I need around $6k in dental work. How can I cut down the cost?

[xiv]

$6k is the cost after insurance. Can I negotiate the price with the dentist? Should I shop around? Any tips are appreciated. I need a root canal, crown, extraction, bone graft, and implant.

[Metalcat]

Assuming insurance is covering a few grand, that's a very good price for all of those things combined.

[SunnyDays]

Assuming insurance is covering a few grand, that's a very good price for all of those things combined.

Agreed.  I have no insurance, so my dentist gave me a discount on an extraction, bone graft and implant and it still cost 4K (down from 6K) just for that.

[Dave1442397]

$6k is cheap for all that. You could always go on a medical vacation, if you want to take that chance.

My brother's family got lucky with dental work. One of his kids had a dental emergency in Croatia, and they found an English-speaking dentist nearby who does great work and is dirt cheap, even by Irish standards. Ever since then they schedule all the family's dental visits around vacations to Croatia.

[Dee_the_third]

That’s a good price! You could pay for it with pre-tax money if you’ve got an FSA.

[snic]

$6k is the cost after insurance. Can I negotiate the price with the dentist? Should I shop around? Any tips are appreciated. I need a root canal, crown, extraction, bone graft, and implant.

Make sure you actually need all that work. Get a second opinion.

As for "negotiate the price," I'm not sure what there is to negotiate - maybe if you throw in a few chickens and a pig, the price will come down by a grand or two? More seriously, you can always ask the dentist for a discount. Worst she can do is say no.

[Metalcat]

$6k is cheap for all that. You could always go on a medical vacation, if you want to take that chance.

My brother's family got lucky with dental work. One of his kids had a dental emergency in Croatia, and they found an English-speaking dentist nearby who does great work and is dirt cheap, even by Irish standards. Ever since then they schedule all the family's dental visits around vacations to Croatia.

I'm just curious, how do they know the dentist does great work?

Patients generally don't have the ability to assess if dental work is any good. I thought I had great crowns for many years and loved my former dentist until I started working with dentists and found out they looked good but were total shit.

[Dave1442397]

$6k is cheap for all that. You could always go on a medical vacation, if you want to take that chance.

My brother's family got lucky with dental work. One of his kids had a dental emergency in Croatia, and they found an English-speaking dentist nearby who does great work and is dirt cheap, even by Irish standards. Ever since then they schedule all the family's dental visits around vacations to Croatia.

I'm just curious, how do they know the dentist does great work?

Patients generally don't have the ability to assess if dental work is any good. I thought I had great crowns for many years and loved my former dentist until I started working with dentists and found out they looked good but were total shit.

Good point. I must ask my brother if he's ever had the work double-checked.

I guess any dentist can do bad work, no matter what they charge. I once met a young dentist whose father was also a dentist. He said his father broke his leg and couldn't work while recuperating, so he stepped in to help him out. He said he spent a lot of time fixing work his father had done in recent years. Apparently his father's eyesight had deteriorated to the point where it was affecting his work.

On the other end of the scale, I had an implant done for a front tooth back in 2001. Every dentist who looks at the X-rays comments on how well the work was done and how long it has lasted. I got lucky with that one.

[Metalcat]

$6k is cheap for all that. You could always go on a medical vacation, if you want to take that chance.

My brother's family got lucky with dental work. One of his kids had a dental emergency in Croatia, and they found an English-speaking dentist nearby who does great work and is dirt cheap, even by Irish standards. Ever since then they schedule all the family's dental visits around vacations to Croatia.

I'm just curious, how do they know the dentist does great work?

Patients generally don't have the ability to assess if dental work is any good. I thought I had great crowns for many years and loved my former dentist until I started working with dentists and found out they looked good but were total shit.

Good point. I must ask my brother if he's ever had the work double-checked.

I guess any dentist can do bad work, no matter what they charge. I once met a young dentist whose father was also a dentist. He said his father broke his leg and couldn't work while recuperating, so he stepped in to help him out. He said he spent a lot of time fixing work his father had done in recent years. Apparently his father's eyesight had deteriorated to the point where it was affecting his work.

On the other end of the scale, I had an implant done for a front tooth back in 2001. Every dentist who looks at the X-rays comments on how well the work was done and how long it has lasted. I got lucky with that one.

