Broken teeth

[Adriano2610]

I had an accident with a bicycle and broke my teeth, a local dentist wants to charge $ 4,500 to repair.
I do not have that kind of money right now, has anyone any idea how we solve this problem?

[ldrcycles]

First step, find a different dentist and get a second opinion. Depending on how much damage has been done, that figure may actually be in the ballpark. The cost of dental work in this country is disgusting. If it is major work then you may be better off going to Thailand, there are a huge number of Aussies doing that now, I've spoken to at least 3 dozen people who have been over there and all of them rave about it.

[Summernight]

Get the second opinion, but fixing those teeth isn't just a case of whacking on some tooth coloured cement in 5 minutes - it may involve filing back the teeth and putting crowns over the top to restore them to toothy goodness as you've done a good number on them.

The technology, equipment and time necessary to create crowns and restore teeth is not cheap or quick. Dentists aren't usually out to gouge you, that is just the true cost of the work and the required materials.

If you have private health insurance you may be covered for dental.

Just remember that if you do it overseas you don't have the same surety regarding quality or getting things fixed if they are stuffed up and if they do get stuffed up you'll have to pay more to replace them back in Australia.

The cost of dental work in this country is disgusting.

That's because we've been spoiled by virtually free or heavily subsidised medical so our idea of the true cost is a bit warped. Dental procedures are not currently subsidised (unless you are really poor I believe) so that is why you see the higher prices. I'm glad we are spoiled like we are with respect to medical, but you do have to take that into consideration.

As an example, if you don't have ambulance cover and get taken by ambulance to hospital - that can easily be $1,000 just for the care and ambulance ride. Is that disgusting? Probably, but that is the cost of having 2 paramedics dash out to your place and use materials/drugs to try and save your life.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck with getting your teeth fixed, Adriano and I hope you find a solution.

[grimbo]

I had a similar accident a few weeks ago and broke my two front teeth. One tooth had about half still exposed, the other about a quarter. There was no root/nerve damage. My dentist "fixed" them using just "filling" stuff, cost about $310 per tooth. The test will be how long they last and how well they function. As they are still hurting when used, it's a bit hard to tell at the moment. She also said that I wouldn't be able to stress them too hard ever again, so for example, biting a hard apple was a no-no.

Will probably see about converting to caps at some time depending on time, money and the pain involved.

[sogood]

With that kind of damage (with major losses) to the upper incisors, it's not going to be a simple filler job (esp. the left one). For the amount of bite pressure that gets put through, it'll more likely to require a cap or crown. We don't have national dental insurance but if you qualify, we do have free dental service for those on benefits. It'll be a very very long wait and procedures are typically carried out by dental school students under supervision. Government have talked about a nationalised dental insurance service but I doubt it'll happen. Can't afford it nor is there sufficient support. Further, it won't likely to cover cosmetic treatments.

As some have already suggested. Try a second opinion/quote and make sure you understand their suggestion/s and the durability of such treatment. With 3 or more teeth involved, be prepared to pay a significant amount. Then it's a question of for the same money, who is the best to carry out the job. Like all, some are better than others.

[Coolabah]

Get the second opinion, but fixing those teeth isn't just a case of whacking on some tooth coloured cement in 5 minutes - it may involve filing back the teeth and putting crowns over the top to restore them to toothy goodness as you've done a good number on them.

The technology, equipment and time necessary to create crowns and restore teeth is not cheap or quick. Dentists aren't usually out to gouge you, that is just the true cost of the work and the required materials.

If you have private health insurance you may be covered for dental.

Just remember that if you do it overseas you don't have the same surety regarding quality or getting things fixed if they are stuffed up and if they do get stuffed up you'll have to pay more to replace them back in Australia.

The cost of dental work in this country is disgusting.

That's because we've been spoiled by virtually free or heavily subsidised medical so our idea of the true cost is a bit warped. Dental procedures are not currently subsidised (unless you are really poor I believe) so that is why you see the higher prices. I'm glad we are spoiled like we are with respect to medical, but you do have to take that into consideration.

As an example, if you don't have ambulance cover and get taken by ambulance to hospital - that can easily be $1,000 just for the care and ambulance ride. Is that disgusting? Probably, but that is the cost of having 2 paramedics dash out to your place and use materials/drugs to try and save your life.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck with getting your teeth fixed, Adriano and I hope you find a solution.

What a (refreshingly) intelligent and accurate post. I agree, with all medical/dental etc stuff there is always more than one choice. ( edit : following comments directed to the OP) I would actually first ask your own dentist ( whom you obviously know and trust ) if there is another choice- composite restorations are not as predictable as crowns but cheaper and might buy you some time. As for overseas medical treatment of any kind... just remember that there are usually no controls in a lot of these countries - you might be risking Hepatitis B or C , HIV, Staph Aureus... just for starters. You always hear the stories about "my mate went overseas , paid $2 for treatment worth $100,000 and he has no problems ( yet/ that he knows about ) ... yeh right but no-one admits to the times when they have problems...
Australia is one of the most over - regulated countries in the world for medical stuff. Even then we have problems that surface... but they DO surface because these problems are recognised when they occur. Some of these medical tourist destinations would not even KNOW if there is a problem eg failed autoclaving of instruments- assuming they even do this... big assumption here guys !.

