Is it unreasonable to request prices?

lizzie09

Having had quite expensive (Very expensive!!) endodontic work completed
by the specialist my dentist referred me to I now need prices from original dentist to finish the treatment plan..ie. the post and crown and an extraction
of the broken tooth that was not suitable for root canal..I told dentist
I would come back to him for prices

Yesterday was my second time to ask for price esp for post and crown
The first time I thought he was just waiting for me to finish the root canal
stuff and was biding his time but now still no call and I think it was the
practice manager that was to ring me back...I just need to get this stuff
over and done with and to know where I am with the money I have left.

It would indicate to me that hes not that bothered....trade must be good
in a practice that has a lot of medical card users! Some have and some have not! But this dentist will have to perk up or Im gone!

fifofum

He may not have received your messages from the receptionist/practice manager. It happens.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

In answer to your question, no it is totally reasonable to be given a estimate for work. If you want to stay with this dentist, ask for the price in the strongest manner you can, if it is still not forthcoming there are plenty of other dentist that will gladly help you.

Word of warning though, if you found the endodontic treatment expensive, be prepared for the same or more again for a crown and a post and core, sorry.

lizzie09

yes thats a chance ok...but on two occasions?

I thought business was down ? Money up front seemed appealing to me,
I spoke first to his nurse on each
occasion and she mentioned the other girl who is senior but neither
did anything.......................If that had been me in my last employment
I wouldnt have lasted long.

She had to leave the surgery to speak to me so its likely he knew of the call from a patient. No recession on there and thats not a well heeled area
In south county Dublin, Dlaoire area there are various clinics doing good
offers and putting themselves out there for business.

I had a history back years in this dentist I go to.

Now I wonder when I might swallow the temp crown thats lasting a long time!!!


Anyone quote for post and crovvn Uppr Right 4 I think its called??

lizzie09

Cayson Dirty Verdigris wrote: »

In answer to your question, no it is totally reasonable to be given a estimate for work. If you want to stay with this dentist, ask for the price in the strongest manner you can, if it is still not forthcoming there are plenty of other dentist that will gladly help you.

Word of warning though, if you found the endodontic treatment expensive, be prepared for the same or more again for a crown and a post and core, sorry.

Thanks Cayson Dirty Verdigris,

Yes i understood the treatment costs a lot..each root canal cost me 750e
and the endo did an excellent job....just need to count my pennies out and get straight
with the money I have left!

Lets face it that kind of money is hard to come by!

Lux23

This is what worries me getting work done, i want the best work I can get but the most i can spare each month is about a couple of 100 and that barely covers fillings and an exam. How the hell do people pay for their treatment? I dont have a credit card so cant pay it bit by bit. Im terrified of what treatment i may need that im seriously considering not going back to my dentist. I just dont have a penny to my name right now.

fifofum

Go straight to the source the next time, if dentist unavailable to speak on phone, make 5 minute chat appointment to discuss face to face. Cut out the middle man/woman.
For practices to improve, give feedback. Staff can't be reprimanded if there's a silent exodus of patients for no apparent reason...communicate.
All the best with your future treatment

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Lux23 wrote: »

Im terrified of what treatment i may need that im seriously considering not going back to my dentist. I just dont have a penny to my name right now.

No no no.....200 euro worth of dental treatment now = 2000 euro in two years time. A stitch in time really applies to your teeth. Get them seen to now, get the worst stuff sorted out or temporized. Most dentists will do payment plans, also the credit union or bank will give you a loan.

Lux23

The bank wont give me a loan and had thought the dentist would offer a payment plan but the office manager was totally uncommital when i mentioned that i couldnt pay for all of it at once. I always remember my parents doing it that way but my friends said they all paid up front for stuff.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Find a different dentist then, so long as you have to consult fee you can find out what needs doing, then schedule the payments or schedule the treatment as you have the money. Filling even massive ones cast 200 euro tops, so you could get one every month.

lizzie09

Cayson Dirty Verdigris wrote: »

No no no.....200 euro worth of dental treatment now = 2000 euro in two years time. A stitch in time really applies to your teeth. Get them seen to now, get the worst stuff sorted out or temporized. Most dentists will do payment plans, also the credit union or bank will give you a loan.

I do agree completely but yes, the money is daunting.:(absolutely
daunting but in my case my fault as I neglected the issue due to other
pressing family matters
I have no idea how people come up with this type of money as it would be
impossible to get it together from normal earnings.

I had some money saved over a good few years...call it rainy day money
as I dont work and I am very lucky that I kept it because the rainy day
certainly came with a thunderous roar!
Hope you can get together some cash as its a great relief to get it all done.:)

lizzie09

Fitzgemes idea makes sense.


.go for it in any way you can... a little now
and more next time etc....do not leave things,eventually you will get done and dusted!!!

Maybe me too!!

day dreamer

The dentists should give you quote and if your own one will not there are many who will. I can only think that the message didnt get through. Phone again and ask for the dentist to call you or make a short appointmnet to discuss your options and costs.

Lux, It would be better to get the work done now if you could afford it at all or arrange a payment plan as remedial work is always more expensive. Think of it as an investment now to save money long term.

Lux23

day dreamer wrote: »

The dentists should give you quote and if your own one will not there are many who will. I can only think that the message didnt get through. Phone again and ask for the dentist to call you or make a short appointmnet to discuss your options and costs.

Lux, It would be better to get the work done now if you could afford it at all or arrange a payment plan as remedial work is always more expensive. Think of it as an investment now to save money long term.

