Do you have a Dental Plan? If not, what do you do? (pension, husband)

[Southern man]

Originally Posted by ItIsWritten.

Do you have a Dental Plan? If not, what do you do?

No, I use my Visa card with its 2% cash back. What do yo do?

[brava4]

Originally Posted by flyonpa

I ask for a CASH Discount.. Normally 10-15%

Is that because you don't have insurance or maybe a senior discount? Or just because you are paying cash?

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Rocko20

What do I do? I do what the dentist tells me to, floss between the teeth and under the gum line every day as well as brush

Haven’t had a cavity in a long time. Turns out, those dentists know what they’re talking about

I do the same, but fillings age, so does your gums. I’ve had a number of my fillings replaced. I’ve got a watch on one tooth, the filling is cracked. If that one goes, another crown. I also have receding gums. All of this being watched by my dentist.

I woke up with massive tooth pain and needed an immediate root canal and crown. That was an emergency.

Saying this? Over the long run paying for dental insurance would have been far more expensive than paying out of pocket. Around here the dental insurance I get offered is 100 something a month, and it covers like 80% of costs on normal things but on crowns only 1/2. Just that price of 100 bucks is 500 more than we pay out of pocket yearly normally.

Husband has some issues, and it’s been recommended he go every 4 months for cleaning and exam. My mom had to do that to offset bigger problems. Even an extra visit a year won’t tip the scales toward insurance. For us, it’s not worth it.

[bpollen]

I haven't found to be of much value in the past, unless provided for free by employer.

I've been lucky enough to find a local dentist who doesn't take insurance and has much lower rates. So I pay out of pocket his full rates (about half of normal rates of other dentists). He gets immediate, full payment, and I get a reasonable value.

I try to take good care of my teeth. Flossing daily, brushing at least twice, sometimes more. I don't care how tired I am, or if I accidentally fall asleep....I never go to bed for the night without brushing. I also try to brush for as long as possible, to be thorough. Mouthwash. I do occasional at-home whitening which barely counters the stain effects of the coffee I drink daily. I've lightened up on eating sugar and hard foods.

But my enamel is much thinner than it used to be. I expect some corners to start chipping off as I get older. Enamel thinned as a result of drinking acidic drinks like Diet Coke for years. I didn't know about the acid effect of those, and neither did the dentists back then.

What dental policies DO pay for that's great is complete payment for exams and cleanings, I think, which have gotten very expensive (because of ins., IMO). Without a policy, I have to pay full price for that (although it's half the price of dentists that take insurance).

I don't know why more dentists don't give discounts to full payment without paperwork at time of service. But the couple I've asked do not.

[evening sun]

When we lived in the City, DH had alot of dental work done at the dental school, & he is very pleased with it. Now if I have a toothache, I just go to see dentist & pay for it. If it is an expensive fix, & it is a tooth at the back of my mouth, I just have them pull it.

[BECLAZONE]

Yeah right. Let this gappy smile tell the story.

[Cruzincat]

Originally Posted by VTsnowbird

Don't you just love how the three things that are almost guaranteed to need care in our senior years - teeth, vision, and hearing - are NOT covered by medicare?

Maybe, if they ever go to a universal, one payer medical coverage, and everybody is on the same plan the younger people will push to have it included. Especially those with children.

[Cruzincat]

Originally Posted by Jimrob1

I have Dental Insurance and its a complete waste of money. I'm dropping it the end of the year. It rarely pays the bill, even if it's a cleaning and exam. I never completely know if the dentist or the ins is the problem. I can go to. Participating Dentist for what is covered, and yet I'm stuck with the bill. I think the Dental business, and ins are crooked as hell inthis country.

I recommend put money in a bank account, that is strictly for Dental. Then pay cash. That is if you can find an honest Dentist.

Better yet, if you have an HSA, just use the money in that to pay for dental work. If you are still working and have an HSA that you can contribute to, max out your contributions every year you can. You can use it for a lot of things that Medicare does not cover.

[galaxyhi]

I have belonged to a dental clinic located in a local hospital that has a sliding scale. I have belonged since they opened.

The sliding scale goes up to a 100% discount on all routine services, and that's what I qualify for. Even at a much higher income, the discount can be as much as 83% discount.

Other services such as dentures and crowns and root canals are deeply discounted if you qualify for the discounted sliding scale.

There are places such as affordable dentures ( dot com) that offer dentures cheaper, though. At $300 for a full denture plate.

Even regular hospital services can be discounted under tgeir other sliding scale program. Mine offers a discount for income up to $95k a year. At tgat ibcone i think its only a 25% discount, but is better than nada. You do habe to have insurance for regular hospital services first, then your copays or above what the insurance pays is sliding scale adjustable.
No prior insurance is needed for the dental services, though.

Check out your local hospitals and dental clinics.

If you make more than the sliding scales allow, id think you could easily afford to pay for dental services, their higher limits are so high.

[txfriend]

I have a Dental Plan, it cost the same as the 2 annual cleaning visits. I have a full mouth of porcelain dental implants, that took almost two years to complete over 20 years ago. The cost was high but worth every dollar.