Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Dentist consultation, but no pricing

The consultation went well... I budgeted an hour's time, spent 30min in the waiting room after arriving, with all of the paperwork pre-filled online, then 15min in the examination room. The consultation was 15min of telling me all the stuff that can go wrong, plus a surprise: I do have my two top wisdom teeth. I just thought I didnt, when what my dentist had said was that only the two bottom ones had come out. My dentist/surgeon recommends taking all 4 of them down. And it makes sense, considering after 1 experience and 1 recovery, I may never go back there, if the other two wisdom teeth become a problem... so all 4 have to go.

Then came the fun part. I checked out and had my card on hand to pay for the appointment. But the lady told me the consultation was free. Success! However, no pricing would be released until after they speak with the ins company. Uh, ok? Guess that's how dental work works... so now I sit patiently for a call of the verbal breakdown of costs. I am now thinking I should've budgeted for $1000 and not $500 (which was $250 per teeth). Even then, my numbers may be wrong anyway. But I'll just wait and see.

After all, I can invest all $5 of my awesome tax refund into any overages. Then pay for the rest maybe out of another non-essential fund. I need to ask them if they would do discounts for paying it all in cash. I'd take it, even if it was just a 2%.

Oh, and girl scout cookies are here!... somewhere. Wait, I shouldnt be talking about cookies and sweets on a dentist post. Oh well. What's your favorite flavor? Do you buy them at the stores with the little girls dressed up, or go through a lead? This year I am going through my landlady's daughter. They got them in, but she's a bit overwhelmed with the organization, so I am not pushing her to deliver (even though I got orders from the whole office too).

17 comments:

  1. I'm glad the consult went well! Also glad it was free. And yea.. waiting for the final cost stinks. My dentist usually submits a pre-authorization of sorts to get the expected insurance contribution and my own.

    I'd endured a NUMBER of very painful dental procedures throughout the years: pulling teeth pre-braces, braces 3.5 years, wisdom + extra set of molars surgically removed (completely knocked out), gum graft (thanks to braces), various fillings (ironically enough, I care for my teeth well according to my dentist, just prone to dental problems like my Mom & gpa), and most recently a bone graft due to grinding teeth in my sleep. Oh, and during two of my experiences getting teeth pulled my mouth was literally torn open. I kid you not. Sorry to be graphic :-/ It was due to my small mouth and impatient dentists. So really, I empathize anyone having dental work done.

    My recent bone graft wasn't covered by insurance, they deem it cosmetic. Whaaaat?! That basically means they'd rather I pull the tooth (cheaper) than try to save it. So between cleaning up some old fillings, the bone graft, and having a custom bite guard made to help with grinding.. I'm looking at a $2k bill in 2014 :-/ Oh the costs of being a responsible adult *sigh*

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    1. P.S. Sorry for the LONG comment talking about myself O_o

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  2. Like I've told my co-workers, I'd rather hear all the horror stories now and know what's normal and what isnt, vs being in pain and surprised or unsure if something is normal. I too apparently take good care of my teeth (in 8 yrs without going to the dentist), but I do suffer from a small jaw like my mother. A small jaw but a full set of teeth, so I've lost two teeth due to crowding. I've never had braces. No worries, I love long comments!

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  3. I had all 4 out at one time and that's the way to go. A large part of the cost is the anesthesia so you might as well. The worst part for me is the narcotic drugs afterwards. They always make me sick and very loopy. I would rather have Advil and deal with a little bit of pain.

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  4. I'm sure the reason they can't give you the cost until they speak w/your insurance company is because they want to be able to tell you what/how much your insurance covers and what your out of pocket will be. That's how it's worked with the estimates I've gotten recently on my root canal and 2 more that need to be done at some point.

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    1. I guess that makes sense. Almost expected it to be like the doctor's, where they know for sure before you even get seen. I just want an idea so I can save for it. I'd hate a huge bill of a surprise.

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  5. Be sure to have a couple days off right after this procedure :) I still have all four of mine and not sure when or if I want to get them out (none of mine are fully grown)...

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    1. Yup! I scheduled it on a Wed, since we get Friday off as paid holiday (Good Friday), so I will be off Wed through Sun. Hopefully I will be functional by Monday!

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  6. When #2 Son went for his consult, the office staff was able to call my insurance and find out within 5 minute what % they covered and gave me a written estimate before we left the building.
    If I were you, besides getting that verbal estimate, I'd call my insurance directly and find out what they pay on whatever your procedure pays. Also have that verbal estimate broken down into what they charge and what they say your insurance benefit is, so you can double check what they tell you with what your insurance co. tells you the numbers are.
    Yes, I am getting REAL GOOD at calling insurance companies these days....lolz


    For us, the biggest expense was the anesthesia since dental didn't cover that at all. They tried our reg. medical coverage for anesthesia benefit too(since it is considered surgery)but since we had dental coverage, major medical wouldn't cover it. I paid $400 OOP for #2's extractions(3 teeth)and got a refund of $60 after the fact as the dentist office received $60 more than they estimated to me.

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    1. Ooh, good tips. Yeah, I need to break it down. Wish they'd just email it to me so I could see. $60 refund... wee. Heh. Yeah, this office clearly states they do not take medical for anything.

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  7. Oh yes get them all done at once. I had such a nightmare of a surgery I would never have gone back, ever! But that was long ago and I'm sure things have greatly improved since then! Don't want to scare you!

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  8. They gave us a discount for pay all three kids in cash when they had there wisdom teeth out. They gave us 15% if we paid that day and 20% if we paid a week before. And don't worry roxedal is a great painkiller. And stock up on fluids :)

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    1. Oh wow, 20%! Now I am really hoping they do discounts!

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  9. Did they call you back already? Getting one's teeth checked is advisable in order to avoid complications such as impacted molars. Have you thought about the procedure of having them extracted? Take care and maybe cut down on the sweets a little, hehe!

    Thomas Definnis

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  10. Yay, free check-up! But yes, the quote for the costs will have to wait while your insurance company checks out how much they will get from your account, and how much you'll pay out front; and that could take some time. But who'd complan about free consultations? Certainly not me!
    Javier Portocarrero @ AlluringSmilesAZ.com

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  11. How did your talk with the insurance company go? Has the pricing been released yet? Glad to know that you had that consultation for free. That would go a long way into saving for your other financial dues. Good luck!

    Eric Burgess

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