Question:
Today I was at my local dentist for a tooth ache. He told me I needed a
root canal and a cap on one of my lower left molars at the cost of $900.
Now, I agree that I need something done to the molar. What I'd like to
know form The Group Mind is are there any alternatives to the root canal
treatment and if not is $900 a fair price for the whole shebang?
I'm an underpaid medic and teeth aren't my cup of tea.
Answer:
have the tooth out, $50.
Otherwise, it seems fair.
*****************************Alternative therapy: extraction. Immediate cost
would be lower, but consider that the teeth surrounding the space afterwards
would shift, and potential decay in those teeth due to the changes could also
be costly, not to mention the change in your bite relationship. There are
also periodontal implications when teeth shift, meaning a loss of support for
those surrounding teeth and a potential for further tooth loss.- - - - When a
tooth is lost, the space should ideally be replaced to avoid the potential
problems. Then you'll spend possibly more than the original cost you were
concerned about.
- - - - To replace the space afterwards, a lower partial denture could cost
around $600 (keep in mind that all costs vary widely depending on your area
and your dentist's lab costs, so these are just estimates).
- - - - - Other replacement options: a fixed bridge, (your dentist would have
to determine which type would suit your particular mouth and the stresses you
put on it) at the cost of $1400 to $1800 (for one with full crown
abutments); or an implant, which in this area would cost about $1000 to
$2000.
*******************************IMHO, I'd take the package your dentist
offered. There is nothing like your own tooth, nothing we can give you
(again, IMHO) is quite as good as your own. And yes, even with a crown on it,
it would be considered your own tooth after all the work was done.
That statement was really well said!
I'd take that advice Mathew and do the best you can to follow it.
In our area, root canal treatment for a molar is approx: $5-700.00. A crown
for the same tooth is about $700.00. Total is approximately $1400.00.
BUT.... you have managed to maintain your own tooth!
I don't know where you live, but in Los Angeles, my root canal and
crown just cost me $1360, and after it was done, I started having TMJ
problems because the bite didn't fit.
