Root canal

Baltar Hornbeek · #1 04-27-2011, 10:37 AM

What's the going rate on a root canal? Is 5K too much?

paynow · #2 04-27-2011, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baltar Hornbeek

What's the going rate on a root canal? Is 5K too much?

It's usually not the RC that's expensive, but the crown you have to get after. I would say 2K is more like it. Have you looked into a university dental clinic? They are usually cheaper.

Flyin' Brian · #3 04-27-2011, 10:52 AM

Depends what currency you're talking abut but yeah that seems real high unless it's Polish Zlotys

$800CDN here in Ontario plus a cap later on to keep it from cracking.

Patriots2006 · #4 04-27-2011, 03:04 PM

Paynow is correct. Should be around 2k maybe $2100. Your not going to Horizon Dental Care by any chance. They will rip you off big time and do uneccessary work as well. Been through this with my wife.

JohnW400 · #5 04-27-2011, 03:13 PM

Around NJ the Root Canal itself should be around $600 - $750. Then they put in a post that cost's $200-250 followed by a crown for about $600

hot ford coupe · #6 04-27-2011, 03:47 PM

You need an expert opinion? I can give it to you being a retired dentist. 5K is way out of line for just a root canal by itself. It also depends on where you live. In LA or NY or Honolulu, the price can be up there but still no where near 5 K. John W is pretty right on target. In my area when I was practicing, we charged about $600- $800 bucks US depending on which tooth it was. An endodontist will charge more and that's a good thing too but not that high. A back tooth with multiple canals is more expensive because of the extra canals. Unless they're using high quality gold for the post which they really don't need, the price should be around $300 bucks or less also depending on the tooth. Front teeth are less because it's easier to make the post. The crown will be higher, though. I used to charge about $850 per crown but I was using a very good lab, the best materials (they last a lot longer) and I put a lot of effort into making them fit correctly. I had to, I was a bonafide crown and bridge specialist and everyone knew it. If I were you, I'd get a number of second opinions in the neighborhood and in some different neighborhoods as well. Talk to other neighbors about their experiences. Then you can make a better decision what to do. If you need any more info, you can get me right here. When I was active duty, I used to treat a lot of musicians.

musicalbodger · #7 04-28-2011, 05:57 AM

If you lived in the UK, you could have the whole lot done on the National Health Service and it would cost no more than £250.

hot ford coupe · #8 04-28-2011, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by musicalbodger

If you lived in the UK, you could have the whole lot done on the National Health Service and it would cost no more than £250.

That's true, but how much would it cost to get over there from the US?

Baltar Hornbeek · #9 04-29-2011, 10:02 AM

Ok, thanks for sharing your numbers. I thought our price was high, a result of everything Coupe pointed out >gold material, rear molar, and neighborhood. We got a small break in price and some fancy accounting to help soften the blow, but we sure have a case of the root canal blue$ here in Baltarville.

Thanks again!

PS why is dental insurance not part of general health insurance??? what, mouth health is different from the rest of body?

JohnW400 · #10 04-29-2011, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baltar Hornbeek

Ok, thanks for sharing your numbers. I thought our price was high, a result of everything Coupe pointed out >gold material, rear molar, and neighborhood. We got a small break in price and some fancy accounting to help soften the blow, but we sure have a case of the root canal blue$ here in Baltarville.

Thanks again!

PS why is dental insurance not part of general health insurance??? what, mouth health is different from the rest of body?

The insurances work differently. Usually dental will have a yearly max of $1000-$2000 in benefits. Most common items (check ups, filling's, extractions, cleanings) are free. Root canals, etc, have a co-pay.

Some plans make you choose one dentist. I'm told that when you get dental insurance a portion of the monthly premium goes to the dentist every month. So they get a percentage whether you go or not. some plans just get you a discount at whatever dentist participates. These tend to be cheaper premium wise. I don't think the dentist get a cut. He just joins up and agrees to do the work for less than a 'paying in full-cash' customer.

Your regular health insurance covers your mouth only in certain cases. Tooth maintenance is not one of them.

I only know all this as part of my daytime gig is (among other things) is to administer the health plan.

One piece of advice I can give to everybody is no matter what, get some kind of insurance even if it's just to protect yourself from being overcharged. Most don't know that even though hospitals/doctors etc. all charge one fee, what they accept as payment in full depends on whether or not you have insurance. No insurance , no discount.

gingerjazz · #11 04-30-2011, 11:41 AM

Baltar could you tell me a bit about yourself and what is your avatar picture.I am having trouble building a mental picture of you,IT WOULD SEEM YOU ARE something of an enigma to me.