Yep, there are bad dentist everywhere, but dental/medical tourism particularly attracts terrible dentists/doctors because the patients basically can't sue them, they never have to fix their mistakes.

[Dave1442397]

Yep, there are bad dentist everywhere, but dental/medical tourism particularly attracts terrible dentists/doctors because the patients basically can't sue them, they never have to fix their mistakes.

In this case the Croatian dentist is just a local guy who's not involved in dental tourism. On the other hand, we have a friend who went to Costa Rica on a dental tourism trip to get implants. She's never really said anything about the experience, but we noticed that she's been somewhat mush-mouthed ever since.

[GilesMM]

Probably better to get that much work done somewhere cheaper, like Mexico.

[Metalcat]

Yep, there are bad dentist everywhere, but dental/medical tourism particularly attracts terrible dentists/doctors because the patients basically can't sue them, they never have to fix their mistakes.

In this case the Croatian dentist is just a local guy who's not involved in dental tourism. On the other hand, we have a friend who went to Costa Rica on a dental tourism trip to get implants. She's never really said anything about the experience, but we noticed that she's been somewhat mush-mouthed ever since.

Yes, I figured that from your story, but it sounded like you were recommending dental tourism, so I was commenting on that.

A lot of people don't realize how fucking sketchy the dental/medical tourism world is and why it's very different from just getting regular dental work in other countries.

That said, there are plenty of countries where I wouldn't go to a regular dentist.

I've hired many foreign dentists as assistants and hygienists because they can't get licensed in Canada, and for many of them their knowledge was nowhere near where it would need to be for them to be dentists here.

Plus there are issues with the supply chain in a lot of countries where dentistry is cheaper. A lot of materials that aren't fit for sale in more upscale markets due to quality control get sold to other regions where there are lower standards.

Hilariously, these products end up back in the US and Canada on the grey market because it's cheaper to import them back and buy them at a markup than to buy quality controlled products through the regular supply chain.

But that's getting into a whole other mess...

Point being, the quality of training and the quality of materials are not the same the world over. I would personally never get dental work of any sort done in Moldova, just as an example.

I don't know what it is about Moldova, but what they call dentistry is kind of terrifying.

[Metalcat]

Probably better to get that much work done somewhere cheaper, like Mexico.

Cheaper, but not necessarily better value.

[turketron]

I don't have much to suggest in cutting down the cost, but you could use this as an opportunity to get a new Credit Card with a nice sign-on bonus - there are a couple cards that have bonuses equal to like $500-$750 in cash or miles that require spending like $4k in the first 3 months, which you'd be able to knock out in a single transaction. Doesn't lower the cost itself but helps take some of the "sting" out of having to drop that much on a necessary purchase. Check nerdwallet for some good suggestions!

[draco44]

I would probably get a second opinion or two, but then pay up if the quotes and list of problems identified match up. Medical tourism wouldn't be my choice, but if you consider that, remember there's a chance you'd need treatment follow-up.

Sorry you need to get work done! Hopefully whatever you end of having to pay, the longterm benefits are worth it. Good luck!

[Dreamer40]

I would not do medical tourism for all that, or any implant. 5-10% of implants fail and need follow up work. So you could pay more in the long-run, especially if the work is done poorly by a doctor who knows you won’t be coming back if something goes wrong.

[Metalcat]

I would not do medical tourism for all that, or any implant. 5-10% of implants fail and need follow up work. So you could pay more in the long-run, especially if the work is done poorly by a doctor who knows you won’t be coming back if something goes wrong.

5-10% of implants fail to fuse with bone. The failure of implant crowns is much, much higher. The success rates cited about implants are incredibly misleading.

[GilesMM]

Probably better to get that much work done somewhere cheaper, like Mexico.

Cheaper, but not necessarily better value.

We've all heard plenty of horror stories from American dentists, especially the lower cost places.  No guarantee of value anywhere, especially if you haven't done your due diligence.

[Metalcat]

Probably better to get that much work done somewhere cheaper, like Mexico.

Cheaper, but not necessarily better value.

We've all heard plenty of horror stories from American dentists, especially the lower cost places.  No guarantee of value anywhere, especially if you haven't done your due diligence.

My due diligence is attending multiple lectures from researchers who dedicate their careers to researching dental tourism in Mexico.

Dental tourism is a particularly ugly industry.

