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Saving Money on Dental Treatment

Everyone wants to save money on their dental treatment.   That is why folks sign up for low cost dental insurance and go to offices that advertise low prices.  This article tells you how you can really save money!

Susan's story:  Susan called me because she wanted to know how she could save money on her dental treatment.  She was disillusioned because she had a crown made less than a year ago that was causing her trouble.  Her question:   Should she go to another low cost dentist to have some new crowns made to try to solve the problem?

How Susan can determine the "true" cost of dental treatment:  The true cost of dental treatment is the average cost per year for dental treatment.  This means that you need to look at the cost relative to how long the treatment will last!  In this case, Susans crown didn't even last one year.  But let's say that a crown lasts 5 years - what is the crown's true cost?

Let's say that your dentist tells you that it will cost $550 to have a crown made.  What is the average yearly cost of treatment for that tooth?  You would divide $550 by the number of years the crown lasts (in this case 5 years).    $550 divided by 5 = $110 so the average cost per year for that one tooth was $110 per year!!   I know of dentists who expect to replace their crowns every 5 years!

If a high quality crown is made, and the patient takes reasonably good care of themselves, it should last 20 - 30 years or perhaps a life time!   Let's say that another dentist makes a high quality crown but has to charge $725 for the crown because of the extra costs to do it properly.  What is the average yearly cost of treatment for that tooth?  You would divide $725 by the number of years (let's be conservative and say 20 years).  $725 divided by 20 = $36 so the average cost for this tooth is only $36 per year!

Which crown was more expensive?

There is also another cost to be considered.  Richard came to me because his  crown came off.  The crown was so poorly made that decay had gotten under the crown and destroyed the tooth.  Now the tooth will have to be removed.  The cost to Richard is more than just money!

So what is the real key to saving money on dental treatment?   Go to a dentist who performs quality treatment and who you can trust.    I have found that the key is always honest open communication about treatment choices and cost.  In the long run, quality treatment is always the best value.

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Last modified: February 10, 2000
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