So Im off to the dentist today .. I have no insurance and it's going to cost me a whopping $140.00 just for a cleaning and exam with x rays .. I know I need to go as a few days ago I had one sensitive tooth and I'm thinking its a cavity or something ... I'm very nervous the dentist is going to tell me I need a root canal, something we can't really afford, well heck, we really can't afford for the exam but what are you going to do? Wish me luck all ....

Yup...I don't like the dentist either.It is always an unexpected bill at the end.."Oh we had to clean longer" We have insurance but most places here you have to pay the whole bill upfront and then the insurance handler reimburses you with a cheque the about 2 weeks later but it is coming up with the money upfront that is always hard!

I'm going to the dentist this evening too. One of my fillings chipped, and is causing great discomfort, especially eating all the chocolate over Easter! My dentist is going to love me ! cha-ching!
We have coverage thru my DH's work, but it doesn't cover orthodontist. My son has braces (1100.00) and my daughter is estimated at $1500.00, but they allow you to pay in installments, which isn't so bad. I keep the receipts as tax season is coming.

Cheap cause they are only on 3 teeth in the front to keep a space open so his other permanent tooth can drop (which is hasn't for two years), so now they are going to cut into his gum, place a bracket on the bottom of his tooth and pull it down over time. That's going to cost us big time! I keep telling my son that he has the "$3000 smile" cause that is the amount that we have had to put in to it so far (braces, an operation to remove the stubborn baby tooth plus 3 fragments of teeth from the roof of his mouth, not covered by health plan)!!
My daughter only needs braces on the bottom to ease the crowding.

I know friends who have spend $5-6000 per kid on ortho work. I tell my son he should be an ortho when he gets older. Sweet hours, good pay, always in demand!

Ouch! I'd rather just pay the $6000 for braces! Poor kid! It sounds painful just reading it!

my nephew had the same problem with his adult teeth wanting to come in .. it just wouldn't! We used to tease him that in his senior pictures he would still have his baby teeth .. ahahah anyways, he is only 12, but it was time for my sister to do something about it .. so she ended up taking both my niece, who needed braces, and my nephew who needed braces and his front tooth pulled down, down to the college of dentistry. It is a bunch of college students working towards their dentistry degree. It is MUCH MUCH cheaper for the students to do all the work while under the supervision of a licensed dentist. They do the same exact work that they will be doing once they have their degree and are employed at a dental office, but it is getting done so much cheaper! I wonder if there is anything like this close to where you guys live? It is a far drive for my sister, just about two hours one way, but it is not done very often, just when check ups are needed and a lot in the beginning when they were taking molds and stuff, but for the cost difference it is worth the drive!!! You should all really check it out.

well I'm back and the dentist didn't find anything wrong! What a relief! Only thing is, now I feel like I spent 140.00 for a new toothbrush! LOL

I am so glad that you don't have to have any MORE work done! Frame the toothbrush and call it Art!! haha!!

My appointment wasn't so great! I had chipped a filling last week, and I didn't know which tooth it was (one of my molars), and way the hygenist is poking around trying to find it when "WHAMO" she finds it. I kicked the tray in front of me and literally cried out. Not in pain, but that biting tinfoil sensation x1000!!!. Turns out I have a cracked tooth.....nice! So I have another app. to get that fixed.
Ever had a really mean hygenist clean your teeth?? OMG, this woman was scraping away, pretty sure she is a sadist. Wasn't going to stop until she got blood! And I gagged on the polish paste stuff. I hate the kiddie flavours & normally get asked which flavour I like (mint), the sadist didn't asked, used creamsicle(yucky) and I struggled not to gag. It's not like I can say anything, as she has the polish thing, the mirror and like 3 fingers in my mouth. Felt like biting her!

I'm sorry to hear that your appointment did not go so well .. it always makes it so much nicer when the hygenist is nice and enjoys her job .. I had to have x rays done and I told her when they put those bite wing things in my mouth I tend to gag, so she told me I should always ask for them to be wetted down, which she did, and boy did it make a difference! I was fine for all four x rays .. and she asked what polish I wanted and was just all around friendly ... I'm sorry you have a cracked tooth .. that is what they thought I might have because of that little bit of pain I get but the dentist checked it all over and made me bite down on this little plastic thing and finally he said, I am pretty positive you might just get that little bit of pain every few months if you stuffed up and since the upper teeth roots are so close to the sinus's if your sinus's are swollen at all that might put pressure on your tooth, which got me thinking, this past week I have been stuffed up in the mornings and that is the last time I felt that small pain ... so I am going to chalk it up to that and be grateful I don't need any more work done! I hope you get everything taken care of with no more pain!