[Dave1442397]

Dental tourism is a particularly ugly industry.

Is there anywhere you would recommend going? I'm not planning on it right now, but in years to come, who knows.

Moldova wasn't even on my radar :) I had plenty of work done in Ireland before coming to the US, but I don't think their prices are much different than ours, at this point.

[Metalcat]

Dental tourism is a particularly ugly industry.

Is there anywhere you would recommend going? I'm not planning on it right now, but in years to come, who knows.

Moldova wasn't even on my radar :) I had plenty of work done in Ireland before coming to the US, but I don't think their prices are much different than ours, at this point.

Absolutely nowhere that is marketed as dental tourism.

There are plenty of great dentists in the world, but like in Canada and the US, you need to understand the local economic factors that influence the quality of care, and if you aren't a local, don't assume you will get local prices.

There are no countries I would travel to to get cheaper dental work, but there are plenty of countries where I would happily get dental work if I lived there. For example, I plan to live in Mexico in the future. I would never set foot in a dental/medical tourism clinic anywhere in the world, but I have plenty of family near Mexico city who can help me find good local doctors and dentists, and I have the medical knowledge and industry knowledge to be able to assess providers and clinics. And if I live there long enough and speak fluent enough Spanish they might even stop charging me gringo prices after awhile.

Gun to my head though? I would probably say Colombia. I polled a lot of dentists on this and the country they most consistently say they see decent work from is Colombia. By contrast, they kind of look like they're going to be ill when they talk about dentistry from Mexico and Turkey, which are two major dental tourism destinations. Instagram is filled with "Turkey Teeth."

[Dave1442397]

Instagram is filled with "Turkey Teeth."

That made me laugh!

I guess I'll stick with my local dentist. At least the kiddo is done with braces and wisdom tooth removal, so we haven't had any dental bills this year.

[clarkfan1979]

$6k is the cost after insurance. Can I negotiate the price with the dentist? Should I shop around? Any tips are appreciated. I need a root canal, crown, extraction, bone graft, and implant.

My wife got an implant about 3 years ago and it was $6K. The next year she did invisalign $3K plus something else for 3K. She had $12K of dental work over 2 years. 

[snic]

There are no countries I would travel to to get cheaper dental work, but there are plenty of countries where I would happily get dental work if I lived there. For example, I plan to live in Mexico in the future. I would never set foot in a dental/medical tourism clinic anywhere in the world, but I have plenty of family near Mexico city who can help me find good local doctors and dentists, and I have the medical knowledge and industry knowledge to be able to assess providers and clinics. And if I live there long enough and speak fluent enough Spanish they might even stop charging me gringo prices after awhile.

Even that might be risky. I know of someone who was told they need all their teeth replaced. (Whether they actually needed that, I can't say.) To get the work done at a fraction of the cost, they went to the country of their birth, India, where they had grown up and lived for a long time before emigrating to the US. So they knew the local system, and had plenty of friends and relatives to recommend a good dentist or oral surgeon or whatever it was. During the procedure, they ended up needing a blood transfusion. The blood had not been tested properly for viruses and what was in there eventually killed them.

[Metalcat]

There are no countries I would travel to to get cheaper dental work, but there are plenty of countries where I would happily get dental work if I lived there. For example, I plan to live in Mexico in the future. I would never set foot in a dental/medical tourism clinic anywhere in the world, but I have plenty of family near Mexico city who can help me find good local doctors and dentists, and I have the medical knowledge and industry knowledge to be able to assess providers and clinics. And if I live there long enough and speak fluent enough Spanish they might even stop charging me gringo prices after awhile.

Even that might be risky. I know of someone who was told they need all their teeth replaced. (Whether they actually needed that, I can't say.) To get the work done at a fraction of the cost, they went to the country of their birth, India, where they had grown up and lived for a long time before emigrating to the US. So they knew the local system, and had plenty of friends and relatives to recommend a good dentist or oral surgeon or whatever it was. During the procedure, they ended up needing a blood transfusion. The blood had not been tested properly for viruses and what was in there eventually killed them.

Medical care in India is very different from medical care in Mexico City.

I used the example of Mexico City very specifically because I assumed most Americans know that the caliber of medicine in the private system *in that area specifically* is very high. I certainly did not mean to imply that people can move anywhere where they have local connections and get high quality care.