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)
“Hello, does anyone know any residences that have residents do a high volume of crowns and bridges in the Maryland and PA area? submitted by /u/ComposerPositive3904 [link] [comments]”
“My partner with recently hospitalized with sepsis after he got a tooth abscess from untreated cavities. He needs the erupted teeth extracted as soon as possible, and then another two need a root canal. We were quoted $23,000 for the full process with crowns and implants at the dentist, and even if we just get the two teeth extracted and nothing else it will be about $2,000. I had planned to take him to Los algodones to get his teeth done, but he procrastinated, and now we're in this situatio”
“We’re reviewing PPO fee schedules for a new general dental practice opening in North Texas in January 2027. Most plans are coming in around 38%–57% of our UCR, with a few network schedules closer to 60% and some below 30%. For other practice owners: does this sound typical for a startup, and is there usually meaningful room to negotiate before credentialing? Also, are there any PPO negotiation or credentialing companies you would recommend for a second opinion? submitted by /u/Expres”
“My 6 month old just got her first tooth! I have 2 questions. One is what did you all use to start brushing/keeping the tooth clean? And also when should baby see a dentist? I know I can google these things lol but obviously would like some real life insight as to what worked for you and your family! Thanks! submitted by /u/BunnyBoots84 [link] [comments]”
“I have a friend who has recently crawled out of a deep long depression and she was really brave and went to the dentist because she knew she let her teeth get in a real state. There’s acute pain now, scheduled surgery, and as a result there will be an about two week period where she can’t chew. Because she’s brave and my friend, I’m helping plan menus and cooking for her. We’re doing the obvious stuff: mashed potatoes, apple sauce, a couple of soups, that kind of thing. My question is what do yo”
“Hello everyone, I wanted to get some perspective from people who may have been in a similar situation. I’m a foreign-trained dentist with over $300k in student loans, and I’ve been practicing for about two years. I’m in my mid thirties. Financially, I’m nowhere near where I thought I’d be by now, and I’m already starting to feel the physical toll that dentistry can take on the body. I’ve always heard the advice to move to a rural area because you can make more money, have a lower cost of living,”
“I had fun graft surgery back in Feb and I have periodontal disease I’m working on fixing and I have my cleaning coming up soon. I HAD the dental plan on my MetLife app that I could see, even had the digital card in my Apple wallet but now when I login it’s completely gone… and the Apple wallet card I have just says it’s for disability… which I am not on? I tried to call and use the automated line and it says it can “see my account via phone number.” But when I follow the prompts and give my zip”
“Lost story short I was quoted 11k for dental work due to not having insurance, I can’t pay that and even with financing it’s still too much of a payment a month for way to long What has everyone else in the dfw done, I went to aspen dental and was told I needed all wisdom teeth taken out, two permanent crowns and 5 fillings- needed wisdom teeth out before even getting the crowns in September if I went by their schedule I’m more worried about the crown ones since that tooth itself looks the worse”
“Try and see if there are any dental schools in your area. They often offer very discounted prices so the students can get real life training. Under very careful and close supervision of course!”
“I live about 40 minutes north of the border (south of Tucson). Tons of folks go over all of the time for dental work. If I had major work to be done, I wouldn’t hesitate. Plenty of reputable dentists in Nogales, Sonora. If you need to stay over, you don’t need to overnight in Mexico. Crossing back and forth on foot is easy. You can always drive north towards Tucson for an overnight stay if needed. Let me know if you need more info.”
