their insurance is questionable when facing significant procedures, and some are limited by coverage or income-based assistance programs that don't address comprehensive needs. This leads to delayed care and feelings of helplessness.
SOURCES (60)
“the boring stuff is always where the money is. everyone wants to build the next ai thing but nobody wants to fix the scheduling nightmare that costs a dental office 200 bucks per missed slot my cousin runs a small practice and she says the…”
“New patient comes in. She is missing 11 and 12 and all she wants is an upper partial. She is not even Interested in a cleaning. Has a broken root on 14, not interested in extraction. I advised of new crown on 13 still not Interested. I would love to help her and give her a partial but I mean is she is refusing all recommended treatment and only wants the partial, would you do it? Here are some X-Ray. Background: I am a new start up so literally every patient matters to me. But I also want to do”
“Hello I am a 29f with a secured credit card with my credit union bank limit is $500. My credit score is 650. I have emergency dental work for a rootcanal that really is bad. My savings is only $500 and currently not on any insurance. The other insurance i used to be on doesn't cover anything. The total is $2200 and I plan on working overtime to try and make payments off on it immediately. Is there any credit cards that I can get for $2000 limit at least? I dont want to pay a hefty fee either”
“Pulling wisdom teeth is an entirely different process than pulling other teeth. It’s more like surgery. A dentist can’t do it. You have to go to a surgeon who will cut open your gums, use a hammer to break each tooth into pieces, extract the pieces and then sow up your gums.”
“I went to a dental school and got work done for 75% less than a private practice.”
“Hello everybody so a few weeks ago I was informed that I wouldn’t be on my parents insurances anymore starting December 31st, I am looking for dental insurance that can cover braces and or other dental procedures! Thankfully I do have a great job at 21 and I am in college so monthly payments doesn’t matter to me I am based in Wisconsin. Any advice is greatly appreciated. submitted by /u/Famous-Interaction47 [link] [comments]”
“A patient received quote for a $4K posterior zirconia crown from another dentist in NYC. I thought this was borderline unbelievable but curious to hear others' thoughts? submitted by /u/Adventurous-Sock-644 [link] [comments]”
“dental insurance often has a 6+ month waiting period before it covers anything”
“Dental school is honestly the move once the emergency stuff is handled, way more affordable for the rest of the work and sounds like you're staying on top of it despite the cost hitting hard”
Dental school after the $850 emergency pull was the right move.
“Let this be a lesson to the younger folks here. If you can't afford to go to the dentist for routine care, please still brush and floss your teeth every day or you will pay for it later. A waterpik and an electric toothbrush will keep your teeth in good condition.”
“I have Delta Dental in California. I am the only member on the plan and pay premiums out of pocket for coverage. My plan is the highest tier and has $1,500 in lifetime coverage for oral surgery. I’ve been on the plan for almost a year so I’m well out of the 6 month waiting period. I visited an oral surgeon to remove an impacted 3rd molar back in June 2026. My plan is PPO and the surgeon is an in-network provider. Now, I’ve received two different bills from the oral surgeon’s office for $900+ aft”
“It seems like I’ve had an increased incidence of patients who schedule 2 root canals, 2 crowns, and some fillings, only to show up to the appointment and change the whole appointment to 1 root canals and a crown. It drives me absolutely up a wall. Do you guys deal with this? submitted by /u/jsrint [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone, I wanted to share an affordable dental care option for clients who struggle to find a dentist because of cost or insurance. UCLA Dental Clinics (Westwood) 📍 714 Tiverton Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095 • Denti-Cal accepted • Fees lower than most private dental offices • Care is provided by supervised student dentists, with licensed faculty dentists overseeing every step Services that may help your clients: • Cleanings, exams, fillings, Crowns and other general dental care • Dentures (”
“Right now is not a good time to tap out your emergency fund things are rough out there”
“Got a new job recently. And my company offers HMO: $12/ mo PPO: $24/ mo I’ve never been to a dentist for like 5 years now. Is it worth it to get dental insurance just for the cleaning? Which is better? submitted by /u/zokzz [link] [comments]”
“My orthodontist has sent a pre authorization to my insurance company twice with all the paperwork and proof, and it has been denied both times now; i need advice on what to do. My insurance, new jersey horizon medicaid, covers braces for people under 21 when it’s considered medically necessary. I’m 19 and my case should be considering medically necessary, my orthodontist said my jaw issues will continue to be debilitating and my jaw misalignment is very bad. This is in no way cosmetic, and the i”
“I went to a dental chain several years ago and they told me I had six cavities. I can’t remember the estimate but I couldn’t afford it, so they aggressively pushed their credit card on me. I refused and went to solo practice dentist for a second opinion. He said, “Yep, they lied to you. You don’t have any cavities.””
