The night before last, as we were getting ready for bed, the HH had sort of a strange look on his face. I asked him what was wrong {several times before we fell asleep actually} and every time he said he was just tired… and wanted to go to sleep. Hmmm.
Fast forward to the next morning and I knew something was up because he looked horrible. Like hadn’t slept in days horrible and he was shifting his weight as he sat up in bed sort of slow too. And well, when finally he fessed up, he said his upper wisdom tooth was bothering him.
Mavis: When did it start hurting?
HH: I’ve had a sort of dull ache for a couple of weeks, but last night as I was brushing my teeth there was a shooting pain, the kind that wraps around your eyes and your sinuses.
Mavis: Okay… so we need to find a dentist. Do you think this is something you need to get taken care of today?
HH: YES!
And with that… I started looking up dentists in our area while he tried to lay there in bed and not move. I found several that were highly rated and wrote down the numbers and told the HH he need to call himself so he’d be able to describe what was going on to the receptionists. I also told him to sound pathetic and let them know it was an emergency. 😉
{Side note: My husband has a history of only going to a doctor or a dentist if it’s an absolute emergency situation. Like, nearly chopping his leg off with a chain saw, getting a metal shard in his eye, or getting part of his ear chopped off because of skin cancer.
- The first place he called said the office was closed for the week but they recommended he call an oral surgeon.
- The second place he called could fit him in later that day for an exam but couldn’t guarantee they could help him with the wisdom tooth.
- The third place couldn’t fit him in until April.
- The FOURTH place said… COME ON IN. We offer emergency dental care.
When he told me the fourth place offered emergency dental care all I heard was MONEY MONEY MONEY. But I don’t think I said that out loud. Because seriously, what are you supposed to do in a situation like this? Wait it out? Ummm no. If my husband {who never complains} says he’s in pain, HE IS IN PAIN and we’re just going to have to deal with it.
************
He was in so much pain, I drove him to the dentist {which is saying a lot because I think I have only driven like 4 times since we’ve moved to Maine}. On the way there I told him that when it came time to pay, to let me do the talking because a lot of times you can get a cash discount {usually 5%} if you pay cash or check {rather than use a credit card} and also, because we don’t have dental insurance so who knows, maybe there is a different rate because they know you’re paying up front for the service rather than having to file claims and do the whole insurance billing game. Bottom line, it never hurts to ask. {And left up to him, he totally wouldn’t ask.}
Blah blah blah… We get there, he goes back to see the dentist and comes out about 20 {?} 30 {?} minutes later and it’s all done. My husband actually walked into the lobby with a grin on his face {and they didn’t even drug him, they just numbed the area}. A smiling fool he was, it was almost funny.
I give him a look and then we brace ourselves as we go up to the counter to pay not knowing how much the charge was going to be.
Guess. Just guess how much would you expect to pay for an emergency appointment to a dentist you’ve never seen before and have 2 bite wing x-rays and a wisdom tooth {that was not impacted} extracted?
Say it. Say a number out loud.
{We were both thinking somewhere in the $600- $800 range}.
The rug I was working on while the HH was back with the dentist.
The total charge for the procedure? $264. We couldn’t believe it. We didn’t say anything while we were in the office, we just paid and set up appointments for some dental cleanings {because hey, we found a new dentist!} but as soon as we got in the car we were like OH MY WORD!!! OH MY WORD… I can’t believe it was only $264.
I don’t know about you, but I think we got a pretty good deal.
The HH is feeling much better now, and we have a new dentist and it looks like soup and ice cream are on the menu for Valentine’s Day. Yee-Haw!
Life. It’s just full of surprises. 🙂
Wishing you the best of weekends,
~Mavis
Suzy young says
Hope he feels better today! You got a great deal! Stay warm and enjoy the soup and ice cream ❤️
Sharon says
Wow! I live outside Philly, and for emergency service without dental insurance, you could easily expect to pay 5 to 10 times that much – you got an AWESOME deal!!
Carolina Cooper says
Outside of Philly—5 to 10 times what Mavis paid? Sounds like my former town on the Main Line!!!
Peg says
My husband recently had an upper molar pulled. We lost dental insurance when he retired in August. I was so hoping it wouldn’t be more than $400. It cost $160! Money has been tight, and I was so relieved, I almost cried.
