Dental Schools

[TrickyNicky]

I need a considerable amount of dental work done, from my research it is going to be in the multi thousand dollar range, anywhere from 1-3 k per tooth, but I'm not sure that I have been looking at the right procedures either as I'm not a Dentist. I simply cannot afford to see a regular dentist at this time, not to mention the specialist the interwebz say I'm going to need to see. I start a new job with good pay in Dec, but dental is not currently offered by them. 

 

Has anyone had experience utilizing a dental school to get discounted work done? 

 

 I have 3 broken teeth, one was broken in a way that part of the tooth lies at the gum line, plus several (sigh, at least 4)  teeth with missing fillings. Thats just what I'm aware of. I know I can't keep putting it off, but the idea of the bills alone is, well, off-putting. I know there are low cost clinics for those without insurance, even been to one. They told me they would pull the bad teeth for $50-$100 a pop, but thats it, nothing else they can do for people in my situation.  Thats 7 teeth missing, not cool. They also will only even Xray one tooth at a time, I told them I didn't know which was the issue as several of my problem teeth lie close together, plus as anyone who has ever had a broken tooth get infected knows, it doesn't effect the tooth, it effects that whole part of the mouth. They told me to pick one and hope I got lucky lol.

 

At this point I am not opposed to having the teeth pulled, but I don't want gaps in my grin, ya know? I'm really hoping for root canals, bridge work, or hope beyond hope, implants.

 

I know we have some dental professionals here, hopefully one of you can make a recommendation for a school that will see me, but I'm also curious if there is any info on pricing when having work done at one of the Nashville schools. I understand there is no way to accurately break down pricing, but if anyone has even a rough idea it could help me plan out a course of action, it would very appreciated. I do know that I can call and make an appointment, but before doing so I'd like to ask the TGO community if any of you have been in a similar boat and ask for your guidance, I can't make appointments at every dental school and suss the vibe, cost etc. plus from what I'm reading once they get you they really want to keep you since a student is assigned to you. I don't want to flake out on anyone, so I'm more than likely to stick with my initial choice and would like it to be an educated one. So before I go making calls any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Thanks all.

 

[Pete123]

Oops.  I would have realized that my comments don't apply in this situation if I had read his post more closely.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Pete123

[KKing]

Nicky, I've sent several patients to a few different places by word of mouth referral. I have a list of dental resources at the office I will look at in the a.m. to see if I can be of any help. I'm not certain I can be with the possible procedures it sounds like you need, but it can't hurt to check out.


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[TrickyNicky]

Hey Tricky, I would get a second opinion if info was shared with you that you needs thousands of dollars of work from one dentist.

 

I lived in Atlanta for 15 years and saw the same dentist the whole time.  I have hard teeth that don't get cavities and brush and floss.  I needed  few crowns through the years, but was in great shape when I moved to Asheville, NC and went to see a new dentist.

 

All of a sudden I needed $5000 of work done.  I took their proposal and faxed it to my old dentist.  She tried to be nice, though said that I didn't need anything he recommended.

 

They called to follow-up and I told them I got a second opinion, at which point they knew they had been caught.

 

 

I hear you loud and clear Pete. Truth is though I've been expecting things to come to a head for awhile, I've never taken the kind of care for my teeth I should, and my old dentist in Ca warned me before I left that I had some serious stuff brewing. I trust her 110% she is friends of my parents from church ,has always given us the parish discount and is a highly trained dentist. She got her first degree/doctorate in the soviet com block, when she and her husband fled and gained asylum in the US, she was unable to bring anything that would point to their leaving as being permanent, and her old country was unsurprising uncooperative with confirming her education when she got here. She had to start from scratch all over again.

 

She was awesome too, I would complain as a kid over cavities and her nurturing responses always made me feel better. "You think this is pain? You do not know pain, this is not pain." :rofl:

 

Nicky, I've sent several patients to a few different places by word of mouth referral. I have a list of dental resources at the office I will look at in the a.m. to see if I can be of any help. I'm not certain I can be with the possible procedures it sounds like you need, but it can't hurt to check out.