“Silver diamine fluoride can do this. The cost for this should be relatively cheap.”
“You need to get a second and perhaps third quote. And also identify if your dentist is private practice or private equity backed https://whoownsmydentists.com/”
“Dentistry has always had this weird reputation for wildly inconsistent diagnoses depending on who you see, almost like some offices are pricing based on vibes instead of actual need. $12,000 for crowns and cavities that a medicaid dentist didn't even flag is a massive red flag. Definitely worth getting a third opinion before committing to anything that expensive.”
“There are, I think, "My Dentist" or something bland like that here who are diabolical. The bill people and the care givers are kept separate and the bill people are definitely savages but the care givers seemed to try their best, it just was not very good.”
“I had something similar quote happen to aspen dental. Hopefully it’s not the same for you but if it is, avoid them like the plague.”
“Boy, that wasn't the chain Aspen Dentistry, by any chance? This is totally their m.o.”
“I had a patient come in for a second opinion about a treatment plan he got from a chain clinic after I took a look I diagnosed a couple of two surface composites only. He had a small chip on the distal of his 1st lower molar. Below is the treatment plan from the chain clinic Treatment plan for the chip Crown Build up $100 upcharge for zirconia $150 upcharge for gingivectomy (definitely not needed) Then two quads of desensitization (no recession and no sensitivity in those areas) 3 teeth for hydr”
“I used to do dentist mystery shops. So id get new patient exams and xrays at like 5-10 different places in a month. There are SO many scammers in dental field. It's absolutely insane what I saw. The variety of things that I was told I had wrong in the same short time period was borderline ridiculous.”
“Im going to throw it out there, that I mystery shopped dentists all across the country, and there are so many shady and shiesty ones that when you are confident your current dentist is reliable and honest, you should keep them and never shop around again. I was quoted for things that were presented as an emergency 10-15 years ago that are still non issues today. Wisdom teeth being one of them. Id do two of these jobs same day or same week and one place would quote me all this "emergency you”
“I will have to do periodontal treatment (gum grafting) which is unfortunately necessary but not covered by insurance. I'm quoted for $16000 total over two operations ($8000 each). I have enough to pay out of pocket (it'll halve my savings) but I'd rather pay in installments to ease the pain. How do people usually organize payments? I have a credit card (Chase Freedom Unlimited) but since I just returned stateside my credit limit is $1800. Otherwise pay by debit card, check, or cash?”
“I'm on medicaid so I visit the only dentist in my area that accepts it. They said during my visit that I only needed a few fillings and it's covered by my insurance. I need my wisdom teeth taken out and it won't be covered by my insurance, so I visited a seperate dentist and they went and did a full examination. They said I needed 4 crowns, gingivitis treatment and some kind of special paste to reverse some early cavities. The total cost was roughly $12,000. I'm at a total loss o”
“I need to get alot of dental work done and the dentist can fix it but its considered cosmetic and my insurance wont cover anything went to sage dental and the say its going to be over 8k for what I need and I didn't get approved for any kind of financing options.i desperately need this done. Anyone have any idea of what i can do submitted by /u/Bubz_Bunni616 [link] [comments]”
“How much do you charge in house dental plan per yr? submitted by /u/Awkward-Thing-2168 [link] [comments]”
“i sometimes wonder how many dentist/owners, OM's, and actual ins FD's, know how to read an Ins EOB. and see what the claim is actually paying in cash terms. the production/collection trap comically reminds me of the credit bonus points system. they give you 500,000 bonus points for signing up. the actual cash value of those points is like $5 Dentrix Daily Points Production Report Today = 5800 Actual cash value = $3150 The poor schmuck dentist pays out cash bonuses, equipment invoices, an”
“Find another dentist. Apply for a CARE CREDIT card and get up to 4 years interest free. You can pay as you go. Do not use Aspen Dental. Find a local dentist who is not a scam”
“I went in for an exam and cleaning as well. I have insurance. They told me that the only one who could do the cleaning was in another office a half hour away. Maybe they realized that they couldn't milk me for more money and blew me off. I don't know.”
“I’d rather go through the rest of my life toothless than walk back into Aspen Dental. I feel lucky I got out for $400.”
“I got treated at an aspen dental in Texas. Years of neglect on my part so I knew I needed a ton of work but before I even got in the financing section of my appointment they had already applied me for care credit without asking. If I could go back in time I would have never went to aspen.”
“I know a dentist who started working for Aspen dental straight out of dental school. He lasted six months because of how predatory it was. He was being forced to pull teeth unnecessarily, and do work that didn’t need to be done.”