Lisa says
I’m in my early 50’s and had never gotten my wisdom teeth removed because they really had never been a problem. I also only had 3 of them. I had a couple of bad experiences with a dentist when I was trying to find one for my little guy. Since I do actually have pretty good teeth, I just hadn’t gone back. Well, my upper left wisdom tooth had started to bother me. It was hard to get to to brush, so I made sure to floss really good. Well, it got worse, so I decided to bite the bullet and make an appointment. The dentist we had finally settled on for my son seemed to be pretty decent, so I just made an appointment there. Keep in mind, it had been 6 or 7 years probably since I had last been to the dentist. Turns out, I had a pretty massive cavity in that wisdom tooth and, like your husband, they just numbed me up and yanked it out. Super easy. It felt soooooo much better. I wish I had done it sooner. And, it was the only cavity I had. I was really worried that I had finally inherited my parents’ horrible teeth. Thankfully, I had not.
Karen says
So glad your husband is doing well and that the bill was “reasonable.” I go to a dentist in Germany and the cost is zero since we have socialized medicine. So fantastic to just walk out of the doctor or dentist office without going to the counter to talk about what it costs! We get no paperwork or bills, a no-stress situation and affordable health insurance. Wish the U.S. would re-think their system.
Peg says
Amen!
Carol says
From your mouth to the rest of my fellow Americans’ ears!
Tamara says
So, who pays for it if everything is “free”?
Carol says
The taxes most of us already pay and hopefully the taxes the uber rich once they have to pay their fair share.
Renay says
The people I know in England and Canada say their health care is terrible, so they pay extra to go elsewhere with better doctors and quicker appointments. We all pay a lot already, and so do the uber rich. Why do people think that people who make more should pay more for health care? We are all the same, so the price should be the same. Unless you engage in risky behavior, then you should pay more. IMO.
Anna says
Thats unfortunate to hear ‘the people you know’ health care experience in Canada and England Renay. I’ve heard the opposite. My aunt has been battling an aggressive cancer in the Netherlands for 5 years. They have socialized medicine as well. She’s been in and out of the hospital and has RNs (not nurses aids!) and even doctors home visits so that she can be cared for in her own home as much as possible. Her family here in the states are so grateful for her wonderful care. All care has been ‘free’ as in no bills, deductibles or copayments. Health care is paid for by everyone through taxation. My mom has gone back to the Netherlands over the years to have dental work done, at no cost to her, when visiting family. Its awesome work. I’ve seen it, as I am a dental hygienist here in WA state. No stress or panic over “How am I going to afford this?” under already stressful circumstances. Too bad there has been so much fear mongering here in the states. We’re already paying taxes, lets let some of that come back to help the people. Just my two cents for what its worth 🙂
SandyF says
AMEN! I 100% agree. I have family in Canada and the love their medical coverage.
But on to dental stores.
I am retired-and I have dental insurance.
We still had to pay over $500 for a root canal and crown. UGH! I pay over $700 a month for medical coverage fo ray husband & I. I am retired from the federal govt. I pay $$$.
It looks like it is certainly worth moving to Maine ! I mean-LL Bean, kissing balls, bakeries, Mavis and the general stores!!!
Margaret Hudgins says
I have wanted to move to coastal Maine since forever, but I am a 75 year old widow with a $36,000 a year income, so no hope what-so-ever. The “dental story” is the cherry on the Sunday. Maine sounds perfect; that being said, my research says NOT! So, I will continue to love and enjoy coastal Maine vicariously through Mavis and her Maine readers.
mary says
WOW! That is great and the fact that he finished and had no more pain in 30 minutes? That’s great! i’d say you have a new dentist! I live in St. Louis and I have dental insurance but I just had a filling last year – just a simple filling it took about 30 minutes to do and after my insurance it cost me $60 (the insurance paid about $150) so that’s $210 for a simple (i mean simple) filling!! AWESOME!
Lynda McCrimmon says
$193. On Oct. 31/19 my dentist pulled a wisdom tooth that was causing me mild annoyance but I knew to get it looked at before the pain escalated into an emergency. He took two x-rays. My thinking is that HH may have saved himself $50 if he’d have gone to the dentist when he first felt that something was not right. We live in PEI, Canada so maybe that accounts for the price difference.
Diane says
Holy cow! I’d almost fly to Maine to get dental care for that price.
Laura says
Screaming deal! Just had the kids’ wisdom teeth all removed (figuring we would be in the situation your husband was in eventually, so just get them out and be done with it). It was about $3000 to remove all four. Probably more work since they had not erupted, but hey, still expensive!
Congrats and hope he feels better soon!
MEM says
I work in dental education and that is a deal. Please remind HH – No. Straws. At. All. To the extent that it is possible, he should spoon everything into his mouth with a small spoon.
Katy says
That totally sucks, but glad he feels better. Actually – extractions aren’t all that expensive. It is when you get work done on teeth that the price is insane.