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KKing, that would be excellent, thank you so much for looking into it. :)

 

 

 

 

 

I've framed this post about a 1/2 dozen times in the past few months and deleted it instead of posting it out of sheer embarrassment, I should have pulled my head out of my ass and asked you all a long time ago. I've already gotten a PM from a member who is going to try and offer advise, and the more the merrier for sure.

 

 

I'm not sure if my left eye is tearing up from emotion, or the sinus pain. :)

Edited November 10, 2015 by TrickyNicky

[R1100R]

This is I believe the only school in Nashville. Below is a link to their patient services. UT has one also in Knoxville.

 

https://www.mmc.edu/education/sod/academicdepartments/sodclinicaldepartments/

[MrsMonkeyMan2500]

This is I believe the only school in Nashville. Below is a link to their patient services. UT has one also in Knoxville.

https://www.mmc.edu/education/sod/academicdepartments/sodclinicaldepartments/

You're correct. TSU has a excellent hygiene school but no dental to my knowledge. I would be very careful of a Meharry grad. I've had the "pleasure" of working with 2 in the past. Not the sharpest drills, pardon the horrible pun.

[bud]

. Edited January 6, 2016 by bud

[MrsMonkeyMan2500]

Don't fault your new employer too much for not offering dental insurance, as it doesn't cover jack sh** but 2 cleanings a year anyway- IMO not worth the price of admission.
None of my family's dental work has been covered by our insurance. I've negotiated better deals for servives by paying cash at time service is rendered.
Good luck with the dental work!

 

Sadly, dental insurance hasn't caught up with medical. Although given the BS high deductible medical plans now, I think we are taking a step back across the board. There are some really excellent dental plans out there, but it is all about what employers are willing to pay to get them. Delta Dental of Tennessee has some amazingly great coverage and then they have plans that just plain stink. I think BCBS is one of the worst. It's basically about what someones needs are. What coverage percentages they offer and a persons over all oral health. Sadly, there is a lot of incorrect facts out there when it comes to dental care/needs and I can't tell you the number of times I have had someone tell me they would rather the tooth be pulled than saved because they didn't want to pay their 50% copay meanwhile they're carrying a Louis Vuitton purse and have a brand new iPhone. 

 

I'm 33 years old and I had adult braces. I looked like an idiot but I paid $2500 to fix what my single mom couldn't afford. My smile in my wedding pictures is closed mouth because I had pink and black braces. I was damned sure if I had to have them, I was gonna go full out nerd with them. Season colors and all. I think if our government got out of the way and let the people handle their own business, we all would be better off. But in the meantime, we're probably stuck with crappy coverage. Schnider Electric, Ozburn Hessey and Metro Nashville were some of the best plans I ever saw. Just in case anyone is looking for a new job. LOL

[Mike.357]

My BIL had all his remaining teeth pulled and full dentures put in place.  I dunno about cost but I know he is a happier guy now.

 

For all the Big O had claimed about his health insurance it is a moral shame the dentistry was not part of it. I have insurance, it does not meet the minimum requirements of Zero's plan but was grandfathered in.  None of it includes dental. 

 

Basically nature decided we should not live past forty years old (tooth wise).  I am not sure why tooth health is not part of overall health (insurance wise.)

[johnwilliams5721]

I once knew a fellow whose mouth would periodically get into similar disarray. He wasn't one to spend money on a dentist even when the situation was dire, but he did get himself patched up in an interesting way.

Apparently dentistry quality in Mexico is on par with the US when it comes to root canals and crowns, but prices are much cheaper. He found a dentist he liked in Mexico City. He saved up his dental work for one big hurrah at which point he'd buy a plane ticket and get a hotel for a week. Apparently it was cheap enough to offset the travel expenses. I remember him throwing out prices like $5 for drill and fill or $250 for crowns. I'm not sure how the temporary and final crown worked out. Maybe that was part of his weeklong stay.

[btq96r]

Apparently dentistry quality in Mexico is on par with the US when it comes to root canals and crowns, but prices are much cheaper. He found a dentist he liked in Mexico City. He saved up his dental work for one big hurrah at which point he'd buy a plane ticket and get a hotel for a week. Apparently it was cheap enough to offset the travel expenses. I remember him throwing out prices like $5 for drill and fill or $250 for crowns. I'm not sure how the temporary and final crown worked out. Maybe that was part of his weeklong stay.

