This may be a topic more for the financial/insurance section, but I was wondering if some of you could pass along some advice on dental issues...

I'm about three months post-radiation and had a good teeth cleaning last week (which felt good in some respects but kind of beat me up in others)...

I was pretty "negative-active" with dental care in my 20's, and I went from being a no-cavity guy growing up to having lots of them now that I'm in my 30s, even before radiation/cancer diagnosis.

My dentist told me today that I have at least some type of cavity in all of my teeth except for four! Yikes! Some are bad and obviously need repairs/fillings/inlays. Others he shows me on the x-ray and frankly I don't know enough to know what it is I'm looking at. "As you can see, there is one here and here and here..." Uh, OK. I can't really see it, but you're the dentist...

Well, to make a long story short, he presents me today with his "plan" for fixing me all up. It requires seven visits (my worst nightmare!) and when finished will cost me something like $5,700 for all the inlays and fillings and what not. He's call it a "conservative" approach. The problem areas will be filled with porcelin, the others with a composite filling material.

It's not like I'm already in over my head enough paying for all the cancer treatments (even with good insurance I owe more than $3000 to doctors and hospitals right now, plus I lost an income source for the months I was in treatment)...

My current dental insurance has an 80-20 deal but will only cover up to $1,000 per year. I can't even come close to affording to $4,700 additional or whatever (considering I also had to buy a new car during my radiation treatment time because my IMRT treatments were done 90 miles away).

At the same point, since I've got some dry mouth issues, can I afford NOT to have this work done soon? Is he taking advantage of me by wanting to deal with every little imperfection with me teeth or helping me since I'm a cancer survivor now in greater danger of having tooth decay/serious dental issues.

I respect this dental office a lot -- they were the ones that first told me to "get that checked out" when I came in with a sore on my tongue. But, sheesh, who's got $5,700 lying around?

I'm baffled -- and frustrated I can't make a decent enough living to provide for my family and pay the bills... (and ticked at myself for my lack of dental care the past 5-10 years... arggg...)

Any thoughts from folks who have been down this road before? The good news is that I at least still have all of my teeth, though my mind at the moment is another story...

Hi, I have had many dental bills since diagnosis, surgery and radiation, it is an ongoing thing, but I am trying to save my teeth. I have charged some of it (2 root canals) with a Visa card and have a monthly payment plan for the rest, maybe try that. At least you can get your dental work done. God Bless, Carol

Carol/Az
My Radiation Oncologist wrote a letter of medical need to my major medical insurance company. My dental bills, not unlike yours were in the thousands. It has been over a month since my dentist filed her claim in my Major med and they have yet to pay, but, I feel thay will eventually will have to pay, at least a large percentage of the total cost
Darrell

I would get another opinion and evaluation from a general dentist. Composite fillings last forever and a day, and are not that expensive. Unless you are doing anterior full crowns there is no reason these days to use porcelain. I think that this guy may be taking you for a financial and diagnostic ride. Get another opinion from someone else just for peace of mind. Don't mention the first guy to the new guy. Ask for a treatment plan in writing, and when it's all done ask for your x-rays. Don

Thanks, Brian, I'll definitely jump on that...

Are you saying go to another dentist and get another set of x-rays or just send you the first set that were done before? I guess I'm concerned about getting yet more radiation in my mouth...

I've already got the first guy's treatment plan in writing... I can throw that in as well... my teeth aren't pretty in places, that much I know...

Hi Az,
I also had my oncologist intervene for me with the dental work I needed done before radiation. He wrote a letter stating that it was a medical neccesity and my dentist had a phone conversation with an insurance rep and the deal was done. I had approx. $6800 worth of work done and it didn't cost me a penny.
Hope this helps,
Minnie