“I went to the local dentist and they did a regular cleaning for $150. Aspen dental is a joke”
“Long story short is, yesterday I went to Aspen Dental under the pretense I’d be getting evaluated for an emergency tooth abscess. Originally thought I’d be walking out of there spending $4,000 - $5,000 out of pocket but instead, walked out with a 7 page dental treatment plan for the remainder of my life averaging out to $40,000. (Yes, I’m aware of how predatory this was of Aspen!) All this said, inside their office when we were scheduling my “next appointment”, they wanted to obviously try finan”
“If You’re a Scamming Dentist, Shame on You. I need to get this off my chest after working in a corporate dental office for a few days ! One of the most disturbing things I’ve experienced is seeing how often the conversation seems to revolve around insurance, production, collections, and money —while the actual dentistry being performed can be extremely questionable. I’ve seen sound enamel being drilled down for restorations that, in my opinion, were not justified. I’ve seen dentures being made o”
“How many of you get cleanings from your hygienest, take xrays , and monitor your own decay? thats what i did and i was always a low risk patient with relatively good teeth. i have had 1 cavity in the last 20 years. so when a small lesion showed up on my 6 month xray i decided it's safe to monitor. it was somewhat borderline though so i did go to my local dentist and he shared my opinion to monitor. i flossed religiously. but somehow time moved quickly and work became so busy i waited 7 month”
“Dentists. I feel like with the student loans, market Saturation, insurance rates, and people not really taking their oral care seriously dentists are complaining that it’s financially not the same profession as it used to be and they’re struggling. However, all the Dentists I know in real life live in nice towns, have multiple kids, drive nice cars, and have nice houses without real worry about mula (upper-middle class of not upper class for sure). So what’s what? I’ve been living with SO MUCH r”
“Also look see if any dentists do sliding scale. Mine to get a tooth pulled without dental insurance was $50.”
“Hi! What do you get for your health insurance in NY state? Any group discounts for doctors? Or do you just buy a plan at NY marketplace? Thanks submitted by /u/NastyDentist22 [link] [comments]”
“Saturday a lot of companies are going free dental days, one cleaning or extraction or filling. Look into it around your area if you need work done!! submitted by /u/fineapple03 [link] [comments]”
“So today I visited a dentist regarding my tooth filling, and she said a filling won't help — I need a root canal treatment. She explained how it works and what it would cost, and it came to ₹20,000. Damn, it's too expensive for me. So I was thinking, why not get insurance and then go for the treatment so I can claim it? Can I do that? I asked ai and she/he said I can't so I'm asking you 🫰 submitted by /u/Fearless_guar1403 [link] [comments]”
“Having the same issues. I have to return for a deep cleaning. I've postponed it once already. The dentist is very cold and not nice. My health plan is so awful with current participants and coverage or I'd change providers. Good luck and wishing you well! You deserve to be very proud of yourself.”
“Do you have any Federally Qualified Health Centers in your area that offer dental services? They allow patients to pay on a Sliding Fee Scale based on income level and they are also required to offer transportation assistance.”
“It's really tough to find affordable dental care. I hope you get a chance to get yours sorted out soon!”
I’m in your same boat turning 31 in a month. Keep grinding brother.
“Not sure where you are having the work done, but would 100 say that a trip to Los Algodones, Mexico was the thing I needed when I had to have all my teeth out. Saved thousands of dollars..I walked in on a Monday, had temp teeth bolted in on Thursday. Even wiith the flight and lodging and rental car, it was way cheaper..”
“Working in GTA (Canada). Majority of days this jobs decent but then you get that one appointment that screws your whole month up… As a new grad - even if you do things the “right way”, dentistry can still be unpredictable. But since you’re young, patients think you made a mistake… This job is way harder than I thought sometimes especially the restorative aspects of things. Rant done. This job sucks but what sucks more is stupid people (aka patients). submitted by /u/WebRepresentative”
“Hi you. I have terrible teeth and am facing major expensive dental implants I can't afford and have to go to Mexico to have done. I know you're scared but I hope you will get an appt made to see the dentist. Do you have a dentist already that you can just call? Or do you need to see a new one? Hopefully you have one or have referrals. Once you get that appt made, you can pay yourself on the back. The fear builds if you don't do anything. I know you know that. Make an appt, and then f”
“Technically I can work. But my front teeth look like shit. Interviews are mostly a NO because they think people with shit teeth are on meth or something. And sometimes I'll get a toothache that knocks me out for a few days. I freaked and I left the best job I had without notice (good reasons for that but the state doesn't care why). I'm now in a depression loop where I stay in bed and don't even try to get help. Tomorrow/today is the day I sign up for whatever help I can get. ”