 

Yup, I've heard about that as well on other sites.  Here's a story as an example:

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2011/feb/09/medical-maquila-insurers-are-following-americans-m/

[Murgatroy]

I am interested in what you find out. My mouth is worse than yours. I am leaning towards full pull and fake ones.

It is embarrassing to talk about, but asking for help shows the courage.

For the record I have six broken front teeth, and most of my molars are gone, or little more than remnants.

I have no excuse. I make good money and have insurance. I am just too embarrassed at this point to even talk to a dentist.

The pain is the worst part. It can immobilize you. But I still function daily and don't take anything more than an Aleve a day.

I make the "toothless redneck" joke a lot. But it isn't a joke.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Tapatalk Edited November 10, 2015 by Murgatroy

[glowdotGlock]

I have always hated mine. I hope to in the next 5 years to get an "all on 4" implants on top and bottom. Edited November 10, 2015 by glowdotGlock

[TrickyNicky]

I am interested in what you find out. My mouth is worse than yours. I am leaning towards full pull and fake ones.

It is embarrassing to talk about, but asking for help shows the courage.

For the record I have six broken front teeth, and most of my molars are gone, or little more than remnants.

I have no excuse. I make good money and have insurance. I am just too embarrassed at this point to even talk to a dentist.

The pain is the worst part. It can immobilize you. But I still function daily and don't take anything more than an Aleve a day.

I make the "toothless redneck" joke a lot. But it isn't a joke.

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I hear you Murg, it is embarrassing, especially when we make decent money and CAN conceivable do something but don't. It is equally embarrassing to air out the fact that I can't pay a professional to do their job. The realization just hit me last night if I don't do something, it's only going to keep hurting, hurt worse, and ultimately still lead to a high dollar expense, dentures aren't as expensive as fixing, but they're not cheap either, especially with broken teeth which seem to be a bitch to pull cleanly. Screw that, I'd rather look a fool and get my mouth on order.

 

The pain is bad, all the time, but especially bad sometimes, incapacitating is accurate. Last nights flare up had me seeing spots so to speak (and not my homie Spots either) but it wasn't near as bad as one last month. That may have been the worst, you can still do things physically, but your strength is zapped, and your brain won't work right. It sucks a lot. It also sucks having to turn down delicious foods because you know what you are in for during and after eating. I want to eat a Snickers bar again, I want to be able to eat a plate of nachos again.

 

You want embarrassing? by worse broken tooth shattered on a chocolate chip in some ice cream. A chocolate chip. 

 

 

I got some real good info last night via PM Murg, I got some stuff to do for an hour or so so have to jump off, but I'll be back to post the gist of the info here in case anyone else is in our boat as well. I will say that thanks to a few members here, I now have options I didn't know existed. Options are good.

[MacGyver]

There are some awfully good folks in this community :)

[TrickyNicky]

There are some awfully good folks in this community :)

Amen to that. I think a lot of it is because we are a forum made up primarily of Tennesseans. Though we are not all neighbors in the traditional sense, there is a sense of real community that I think only manifests itself due the fact that we do in fact share our communities. Sure we all have a common interest, but it goes way beyond that here IMO.

 

 

 

Ok, here is some info passed along to me that is going to make the difference between shopping around for dental schools or clinics, and getting the work done by a pro in a timely manner.

 

First, https://www.aetna.com/individuals-families/dental-insurance-through-work.html is getting insurance. The copays will still be there, but if it lowers the cost even a little, a plan like this will be worth it. If it lowered my cost by even 2% it looks like it would pay for itself, so it is really a no brainier for the amount of work that needs done.

 

 

Second is Care Credit. This seems to work much like a credit card version of an HSA from what I understand. If the totals for the work cost $1,000 or more then 12 months no interest payments help you spread the cost out over a year. For under $1,000, you get 6 months. Since mine will be pricey, the year of no interest works well for me. I try not to do anything by credit, but I've made exceptions and worked it out fine, I'm definitely willing to gamble with this one. Worse case scenario I'm in the poor house forever and ever and ever. With working teeth. With the new job starting soon I'm feeling really good about being able to work it out.

