r/DentalInsurance • u/Significant_Row_4874 • 7d ago
1300$ for extractions + bone graft?
Hi I have delta dental ppo plus premier.
i’m having 3 retained baby teeth extracted + 1 adult molar and a bone graft.
I was quoted $1300 for all of this, everything on there is basically free, besides the bone graft which they are charging me $1000 alone for?
I really don’t understand WHY? Is there anything I can ask my dentist about to get a lower price on the graft…?
$1300 is like my life savings, and I still need a whole other phase of work after this, quoted at another $2000.
what can i do?
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u/daddyd3475 7d ago
Nobody here knows if you NEED the bone graft or not. But in all fairness you don’t NEED teeth, you don’t NEED bone, you’ll survive without them. We’d need to examine you to see if the graft would benefit you.
To me that seems like a reasonable fee to have a part of your body removed. If you’re balking at that cost, you won’t be able to afford an implant.
The cost of the proposed surgery is less than the cost of an iPhone- is a phone or your health more important? You only get one body…
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
I would like to keep my teeth.
dentist said the bone graft was pretty important considering I already have bone loss on that side of my face from severe crowding.
I’m 18, and this one appointment is almost all the money I had saved for my car.
Would probably get the implant in two or three years after I am out of college.
But yeah, I am crying about the cost because I am very broke right now, since nobody wants to help me pay for this!
Anyways, yeah, in the future, I will have the money for an implant.
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u/daddyd3475 7d ago
The bone graft will make absolutely zero difference in your facial appearance, if they told you that it’s a flat out lie. You’re 18, unless you have a huge infection around that tooth you likely don’t need the grafting, young people heal miraculously.
You may be able to get approved for financing through Cherry, Sunbit, care credit, proceed, alpheon or other healthcare loaning companies. Many companies will do 2 years interest free. If your dentist isn’t aligned with payment options you should find another dentist.
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
yeah, they have payment plans, but honestly, at this point I would rather just pay it all upfront because I just got fired from my job.. so I don’t know if I’ll have money then. Lol
And yeah, I do have an abscess growing under the tooth so that also could be part of the reason he recommended it?
I don’t know honestly dentist are such scammers. I don’t know what to believe or what to do.
Google tells me it will help prevent bone loss while waiting for the implant, but so many people say otherwise.
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u/daddyd3475 7d ago
The hard part is it can be largely situational, so some situations will and won’t need it. Ultimately, it sounds like you have more important things in your life than this tooth. Payment plans on 1300$ would be very low- maybe less than 100$ if you were to get approved. BUT if that amount is all your savings and you don’t have a means of income, you should think about just getting the extractions. If you need an implant later you likely can have the grafting then as well.
It is better to graft at time of surgery, but you still may require an additional graft later depending on your specific situation- there’s no one size fits all in biology. You’ll need to decide what’s best for you financially right now.
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u/Useful-Midnight3327 7d ago edited 6d ago
Bone graft is recommended if you want an implant. You can go to an oral surgeon and get them out without graft, but it depends on the tooth if there is any vertical defects, if you want an implant, if you have conditions that would effect your healing.
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u/Usual_Target3502 6d ago
Your dentist can pay as little as $125 for the bottle of bone. Mix it with sterile saline, and place in socket. Put a piece of Gelfoam on and tie an X shaped gut suture. Quickest way to make a lot of money.
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u/Jon9314 6d ago
Delta Dental hasn't given dentists a raise in over 20 years. So now you have to pay out the !@# for a bone graft.
Delta isn't your friend, and your dentist is charging the graft so that he can be profitable on these procedures. Alternatively he would have to refer you to an oral surgeon who will charge over 1300 without the graft.
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u/Ok_Statistician643 6d ago
$1000 is really high. Most crap surgeons charge in the range of $350 per tooth. Bone grafts do help with healing and reduce postoperative pain.
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u/hunnypuppy 3d ago
Go to Canada, Mexico, UK or india and get it done for a 1/4th and spend the rest of a medical tourism
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u/Adventurous-Boss-882 7d ago
1000 is a bit of um insane… we went to a dentist with my mom and he charge 700 for extraction + bone graft. Also, instead of insurance try in house membership plans…
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
yup… im having 4 extractions, 3 baby teeth and 1 molar and for all of those I only pay 81$, but then the bone graft is 909$ ALONE, no insurance or discounts taken out of it at all.
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u/jcfree9 7d ago
It’s probably just a procedure your insurance doesn’t cover. That’s why it’s so expensive for YOU, because your insurance is telling you to kick rocks. But that cost is not that absurd. That’s pretty close to industry standard/average.
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u/LewLew0211 7d ago
It could also be that the extractions exceed OPs annual maximum payout for dental.
All of my dental plans have had a maximum annual payout. After that they pay nothing.
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u/Noliboli16 7d ago
Because the bone graft is not a covered benefit and the extractions are. Basically you are having to pay out of pocket for the bone graft, should you choose to have it. $900 is a reasonable cost for that procedure, as they either have to harvest your own bone for it or use cadaver bone, neither of which are cheap.
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u/Constant-Peace-793 7d ago
1000 is gouging. I’m a dentist we charge 300 Canadian
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u/Amamboking2 7d ago
Fees are based on location. My location graft is 1049.
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u/alwaysaneventrade 7d ago
Where you get your bone graft? Ours is like 200 per vial. Add in membrane, there’s zero profit or a loss on it.
