12-12-2011, 09:26 AM
As for options... I've not had a root canal and for 900 bucks I am not too sure but, I think an implant is about 1200 bucks? That's what I would go with if I had to have one done.
Reading how you only have one good tooth on your lower side, I'd say your fighting a lost battle but I'm no dentist. I would *ASSUME* that since your tooth needs a root canal it's already decaying and getting a root canal only takes away the pain and basically means you have a dead stump in your mouth. Kinda like a dead tree. To me if it's that far gone, I would think it's only a matter of time ...
At this point an implant might not be your best option. I've known people that had root canals just to go back a few weeks later after the crown was put on to have it done again... I had 4 crowns done on the mainland 3200 bucks. Money well spent IMO. If I had to do it all over again, one could have gone to mexico with 10K and get a full set of implants. Tho that was 10 years ago. It's probably 20K now.
Get the phone book out and go down the line and call them all, be up front with your situation / intentions and ask if they can work with you on a monthly payment plan of XX a month. There are a few dentists in waianae (on Oahu) that take payments.
The only other way is go on disability --- The government will pay you around 700 a month, plus food stamps, PLUS!!! FREE medical and dental and even eye care! Tho, dunno how hard it is to get on that program. I hear that some people get to go to college for free! And you even get housing and gas allowance! Wow!
I don't have dental or health insurance myself... I kinda wonder who does have it these days as a lot of employers don't even offer it. I also think health insurance is a scam. Tho only way we COULD ALL have free medical insurance is if everyone in the nation decided not to pay their health care bill, but I can see how some are scared into paying it because they have health problems. But if no one pays into this scam then the health insurance "illusion" would fall apart. It sickens me that only 15 cents of every dollar spent on health insurance actually goes toward legitimate health care bills. The rest is on wall street investors, drug companies, lawyers and CEO's private jets to fly around in of the insurance company themselves.
*IF* health care was run right we could insure everyone for a few hundred bucks a year covering the entire body! Oh well! As you know... Getting to the problem early and not waiting for the problem to develop into a full blown life threatening problem is key. As if you had health insurance a routine teeth cleaning every 6 months at 20 bucks vs 1000 dollar root canal alone with a 1200 crown seems like a no brainer.
Good Luck
Reading how you only have one good tooth on your lower side, I'd say your fighting a lost battle but I'm no dentist. I would *ASSUME* that since your tooth needs a root canal it's already decaying and getting a root canal only takes away the pain and basically means you have a dead stump in your mouth. Kinda like a dead tree. To me if it's that far gone, I would think it's only a matter of time ...
At this point an implant might not be your best option. I've known people that had root canals just to go back a few weeks later after the crown was put on to have it done again... I had 4 crowns done on the mainland 3200 bucks. Money well spent IMO. If I had to do it all over again, one could have gone to mexico with 10K and get a full set of implants. Tho that was 10 years ago. It's probably 20K now.
Get the phone book out and go down the line and call them all, be up front with your situation / intentions and ask if they can work with you on a monthly payment plan of XX a month. There are a few dentists in waianae (on Oahu) that take payments.
The only other way is go on disability --- The government will pay you around 700 a month, plus food stamps, PLUS!!! FREE medical and dental and even eye care! Tho, dunno how hard it is to get on that program. I hear that some people get to go to college for free! And you even get housing and gas allowance! Wow!
I don't have dental or health insurance myself... I kinda wonder who does have it these days as a lot of employers don't even offer it. I also think health insurance is a scam. Tho only way we COULD ALL have free medical insurance is if everyone in the nation decided not to pay their health care bill, but I can see how some are scared into paying it because they have health problems. But if no one pays into this scam then the health insurance "illusion" would fall apart. It sickens me that only 15 cents of every dollar spent on health insurance actually goes toward legitimate health care bills. The rest is on wall street investors, drug companies, lawyers and CEO's private jets to fly around in of the insurance company themselves.
*IF* health care was run right we could insure everyone for a few hundred bucks a year covering the entire body! Oh well! As you know... Getting to the problem early and not waiting for the problem to develop into a full blown life threatening problem is key. As if you had health insurance a routine teeth cleaning every 6 months at 20 bucks vs 1000 dollar root canal alone with a 1200 crown seems like a no brainer.
Good Luck