 

Third, is a referral to what sounds like a great, no-nonsense dentist who knows how to prioritize and won't BS around. With this too came the understanding that should have been common sense, and is for most people. I don't have to get it all done at once. I know that sounds incredibly dumb ,but sometimes things can build up to a level in your head where they are larger than life I guess. It's easy for things to seem insurmountable when the list just keeps growing and growing. did I mention my wisdom teeth need pulling? Thats the kind of thing I mean, at some point it seems like a walk across the Sahara desert, impossible. But one foot in front of the other, one step at a time and all that.

 

 

 

Hopefully this can help anyone else who is having similar issues. It seems like a petty thing but it really isn't, it flat out sucks to be excited about going into debt for something like this, but it beats the hell out of sitting around doing nothing.

[MrsMonkeyMan2500]

Amen to that. I think a lot of it is because we are a forum made up primarily of Tennesseans. Though we are not all neighbors in the traditional sense, there is a sense of real community that I think only manifests itself due the fact that we do in fact share our communities. Sure we all have a common interest, but it goes way beyond that here IMO.

 

 

Some of us, mainly me are actually Michiganders hiding amongst you, since there seems to be a strong dislike of the mitten people. :rofl: I hope this all pans out for you well. Lastly, wisdom teeth if fully impacted or partially impacted are a B!^%& to get out. I thought I had the guts to do it awake with Valium sedation. Ummm yea, no. ALWAYS do IV Sedation when and if possible!

[TrickyNicky]

Some of us, mainly me are actually Michiganders hiding amongst you, since there seems to be a strong dislike of the mitten people. :rofl: ...

You want to talk about a strong dislike, I'm a native Californian :cool: Yeah, I win. :rofl: 

 

As far a s the wisdom teeth go, I've heard from a few people it wasn't so much the pain as the visual of seeing the dentist go to work like a carpenter trying to pull a screw out of a 2x4 with a claw hammer. I'll cross that bridge when i get there, but the idea of going under gives me the heeby jeebys. I have never gone under from IV, but I know from experience with nitrous oxide that I get physical when I start going under  :ugh: . I'll cross it when I get to it though and be sure to advise the anesthesiologist of that in any case.

[MrsMonkeyMan2500]

You want to talk about a strong dislike, I'm a native Californian :cool: Yeah, I win. :rofl:

 

As far a s the wisdom teeth go, I've heard from a few people it wasn't so much the pain as the visual of seeing the dentist go to work like a carpenter trying to pull a screw out of a 2x4 with a claw hammer. I'll cross that bridge when i get there, but the idea of going under gives me the heeby jeebys. I have never gone under from IV, but I know from experience with nitrous oxide that I get physical when I start going under  :ugh: . I'll cross it when I get to it though and be sure to advise the anesthesiologist of that in any case.

 

Its the sound. I won't get graphic because I feel like we've made strides here Nick. But it is all the sound and pressure as it is happening. Are yours erupted or impacted? Make that appointment once you get the plan worked out, they will take a panorex which will show that awesome Cali-noggin of yours and all the teeth. Then you'll know for sure. That's also part of the cost of the FMX so don't worry about additional fees.

[peejman]

Hope you find the services you need. Sucks to be in that situation. If you've got anything that might be infected, please get it addressed sooner rather than later. A friend's mom nearly died because of an abscessed tooth. The bad tooth led to a blood infection which ruined a heart valve. Think dental implants are expensive? Try open heart surgery.

[Dustbuster]

Affordable dental in donelson.
Down n dirty yank em and replace em w falseies. They don't kiss ass, they just replace human fangs pricing is fair. I had some work done and I left happy.
Pm me if ya want more info and the care thing works. Sad thing is I don't have 16k for implants as well.

[TrickyNicky]

I might still go the yank and replace route, at least with a few, I'mm gonna let a Dr. set out my options and see where it goes from there, i'm not opposed to any treatment option at this point, just want to get started.