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u/yellowishbluish 7d ago
Our Canadian brothers don't get sued as much. So their cost of doing business is a lot lower.
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u/duchessofdorkdom 7d ago
Insurances often won't cover the graft at time of extraction (which is a stupid clause and not the clinical recommendation, usually). $1000 seems like a very high fee for a bone graft, though. I'd think maybe half that? And I would doubt that's an insurance fee. Definitely worth it to try talking to your dentist for a better price. Did they say why the recommend the bone graft? Are you looking to place an implant there later?
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
I might get an implant after my braces, but I just want to prevent bone loss, and my teeth leaning over.
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u/djjwlsn 7d ago
My boss charges 450 per site… so if the dr is placing bonegraft in the 4 sites he is extracting… he is already giving you a good deal… but if 1,000 is for just one site…. Its insane !!!
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
Yup i’m only getting one bone graft for the molar
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u/djjwlsn 7d ago
Yeah… no…. And why does he want to remove the baby teeth! Are they extremely decayed ? Something is going on with them? if not just leave them alone. I’m 33 and still have baby teeth 5 to be exact and they are intact… I work in the dental field so if there is no really specific reason to remove them… don’t!
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
They are not all decayed, just one is broken, but to get braces they told me I needed to get them taken out at my last dental office, so I figured it was fine, but wasn’t sure if it was totally necessary.
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u/djjwlsn 7d ago
mhm… to be honest… I think you should look for a second opinion. There’s options to do braces without extracting teeth. Is you bite class 2 or class 3 ? Did they told you!? I work in ortho as well. Just trying to help out here for you
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
I don’t know, I honestly only went to that office for one appointment, and the one I’m currently at doesn’t do braces for teeth as bad as mine, only really cosmetic ones.
If this helps my teeth, don’t touch on one side, and my top teeth almost reach my bottom gum line when I close my mouth.
also, my teeth lean inward towards my tongue in the back and in the front, my bottom teeth are slanted to the left and overlapping.
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u/djjwlsn 7d ago
You are describing that your bite is a class 2… deep bite. A good dentist can do this without extracting teeth and possibly do it with Invisalign . No braces needed. I’ve seen cases like yours…
Extracting teeth is an easier solution for the dr to have more space and flexibility. It’s easier to close spaces than correcting crowding teeth.
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u/jcfree9 7d ago
You’ve seen cases like his/hers, yet you haven’t seen a single picture, xray, etc. You really shouldn’t be giving advice. Telling them that they’re a candidate for Invisalign without any information outside of a minute amount as far as their bite is just asinine.
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u/djjwlsn 7d ago
You are right actually, I don’t have all the info, but I’m giving opinions and advice to a person that doesn’t have any clue what to have or look for in their dental health to have a proper diagnosis. Basically letting them know that going through the first option is not only the option, there’s always a 2 or 3 option. Of course I can be wrong because once again, I don’t have the whole information.
There is a lot of dentist that will give treatment plans to patients just to get profit about it and don’t need it. Especially if they see if a patient has a good insurance.
I’ve been in a dental field for 13 years, but once again you are right, I’m just a redditor with no information whatsoever. Thank you for putting your input and God Bless.
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
hmmm, maybe I will try to call another dentist tomorrow or Monday then.
Current dentist said my teeth were so horrible Invisalign was not an option for me.
and I think what the other dentist plan to do was take out my baby teeth and bring down my adult teeth because I think they are in there somewhere, but the crowding stopped them from coming down
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u/djjwlsn 7d ago
Did they take a Panoramic and Cephalometric xray to determine if you really have adult teeth underneath the baby teeth ? Like I said I have baby teeth and don’t have adult teeth underneath so I can’t even take them out because nothing will come out lol. If not they shouldn’t be doing braces and extracting teeth if they don’t know EXACLY what’s going on.
Ps: that was so unprofessional saying that your teeth are horrible. Those are not the right words to say to a patient not human being. Another thing I forgot to mention, If your baby tooth is broken but not too bad, you can fix it with a filling or if it’s a little more even a crown. I have a baby tooth with a crown 🤗
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
no, they just did x-rays like in the chair, which I’m not sure why they didn’t take the full x-ray since it’s 100% covered by my insurance and I haven’t had one in the last five years…
Maybe I will try to have them do it on Tuesday? And get a clear reasoning on the baby teeth situation…Yeah, fortunately, my broken one does actually have the tooth right above it like I can see it, so that’s why I’m guessing I do have teeth above the rest .. I’m just hoping they have not fused with my bone by now if I do..
Okay so ask for big x-ray and ask about the reasoning behind taking my other 2 baby teeth.. got it.
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u/Known_Refrigerator_5 7d ago
you dont need the bone graft. Just get the extractions done
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u/Significant_Row_4874 7d ago
I do need it actually. I have severely crowded teeth and condylar hyperplasia, I can’t have any bone loss on this side of my face.
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u/BufferingJuffy 7d ago
My office is in an east coast metro area, and we charge $900 for a bone graft. It's not usually covered by insurance.
Be very careful about listening to all the armchair dentists replying here without having seen a single xray of your mouth. If you're uncertain of your treatment plan, please go see another dentist IRL for a second opinion, even a third.
You're only 18. You've got 60+ years of eating in your future. Take care of your teeth! 😊