Toothache

OK, so here’s my rant about dental insurance: Is there even a point?

I had a root canal last October, when I had no dental insurance whatsoever. I figured, five months of tooth pain and not being able to eat on one side of my mouth was enough–I had to get it done. My endodontist kindly gave me a 5% discount for not having insurance. That amounted to $50 off an $850 bill. (Discover Card, I know you were worried because I’d almost paid you off.)

Well, knowing I’d probably be facing another procedure–not least because this one didn’t solve the tooth pain–I enrolled in an insurance plan with a company that shall remain nameless but does use a word from the Greek alphabet. Now, I know that even the best insurance doesn’t cover everything. But I thought it might cover SOMETHING. When I went to schedule a second root canal, I discovered that of the $1100 the endodontist would charge (it was a molar, hence more expensive), the insurance company would end up paying a total of … $150.

All right. Well. I guess $150 is SOMETHING. [insert eyeroll here] And I guess that when they say they cover 100% of certain procedures, they really just mean 100% of what they deem is an appropriate price for said procedure. So what I want to know is, on what planet is a root canal only $300? Because that’s the planet I want to live on.

I’m not asking for an argument about universal health care vs. the crap system we have now, but seriously? Something’s gotta give. Because I can name friend after friend who is dealing with tooth pain–fragile teeth without the crowns they need, inability to eat or drink anything hot or cold, inability to BITE–because they can’t afford the dentist. Because rent or groceries or kids come first. Nearly everyone knows how overwhelming tooth pain can be on a minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day basis. Imagine dealing with that for MONTHS. And dental health is more than a cosmetic or digestive issue; it can indicate so much about your overall health. (This is a good place to pimp the dental story we’ve got coming up.)

That’s all, the end.