Why it's important to visit the dentist regularly


Going to the dentist can be intimidating at times. You can set your fears aside by maintaining the health of your teeth and establishing a relationship with your dentist.

Comments

where are the recommondations

Where the recommendations?

I think it is important to visit the dentist i have it in my routine! by the regular checkup and care we can save our smile!!

I found a dentist trained in Europe; his 94 year old father, trained as such, made all the caps for the front of my mouth and they are still there 25 years later. I want my dentist to have a closer relationship with the makers of the caps and crowns I need. And that dentist gave me a pay by the month deal, that did not include interest. My present dentist offers a 21% deal if I need to charge for what is NOT beauty dentistry. I won't pay that, and am looking for a new dentist. But in making the appointment, one cannot tell them I am shopping around. Their offices will call the old office or vice versa. The man I see now has FIVE women working in his front office. FIVE? What do they do all day? Perhaps I should look up the older dentist, who made crowns for my upper 6 teeth (through his own father) and see if he's still in business. It's a 150 mile one way drive, but to get decent dentistry, it beats leaving the country. If a non American screws up royally, one cannot sue him. Inside, we CAN.

i'd like some info on Aspen Dental

Are you running commercials for dentists? Dentists should lower their fees, down from astronomical, for working people to to them regularly.

Dentists fees are based on costs of doing business, including salaries, supplies, lab fees, taxes, office rental or ownership. Like any private enterprise in this country, there is a wide range of fees or costs to consumers. In general, low fees signify low quality treatment, as in any business.

Low fees does not mean low quality. I have been to dentists charging high fees and destroying my teeth, doing work on teeth that did NOT needed work, and pulling so hard on my teeth that they dislocated my jaw bone. What matters is the quality of the work. Insurances should pay for dentists a lot more than they do now since the charges of a dentist goes up and it is not covered by insurances most of the times. This is what dentist does not understand. We have to pay out of our own pocket, sometimes over $5000 for a implant to 6000 for braces $1000 for a crown and all of it run up your bill. I tend to agree with Mario, lower your fees on some of the work knowing insurances companies are not reimbursing us the people for those costs. Should it be about profit to your dental office or should it be able helping the people and you would care so much that you the dentist would give quality care????? hello I have not seing that. I have seen dentist for profit only

You may want to consider having your Dental needs addressed outside of the US. Dental prices are outrageous in the US and continue to rise to support the lifestyle of the Dentist you are visiting. We decided about a year ago that we cannot afford to pay for their lifestyle so we sought Dental care in Mexico. Their prices are usually listed and discussed before any work is done. They're very reasonable and I'm very happy with the Root Canals, Porcelain Crowns, Cleanings that we've had there. A definite consideration when it comes between deciding to taking a loan out just to pay for your Dental care in the US.

I had six implants done in Costa Rica by a dentist who was trained in the US. Eight years Passed and these are the only work that is holding up and because I had the cosmetic work done in the front teeth, I am still enjoying smiling without fear of showing ugly teeth. Root canal and bridge works done in FL have failed within 1-3 weeks. For six implants, I paid 60% of what it costs here and that includes 11 nights hotel stay and meals while there. I now have a dentist who do not tell me what work needs to be done every time I walk in. He asks how my teeth are and how i feel.

A word or two about good dental care - a dentist, after years of going to school to become proficient in his chosen field, has one of the highest overheads of running his office w/adequate staff. He is not running a charity. Most offices will be happy to set up a payment schedule or take your credit card. As in most cases, you get what you pay for.

It seems like a scam that dental work is not part of medical insurance. Many dental conditions cannot go untreated. Dental surgery is surgery. If an infection is in your mouth it isn't important enough to be considered a medical condition? That sounds like a bunch of people got together and planned "how can we rip off the american public for even more???" Heath insurance pays for viagra and other crazy things, but if you need a root canal, well you can just drop dead! This country is driven by greed. Unfortunately.

I turn 60 in June. My only income for the last 14 years has been SS Disability; my only access to health care: Medicare/Medicaid. Thank God for them, but regardless of the impact of poor dental health on ones physical health, they pay nothing for dental care above the age of 18. So over the last decade and a half, my teeth have been disintegrating. 3 are broken off at the gum line, including 2 front teeth, 1 healthy tooth was pushed out by an abcess under it, 2 molars lost their fillings and broke apart leaving fragments and roots embedded in my gums, and 2 molars lost their caps and their sharp edges cut into the bottom of my tongue. Since I cannot see a dentist to prevent this, my tongue gets infected. At least then I can go to a medical doctor to treat the infections. I have resorted to using a metal file to take the cutting edges down myself. There used to be a low fee (and no fee in emergencies) dental clinic in town, but the cooperating dentists dropped out one by one to give more time to their own paying practices. Now there is only a "Low Cost Dentures" place about 20 miles outside of town that charges $50 for each abstraction. I hope I never lose my metal file. Now, what was it you were saying about how important it is to visit the dentist regularly???

Dentistry as a whole has done an excellent job of maintaining affordability compared to medicine and other industries. Did you know that in 1969 a set a braces for your teeth cost the same as a new voltswagon beetle. A new beetle today will cost you between 20,000-30,000 dollars while a set of braces will cost around 5,000.

To my mind, this type of dentist "underwriting" --promoting business for dentists -- introduces suspicion about the independence of Angie's List recommendations. I don't need Angie's List to tell me to visit the dentist. I DO need the list to help me FIND a good dentist who suits my needs. Unfortunately, I no longer know if I can trust any recommendations I might find on Angie's List.

