CUL Dental has it changed that much ?

[Northeast Agent]

somarco said:

I quote my old dentist. "The best insurance is regular brushing and flossing."

Agree completely. However, I belong to a FB group and someone there recommended DP Dental as they had a client who needed major work, due to cancer treatments. This saved them a lot of money. Now I'm seeing lump sum cancer insurance could be beneficial in a situation like this.

Seniors suddenly seem to want implants instead of dentures as they are easier to deal with. Plus, their friends with money are getting them.

 

[somarco]

Seniors are not any different from the rest of us. When they have to pay OOP they look for insurance to cover it.

Implants are not perfect and not everyone should have them.

You need good bone and gum health if you want an implant. A relative looks after his 93 year old mother who has lost most of her teeth over the years. Dentures won't work for her. Every time she has a tooth pulled the dentist does a bone graft. This prepares the jaw for a future implant. It takes 6 - 12 months for the graft to "take" before the implant can be done.

Implants work better on molars than incisors. Plus the metal post is less likely to show.

Molar implants can help to secure dentures in situations where many teeth are missing.

Implants are costly (approaching $5k but could be less) and generally not covered by insurance.

Dental discount plans still have the same issues as elaborated in my earlier post. You are often dealing with an inexperienced dentist and there is no gatekeeper to monitor the process or adjudicate the claim. You may never know if the dentist has increased the price to offset the "discount".

There is no free lunch.

If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.

 

[vipoffer]

Wow, I did not know that about implants.

I've been wanting to get some for a while. Having kids can take a toll on your teeth if you're not careful lol...Good to know about bone health and molars vs incisors.

 

[goillini52]

Dental discount plans still have the same issues as elaborated in my earlier post. You are often dealing with an inexperienced dentist and there is no gatekeeper to monitor the process or adjudicate the claim. You may never know if the dentist has increased the price to offset the "discount".

There is no free lunch.

If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.

As with the RX Discount cards, are they anything more than a piece of paper. Some of the discount cards I've looked at, the drug cost the same or more with the "discount".

 

[somarco]

If you Google "dental implants" you can get an idea of cost in your area. The folks paying to advertise above the fold are showing what are probably rock bottom pricing.

In my area the first one does not give a price in the snippet, the next two do. One is $4500 the other promoting the $200/month pay-off-your-tooth plan.

This link goes into considerable detail about the process.
Dental Implants Procedure, Types, Problems, and Costs

The snippet says
A conservative cost estimate for a single dental implant is $3,000-$4,500. This cost includes the surgery for placement of an implant, all the components, and the implant crown. Dental insurance typically does not pay for dental implant placement. Some dental insurances may help pay for the implant crown portion.

That same or similar search will also provide more detail on the procedure and what to expect.

It isn't as simple as yanking out the tooth and screwing in a new one.