When do I need to get a crown, and how much should I pay?

I recently had a root canal and crown lenghtening done on a molar. My endodontist told me that after the dentist places a permanent filling in the tooth, I can potentially wait up to six months before getting a crown put on. Well, I saw my dentist the other day, and he told me that he wanted to do the filling and the crown together. Since he could still see my stiches from the crown lenghtening, he decided not to go ahead with the procedure. Instead, he replaced another crown that I had received from my previous dentist because he said it was too big. Even with insurance, I was charged $500 for this crown! I wasn't expecting that, and now I don't think I can afford the crown on the tooth I had came in to fix in the first place.





I have two questions: Can I really wait six months to get the crown on that tooth? I think I'll have to now.





And..are crowns really this expensive? I thought they were around $600 BEFORE insurance, but the dental assistant told me that they are 1000.

When do I need to get a crown, and how much should I pay?
Dental surgery is very safe nowadays. My cousin got her dental implants and lasik surgery in India by a company called Forerunners Healthcare. The Price for dental and lasik surgery is very less in India. She paid 25% of the price she was quoted in America.





Forerunners Healthcare is very famous in India They arrange Dental surgery, jaw surgery, lasik eye surgery, Dental Implants etc for foreign patients in India. I read a lot about them in the Newspapers and magazines- about their patient stories.


They arrange financing for USA, Canadian, UK and other international patients who plan to have surgery abroad for low cost, as dental and eye surgery is not covered by insurance. They also have photos pasted of their International patients. You can checkout their website. There are huge cost savings. As a doctor I personally believe that surgery can be easily handled in India, as the quality of healthcare available In India is simply best in the world. The surgeons are USA/UK trained and facilities are 5 star.





http://www.forerunnershealthcare.com


Hope this helps.
Reply:A thousand dollars is about right. I know it's killer. If i have to get a crown on my tooth it will cost about $500 after insurance. But I don't know about waiting six months.....
Reply:You will find out that Dental work will max out your insurance as quick as possible. Crowns are expensive a $1000.00 crown is worth about $10.00 gold and the rest goes to the Dentist's favorite hobby. Do not let them get off track on what you want get out of the chair.
Reply:if you wants to looks good and desired, then what's you grumbling about ...after all in the end we guys ends up paying so we like what we see and feel,if not we get up and look for another..And yes it is that $$$
Reply:You also have the option of calling around to other dentists and getting quotes on prices for crowns. Also, larger cities have more competition, so you're more likely to find lower prices there. If you don't mind a bit of a drive, it's worth it. I got a $600 crown instead of 1000, and insurance picked up half. So, twenty bucks in gas was more than worth it.
Reply:A dentist using a good lab is certainly not paying only $10 in materials - that's just silly. Porcelain fused to precious metal made by an artistic lab can cost the dentist $200 or more. Then his time, the assistant's time, cost to set up the room and sterilize everything before and after your visit, plus the paperwork and administrative cost of billing your insurance, etc.





Dentists don't make as much of a profit as some uninformed people seem to think. Factor in people who don't pay their bills, charity work given away, continuing education, malpractice insurance (because people are so eager to sue these days) and other items and you'll get an idea of why dentistry costs so much.
Reply:You also have the alternative of going to Mexico where it's about 80% cheaper as compared to the US. You end up saving lots even after adding up your travel and other related costs.





A friend of mine went there for her dental procedure. She used the services of a medical tourism facilitator called Healthbase (http://www.healthbase.com). They have a lot of resources online you might find helpful. They hook you up with a surgeon who can help you answer your questions and solve your problem even before you actually go there.





Good luck!!