“Seems like a mess. Who has had similar experiences to these? submitted by /u/755goodmorning [link] [comments]”
“Currently running google ads for my practice. we are fully out of network with insurance and it costs me about $180-$250 to get one patient on average between consult/emergency/hygiene I was watching a podcast and it made me think that I shouldn’t be so stubborn about what “works”. do any of you guys here use an agency/ run ads yourself and successfully/predictably use meta for patient acquisition for bread and butter / hygiene? (not all on four) thanks in advance. submitted by /u/Ap”
“I saw a few posts here that were archived, but nothing I could comment on. My experience with them in the last month has been SO bad that I feel the need to warn other people who might be Googling and looking for reviews. Our broker switched us over to Openly two years ago after our initial carrier kept hiking our rates by $500 each year. He said it was very reliable and tech friendly. Then in June, we found water damage in our house and hired an inspector. The whole back wall of the house was s”
“It disgusts me to see a lot of personal loan options to cover dental bill but here I am needing one. I do not have discount plans known as dental insurance. Cannot get one as it’ll not cover it anyways. I need around 4-5k to cover dental work. Does anyone know of any no interest or low interest best dental loan options? I am hoping for one that doesn’t destroy my credit score (right now only best thing about my finances). I am unemployed full time MBA student with minor part time income. s”
“Not sure if this applies everywhere, but at least in New York State if you work for the government (even your local municipality) then you’d get free dental insurance and that could be a start. I was in a similar boat during covid where I needed a root canal but couldn’t make an appointment and it got worse. So was chasing a position for a government job and I finally got one a few years later and ultimately had the tooth removed but it was no cost! Check it out and see if that’s true for where”
“dental schools are so much cheaper and still supervised by real dentists, worth calling around locally”
“Are there any other dentists that make far less money as an owner than they did as an associate? Like significantly below BLS's sited median for dentists? I don't want advice, I'm just trying to find someone who feels the same way that I do and is willing to talk about it. submitted by /u/Master-Ring-9392 [link] [comments]”
“I am seeing a new dentist and they sent me an outline of my insurance benefits. They then stated: “If insurance pays less than we anticipate for any reason, then you'll be responsible for the balance due.” submitted by /u/No-Average9688 [link] [comments]”
“Guess we are not supposed to see or eat with teeth unless we’re millionaires”
“Does anyone have experience with Dandy's two appointment denture work flow? There's not a ton of information online about it. I'm pretty dubious that they're as good and reliable as conventionally made dentures. submitted by /u/johnbeardjr [link] [comments]”
“Thank you, anytime i mention medicaid it’s the same “i make too much”. I personally don’t know pretty much anything about medicaid so i just say okay”
I honestly might look into that, thank you for the suggestion
“Save your money and pay for your dental. Find a good dentist with good prices. A lot of teenagers/young adults pay for their own dental care, such as braces because their family can’t afford them.”
Tijuana has some GREAT dentists. For real. And for cheap.
“For 3., look up a company called Sunbit. Alot of dental practices use them for formal financing. "Formal" meaning legally and contractually binding. Unlike with small practices, who will often opt for "informal" financing, such as verbal agreements. The main difference in how the debt is enforced and how legally binding it may be.”
“When my son was a minor he qualified for Medicaid because I’m disabled and his father passed away. His dental care was covered except for braces because they were considered cosmetic in his case.”
“Depending on where you live you may be eligible for free dental insurance, like denti-cal in california. I dunno how fast you can be approved if you don't already have medi-cal, but its something to look into. Frankly, I'd probably go into debt to get it fixed if I had too, teeth problems can lead to other health issues.”
“If you are in the US, medicaid should cover dental. There are also often organizations that will offer free healthcare to people who are eligible.”
“Try a dental school ... Or a look for a dentist that offers income based discounts that alone can drastically change your payments...”
“What? I got it done in 1300 (no insurance) with a board certified endodontist in Manhattan, NYC. You're being ripped off badly. Although compared to 370, we're all being ripped off....”
“Here is a current, comparable price list for a dental clinic in S. Carolina. https://www.sextondental.net/pricing/”
“this is standard all over the world except the US. and this is full price with no insurance etc - in most countries its probably even free for most procedures or minimal cost since healthcare is free and paid for by your taxes. here your taxes give you nothing in terms of benefits or help in life. and nothing will ever change because most people are brainwashed and think helping people is socialism. but its ok for billionaires.”
“I paid close to $1900 to pull three wisdom teeth out (general anesthesia) in the Midwest. I have no dental insurance.”
“I had to let my wisdom teeth grow in and impact the rest of my teeth because it was $700 a tooth and I was making $7.25. I couldn’t afford it until I was 23, they grew in when I was 16. Had to get three root canals because of how cracked my neighboring molars were.”
“Just got 2 zirconia crowns here in the US (with insurance) it cost me $1050. I felt like that was cheap for the US lol I’ve also had much more expensive work done. Those prices are nuts”
“I had good dental insurance from my job. I had two root canals & three porcelain crowns. My copay was $3k. Without any insurance the bill would have been over $12k. These prices are great compared to prices in the USA.”
“I have friends (here in the US) who routinely travel to Mexico City for all of their dental work. Plus they get to spend time doing fun and culturally enriching activities while they are there! Win win.”