PS – find yourself some dental insurance, the price is usually worth it and you guys do not have a great history with this kind of stuff.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Lynda says
You got a fantastic deal!!! At my son’s yearly checkup the dentist noticed his baby teeth–7 of them–were hanging on by a thread and said, “Bring him back tomorrow and I’ll just pop them out.” Next day the dentist literally did pop them out. No novacaine, no scalpel, almost no blood, those little teeth fell into the assistant’s hand so fast she couldn’t keep up with throwing them away. Start to finish, he was done in 10 minutes. The bill? Over $800. We talked it down to $500 and never went back.
Jennifer says
No, you robbed that dentist!! Around here, they wouldn’t pull it for love nor money – a root canal or crown or some such nonsense would have been recommended, at a cost of 2K!! Your dd is very lucky. Put that dentist on speed dial!!
Alice says
I agree with you if it had been any tooth other than a wisdom tooth.
Most people just have wisdom teeth pulled anyway. What I’ve been told is that our mouths
are small than they were hundreds of years ago and many people don’t really have room for
those teeth anymore.
The reason why some people only have3, 2, or 1 wisdom teeth.
Alli Aplet says
My husband had to have an upper wisdom tooth extracted yesterday (not an emergency though) as well! We are on the soft food diet for Valentines day too! Enjoy your time with your sweetheart!
KC says
Yeah, I’d be expecting a “0” after that $264! That is quite a deal (although, yes, maybe because it was on the surface and general anesthesia wasn’t needed, it was cheaper… but still!).
Mel says
I drive 4 hours round trip to see my dentist. Not only was he was the first dentist to actually notice that I’m not prone to cavities and treat accordingly, but the pricing was extremely reasonable–even during the couple of years I had no dental insurance.
My husband and I usually make a day of it and do something fun after–much like going to the toy store after the dentist when I was a kid.
Suzan says
We drive a two hour round trip to visit the dentist. I hate going and this man is calming etc. Also most of the time he charges me my rebate only. But sometimes the bill is huge. In Australia is common for those who have insurance to be charged more. Most unfair as I struggle to pay my insurance. As a pensioner I could really use that extra money.
Teri says
Good that it wasn’t impacted (that probably would have cost lots more).
Hope he’s feeling better and you both enjoy lots of ice cream. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Barbara Chace says
My husband and I moved to Maine about the same time you moved. We also came from Washington (Kirkland).
We had a dental emergency also. But ours was our dog. I was worried that it was going to cost a fortune. In Kirkland they wanted about $1500 for just cleaning and extractions. So, here we are having to find a new vet and we lucked out. They had to do extensive work on the poor little guy and we were expecting a bill of around $2000. We ended paying less than half that amount. There have been other things that have cost a lot less here in Maine. We love it here and are so happy we made the move!
Jenny Smith says
My daughter just had 3 pulled and we have excellent insurance. We still have to pay $2000 out of pocket here in Iowa.
Trish says
Wow! That’s crazy! Last year we had to have wisdom toooth surgery for two kids and it was about $700 for 4 teeth for EACH kid (with Delta Dental insurance in Colorado). I would have choked if it was going to be $2k+ per child!
Rebecca Briscoe says
WOW! I pay $178 for x-rays and cleaning! You got a deal!!
JulieP says
Although we have national health dentists we still have to pay a proportion of the cost and I would say we might have to pay as much as an extra £100 for what the HH had done here in the U.K. so yes I would say you got a good deal. My DH had to have some private dental work done on his gums and teeth and his dentist charges £625 an hour about three or four years ago, puts it in perspective! I think we are very lucky with our NHS dentists and if you find a good one don’t move away!
Sue says
You did get a good deal!
Dianne says
I have been working for Dentists for 22 years and that was a good price. One over the counter dental insurance offers up to two check ups and cleanings a year no charge and will pay a percentage of any needed filings. If major work is needed such as root canal treatment, crowns or partials, etc. then you have to wait a year for a portion to be paid by the insurance.
Leslie says
That must have been a real relief. My son just had 3 wisdom teeth removed. I think 2 were impacted, but it still only took 30 minutes or so! Obviously they did use more sedative. It cost about $3000 in St. Louis. sigh.
Betsy in MN says
I live in rural Minnesota and we go to a great dental clinic. When my dentist retired (he was my dentist for over 30 years!), I was a little nervous about his replacement. Turns out he is excellent too. My husband has terrible teeth and has the dentist on speed dial! My hubby has had to call the dentist twice in emergency situation and both times the dentist met hubby at the office after hours, like 9:30 at night. We are never changing dentists!
Mavis Butterfield says
I wouldn’t either! 🙂
Jessica says
Pulling is cheap. Root canal and crown that I just had to do….$1500. And I DO have insurance.