What about those of us who are trapped through disability--or other reasons--into living on incomes so low, we cannot afford ANY dental care? When I could still work, I saw my dentist twice yearly, just as I was supposed to. But now, all I have is Medicaid, and no dentist in town will accept Medicaid patients! Even worse, I have diabetes. What can a person do in a situation like this?

Agree with Mario! Dentist in Raleigh?

If you do not have insurance, I would call dental schools or community colleges who offer dental hygienist programs because you may be able to get dental work or at least a cleaning done for a low fee so their students get experience while being supervised by a professional.

I feel fortunate to have some insurance rather than none like others who commented. However, even companies will not raise coverage. Mine is still limited to $1000 per year, the exact coverage I had when initially hired in 1973, believe it or not!

Someone asked about aspen dental. There are numerous complaints online.

Dentists' fees may be based on "doing business", but they are also based on cost of living expenses and dentists want to have a very nice and expensive high life style.

ive had aspen dental for extractions cleaning and partial made at their lab i have no complaints

Tim, Regarding your comment about today's cost of a new VW Beetle, between 20,000 and 30,000 dollars, I was just told by a Cosmetic Dentist that Full-Mouth Porcelain Veneers to restore proper bite and improve cosmetics of my smile would cost $34,000 !!! I only really need to have three front teeth repaired, but if I want Porcelain Veneers, rather than Bonded Veneers or Porcelain Crowns, it requires every tooth in my mouth to be done with Porcelain Veneers due to the need to have an accurate bite! How's that for a price tag!?

I AM A REGISTERED NURSE WORKING HARD DAILY TO ADMINISTER HEALTH CARE TO OTHERS:YET,dental fees ARE SO OUTRAGEOUS I cannot afford to see the DENTIST as I should.Something is seriously wrong when dental fees are so much higher than your general physician fees!!! Tell me why, and if the dental fees were not so greedy in structure, then we would see more dental coverage insurance covering the dental work we need to take proper care of our teeth.

I went to a foreign country for dental work. When I got home, I called the local dentist to get a cost estunate. $50K. In a foreign country, done by a U.S. trained dentist, the cost was around $10K, and that includes driving cost, food, and decent hotel. It's not for everyone, but certainly something to look into. Fabulous work. No pain.

All of you are right, for anyone thinking about taking out your silver fillings-(DON'T) I have had nothing but problems scents I did that. The white fillings they replace it with in time will hurt your tooth and you will have to get the crown after that. A dentist told me this , it's all about the MONEY!!!!!!

I had a friendly, gentle dentist whom i trusted for ten years.Prior to that I had avoided dentists for 20 years. I saw a dentist out of town on a recommendation and he was pleased to see that I had one cavity and an old wisdom toth that had to come out. He cleaned my teeth and said I had fine teeth that should last a lifetime. I mistakenly switched to a dentist close to my home for convenience. I had insurance and each time I saw him he had his receptionist call the insurance company to see how much I had left for the year. he managed to find problems and did extensive deep fillings untill the annual coverage expired. Then he had me come back the following year and did the same, exhausting my insurance each year for the next ten years. By then all my teeth were drilled filled and refilled until the money ran out. On the 11th year my teeth began to crumble - rapidly I have no doubt he used inferior fillings and did unnecessary work in order to exhaust the 20,000 insurance At 35 I had excellent teeth, now at 55 I have full dentures. The lesson is that all dentists are not skilled or ethical and buyer beware - if you feel something is not right it probably is not and find another dentist with recommendations and a proven track record - you only get one set and it's criminal for some greed motivated butcher to ruin them Paul A.

Um, I find it damned odd that there are no actual recommendations as per dentists here...only complaints. People pay Angie's list for this???!

I am on medicare and had a dentist in CT he pulled all my top teeth and most of the bottom. This was one and a half years ago. The denture was of such poor quality that I have to use poilgrip or an adhesive.The teeth are now too short you cant tell if I have teeth and the bottom bridge is awful. All the food particles get caught under it and every time I eat i have to go to the bathroom to rinse them off/ NO adhesive will keep them in. They wiggle around and the remaining 5 teeth are all dead. They are grey, nice ,,,,,,,,Ive gone to a Dentist here who told me he would charge me 114,000.00 yes, I said 14,000,00.I am on a limited income !!!! Enough said. They are all in it for the money They have no felings or concerns for anyone but themselves. If there really is something called karma I hope they get what they deserve,,,,,,,

I worked in the medical insurance industry. The reason that Insurance doesn't cover the expenses is because people need dentists even when they are well. Has anyone ever noticed the yearly physicals no longer seem to exist. It is for this very reason. To the person looking for a dentist -you are using the wrong area to look for a dentist - this is "area" is specifically for comments on the article - go look in the "find a provider" section to get your info.

I had my silver fillings replaced about 10 yrs. ago. I have not had any problems. The price of replacing 7 silver fillings cost as much as one crown back then. That's why I did it. If you're having problems, I would see another dentist.

i too need 4 teeth pulled and cannot find help.

I think by a regular checkup we can save our teeth from any harm, I have question for you, why Teeth whitening treatment is most recommended by dentists or patients?

I think by a regular checkup we can save our teeth from any harm, I have question for you, why Teeth whitening treatment is most recommended by dentists or patients?

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