Well I think most of what I need done will be covered by my dental insurance so all I need is a dentist who will take 30% now and the 70% when they pay out so it may not be so bad. But its still worrying me I don't want to have to go to several dentists before I find one who will do this. Or I get everything done on the day I get paid and pray the insurance pays out before I run out of money but that's not likely to happen.

lizzie09

Make sure the insurance covers all the procedures.

I doubt they pay up till vvork is completed though so the dentist might
have to hold out for payment:( check this out

Lux23

lizzie09 wrote: »

Make sure the insurance covers all the procedures.

I doubt they pay up till vvork is completed though so the dentist might
have to hold out for payment:( check this out

It won't cover crowns or anything like that until I have it a year but fillings, deep cleans, root canals are covered by 70%. I have been warned that its difficult to get them to pay up though which is what is really worrying me.

davo10

Lux, unfortuanetly you are unlikely to find a dentist to do the work on the basis that 70% will be paid to him/her when insurance company pays out. When crownwork etc is fitted the dentist will have commited a lot of clinical time/materiels costs/lab charges to the treatment and these bills will be due (I'm billed at end of month by lab/materiels suppliers). Also from my experience dealing with Decare etc, they are not quick to pay out, in a lot of cases they only cover treatments necessary due to trauma, not if they are due to decay/infection/cosmetics so you need to check fine print of policy. It also takes a considerable amount of for my staffs time to try and get payment from patients who do not pay at time when treatment is completed, we are currently owed approx €4K in unpaid bills and often people will not answer phone/reply to letters. So when doing crownwork we take 50% at prep appointment and 50% at fit appointment.

Lux23

So basically your saying I won't get an insurance payout and a dentist won't do the work for me. So basically if I need expensive treatment I won't get it.

georgieporgy

lets not all overreact here. Lux, first go get your exam done and see what is needed. the dentist will tell you what the cost will be and then you can go from there.

Decare is ok paying up for ordinary stuff like fillings (though they like to reduce fees for white fillings in back teeth, meaning they may not pay quite 70%). I think the annual max is 1000euro. You can get a lot of basic work done for that.

Decare should pay the claim within 1 month if it's just a few fillings and clean. So for an outlay of approx 400 from your pocket and 1000 from decare you should get a lot done.

then if you need something more expensive you can save up and get it at your leisure.

Lux23

georgieporgy wrote: »

then if you need something more expensive you can save up and get it at your leisure.

So there is nothing that I may need done that can't wait. I am a bit OCD about this stuff so I have convinced myself I will have no teeth by 5pm tomorrow. Phew.

georgieporgy

sometimes there are cavities that need filling asap lest they progress to root canal but the dentist will let you know if you have anything like that

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I remember once I have a patient come in all wound up that all her teeth were going to have to be extracted cause she never went to a dentist and they had all gone black. I check it out and something she was eating or smoking had put a layer of black tar covering every single bit of every tooth. Everything looked totally black....

After 60 minutes and 90 euro of cleaning and polishing it turned out she had a perfectly good set of teeth under the stain, no decay nothing....

I suppose what I am getting at is usually it not as bad a your think.....get it checked out and worry once you know if there is something to worry about....

Lux23

Yea well this time tomorrow I will know. I am just a completely OCD about medical things, last summer I got a rash on my back and I was convinced I had leprosy. It turned out to be an allergy to washing powder.

Thanks guys.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Lux23 wrote: »

last summer I got a rash on my back and I was convinced I had leprosy.

LOL

lizzie09

I think from your post that your cover is only recent so under a year may not be covered for root canals....believe me I have been looking at all MY
options...the ins cover is not as good as its put across to you usually .Ring and check.:(

lizzie09

I left a message at reception today again but no ring back!!!

Think its time to buzz off...my dentist is too rich!

day dreamer

Yep the insurance is not always what it seems. You should prioritise and get done what needs to be done now or anything that is likely to get worse.

Once you have things stabilised then the rest can be postponed until you have the money or insurance sorted.

Lux23

It says root canals are covered after 3 months, ah I am not going worry about it. It will sort itself out.

lizzie09

I checked the VHI Dental Ins and I could not be covered until one year
for root canals and that vvas the more expensive plan...i posted here
after I saw the press release for VHI..it looked one hell of a lot better than
it actually was. I phoned and thats how I understood things. I couldnt
wait a year to have the root canals done

It sort of made sense.....no such thing as a free meal!

Lux23

Well I have mine policy in front of me and it says I am covered for root canals.

lizzie09

I rang my dentist today 3rd time. this week ..they are not open today but do paper stuff etc...
The practice manager was not in but the nurse took my call,,they said
they rang me on two different days, no answer...????I queried the number
they used but she did not reply,.


Anyhow., the price for post and crown is 700 (Up L 4 I think it is)....that
seems fair to me so I made an AP for preparation on Tuesday next..

I'm losing a bit of faith in them but I need my Med form so best battle on
Seems odd that they did not seem to follow up good business. They also
had my mobile no. so there is NO CHANCE they even tried to call back

However....................................he did a crown 27 yrs ago for me and its going strong!!

The medical card holder must still be managing to keep the surgery full

lizzie09

Thats great!! The one I considered must be different as I told the fella
my needs and he said no....but thought I might sign up for next year!!
Best of luck...its great to get something covered

lizzie09

im just looking at the application form sent ot me by VHI Decare blue form

The plan I think suited me says fillings extractions and gum disease treated
after 3 mths

Root canals and other major treatments after 12mths.
age: fEE PER YEAR for exisiting VHI members
0-17 101.14e
18-39-204.97e
40/-49 226.23e
50+ 279.31e


Just look carefully at the company you are going to use

Lux23

Oh your right, don't know what I was reading there. Ah well.