All I can say is... do you feel lucky ? Well, DO YA , punk ??
( apologies to Mr Clint Eastwood)

[sogood]

Australia is one of the most over - regulated countries in the world for medical stuff. Even then we have problems that surface... but they DO surface because these problems are recognised when they occur. Some of these medical tourist destinations would not even KNOW if there is a problem eg failed autoclaving of instruments- assuming they even do this... big assumption here guys !.

Well, not all of them are like that. The hard part is for a foreigner to know which of the many providers are suitably qualified. One fear I have with these tourism health services is in situations when things go wrong. It may be a <1% probability, but when it does, the cost of extending the stay alone may make it not worthwhile. As for life, it's a game of probabilities and some get luckier than others.

[Coolabah]

Australia is one of the most over - regulated countries in the world for medical stuff. Even then we have problems that surface... but they DO surface because these problems are recognised when they occur. Some of these medical tourist destinations would not even KNOW if there is a problem eg failed autoclaving of instruments- assuming they even do this... big assumption here guys !.

Well, not all of them are like that. The hard part is for a foreigner to know which of the many providers are suitably qualified. One fear I have with these tourism health services is in situations when things go wrong. It may be a <1% probability, but when it does, the cost of extending the stay alone may make it not worthwhile. As for life, it's a game of probabilities and some get luckier than others.

not sure at all where you get the less than 1% from as I understand the true figure is way higher. I have a friend who had severe issues (still ongoing) after doing this exact same tourism thing .
read this document it is really understated if you ask me :
http://www.ada.org.au/app_cmslib/media/ ... ber_12.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

People seem to assume that all dentists/doctors/engineers/you name it , world wide, are absolutely equivalent in training/knowledge/skills.... all I can say is ... this is absolutely not the case.Why do you think many doctors with overseas qualifications have to train for many years before they are allowed to practice in Australia ???
Anyway , I guess I'm getting off topic here . OP : I hope you heal well

[sogood]

not sure at all where you get the less than 1%...

I said "It may be a <1% probability", as in a best case scenario, to demonstrate the risks. At the same time, ADA isn't completely unbiased either.

There are some excellent services overseas and there are some sub-par services locally. The really hard part for most is knowing how to find the best. Comes back down to how well one can manage the risks.

[Coolabah]

not sure at all where you get the less than 1%...

I said "It may be a <1% probability", as in a best case scenario, to demonstrate the risks.

oh, OK. Sorry to sound pedantic but it would be clearer to have stated " I would guess that..." rather than implying you were quoting a statistic available somewhere... but then again ,even though it may be that >87.299772 % of all statistics are made up, I still believe the statisticians ( see what I mean ! )

[ldrcycles]

Well I've spoken to a lot of people who have gone o/s for treatment, my family asked around as well and none of us heard anything negative at all. I know of people who now refuse to even get a checkup done in Australia as the cost and service is so much better in Thailand. Medical tourism is big bickies now and the good operators aren't going to risk their rep. There's no magic to finding the good ones either, just ask people who have been over there for the name of the clinic and then you can check out the website, and even ring the clinic. A lot of the dentists are US or Aus trained too.

[RonK]

With damage like that, in Brisbane you would probably qualify for emergency treatment at the dental hospital if you are on a low income. You would very likely be treated by an Asian student dentist.

Treatment overseas might seem an attractive option, but keep in mind that medical and dental procedures can and do go wrong in any country, even here, but should you be forced to get a botched job fixed locally, or return to your os practitioner, then any savings may evaporate.

On the dental profession, there is a large contingent of dentists in my local bunch, and it has become apparent to me from listening to their comments and conversations that they are quite adept at maximising their incomes.

[AUbicycles]

I wasn't unlucky as you but my chipped front tooth (as a 7 year old trying to stand on the handlebars) has been replaced twice, about once every ten years. Living overseas in Europe, the cost of the dentist was a fraction of Australia and that is with claiming anything so there is something up with the prices in Australia, that said - you want a professional and skilled dentists because a dodgy job won't give you the million dollar smile.

But onto the question how to afford this - even if you can get a more competitive price from an equally skill dentists, the options are asking about a repayment plan (preferably no interest) or if not possible, ask family for a loan. If you havn't already had the work done, it is something that would be preferable paying back than saving up for.

[wombatK]

Definitely find out it you qualify for some of the low-income dental services. If not, then what you can afford is a matter of priorities.
Your teeth are the first part of your digestive system - and the first thing you need in good order to get proper nutrition. If you are
in your late teens or early twenties, they've got to last you some 50+ years - so get them fixed properly. Spread even over 10 years
(and you should get better), the cost is not going to be a major element in your budget.

FWIW, if you get wisdom teeth that need extracting, you could be up for $6,000 or $7,000 plus. Health insurance that covers dental
can be very sensible.

[sogood]

Looks like Adriano2610 is a one post member and remaining so. Hope all the replies are of benefit to at least someone.