“Yeah, one of my coworkers had extensive work done in Costa Rica several years ago. She spent a week and told me she spent each morning in the dentist office and each afternoon on the beach. She also said even with airfare and hotel it still was cheaper than it would have cost here.”
“For braces you would have to do your research. I personally wouldn’t get braces in Mexico unless you’re nearby. You need consistent adjustments throughout treatment, so the distance could make it challenging.”
Which plan do you have? I assume you have it under dental blue?
“Yup. The prices are crazy. I have a botched root canal and my new dentist is recommending pulling what’s left of my tooth and doing an implant and it’s something like 5k!?!? These prices for Mexico don’t look that bad now. The only thing I’ve seen as warning is if you do have complications, it’s not like you can easily go back to the clinic for a follow up.”
“There's nothing funny about the quote you got but what I do find hilarious is that the ad right above your comment is all about avoiding scams, which dental pricing in this country absolutely is. I had two teeth extracted last year and that fully exhausted what my insurance was willing to pay. This year they just stopped covering anything dental. Here's hoping I don't faceplant and chip a tooth.”
“May I also add to the wisdom tooth that extractions are free in the hospital/dental surgeon here as I just have been there a few weeks ago for a pretty complicated case and it felt like a breeze. Kudos to the chief doctor in the office.”
“I live in Costa Rica and lots of people from other parts of the world come over to do health tourism, dental work here is relatively cheap”
“A friend of mine did just that. He is an MD. It was cheaper for him and his fiancé to fly there, get his procedure, have a brief vacation, and come home. Insane.”
“I feel like we go through the same old song and dance regarding whether dentistry is facing a crisis.. and whether it’s not. The data sets from ADA show continued pressure on margins and lower takehome. In my practice, I see and feel it but i’m always met with the answer online : you are doing it wrong, i’m doing better then ever, writeoffs distort takehome, dentistry is the best and it is what you put into it” But the data says it is cooked. For the average associate and average owner- what is”
“Tell me if this won’t work and why, but I am convinced it would. What if I buy lemonade pet insurance for my cats, the package that includes dental, then I get their dental done and then I cancel my plan. I’m not really in a spot right now where I can buy the dental work upfront, but my cats are 5 and 6 and have never gotten a teeth cleaning, and I know I should start. submitted by /u/AdLongjumping8686 [link] [comments]”
“Hey, I wanted to see if the collective hivemind had any helpful advice. I work in outpatient, I occasionally see TMJ patients, and I'm literally the only person in my entire region that's willing to even try with TMJ (it's not my favorite but I do what I can). Recently I got someone referred to me, and their chief complaint was R sided deep ear pain that is worse *when they put their hearing aides in*, and is better when *they take their hearing aides out*. They don't have pain e”
“I just noticed that my little boy has a dark line on his tooth and that it also seems to be chipped. Is this problematic? What should I do? He has been eating fine. submitted by /u/Due-Size-5762 [link] [comments]”
“yeah im exaggerating or no? submitted by /u/Ready_Scratch_1902 [link] [comments]”
“I need like $4000 of dental work done and I just filed bankruptcy. After my bankruptcy is finished, I am thinking about taking the $4k out of my 401k to pay for my dental work. Even though I’m filing bankruptcy, I won’t be able to save enough. I filed bankruptcy because my student loans became due and they were $1000 a month which is what I was paying in credit card payments. So I will have $98 a month leftover after all my expenses. I am going to get a 2nd job that is part time but I don’t thin”
“Humana dental offers 50% up to $1,500 for orthodontic treatment. Say you find a orthodontist who charges $4000 and you pay up front. Will Humana issue $1500 reimbursement to you or do they follow a payment schedule? If so, is it monthly/quarterly, etc? We are leaving plan early next year and trying to see if we can use this newly discovered benefit. Presumably if you are getting installment credits and terminate coverage, the credits stop eh? submitted by /u/Marvel5123 [link] [”
“I have extremely bad teeth, I have spent thousands already on my teeth and i’m only 21. i’ve decided the best route is medical tourism. including travel costs, it would would be around 25k to get a full mouth of dental implants. i would prefer it to be within the next year 1/2. my credit is around 720, i currently make around 30k a year net. i don’t drive, so i don’t have a car for collateral, or any expenses for that. i pay around 500 in bills a month, and almost no debt at all. what is the bes”