Cost of Pediatric Dentist?

Sadly I've been putting off taking my 3 year old in for his first dental visit because we don't have dental insurance but don't qualify for Healthy Families. But I know it's got to be done. Does anyone have recs for a not too expensive pediatric dentist in the greater Berkeley area? Or can you tell me how much one can expect to pay for a first visit/cleaning/x-rays and--yikes--ballpark on any cavity work that may need to be done? Many thanks.

Another thing--buyer beware. Pediatric dentists (and we've seen several) are by my experience, very eager to do procedures. One was wanting to do a root canal on my son's baby tooth (outrageous), and we just asked them to pull it out. They were reluctant, and we did it anyway. All has been fine in the years since (even though we did not opt for the $700 ''spacer'' to be inserted.)

Even though we are a low-sugar family, and we have brushed and flossed fastidiously all of our children's teeth their whole lives, they have had to get dental work.

For my youngest, they told us that we would have to undergo general anaesthesia to repair his stained and chipped teeth--and that was the final straw--we had done it before with my oldest, and it was very stressful plus over $1000. Dr. Yu took a very careful look, and decided we would wait and see--there has been no pain, and if there is not, Dr. Yu wants to avoid all of that--just keep a careful eye. Totally reasonable.

The pediatric dentists were sweet, but they put a lot of fear into us, took thousands of dollars from us over the years, and now I could not be happier with the inexpensive care we are getting!

Fixed cost for fillings?

Does anyone know if there are set prices for dental work? ie: A filling on x tooth costs this much, etc. I just had two teency fillings done...Each took no more then 15 minutes each start to finish. The cost for each was $153.00. I''ve had huge dental bills lately due to periodontal disease. I know work for larger stuff is really pricey, but I'm wondering if I'm being taken advantage of or if my dds is just really high priced and I need to move on to someone more affordable. wish I flossed as a kid.

Don't have insurance - how much does it cost?

I do not have dental insurance, and I am wondering how much it costs to get x-rays and cleaning. I will probably need a new cavaty or two (or threem :-( ). I got a recommendation for a dentist, but he charges $250 (or more) for the first appointment which mainly is x-rays and cleaning. Is that normal, or can a find a good dentist a a lower rate?

Also, I am wondering if people without insurance and people with insurance pay the same rates. Not hat I would have expected that the medical system charges different amounts of money for the same work, but my Alta Bates/ Summit bill for the birth was hinting a that. $8,000 for less than 24 hours total in the hospital for a birth w/o any interventions or epidural, midwife billed separately, seemed crazy, but than I saw that my insurance (AETNA) had actally paid only a fraction of this (25% or even less). That seemed to be normal for them, they didn't expect me to cover the difference. Is this $8,000 a purely hypothetical number, or would I have had to pay the full amount if the billing wasn't done via an insurance? I cannot make any sense of this all... And I wonder if that billing strategy is practiced by dentist, too.

Any exponations, experiences, and recommendations are most welcome. Thanks, Julia

How much do you pay for a cleaning?

I am not happy with our dental insurance and am thinking about paying out of pocket for our dental needs. How much does your dentist charge you?

I was concerned about the relatively deep pockets behind my back molars, so I just went back for a follow up 4-6 weeks after cleaning. The pockets are stable as they have been for several years. ...and each time I go in, it seems I learn something incremental about how best to clean my teeth.

Bottom line: with moderate care, I've been able to maintain my problem areas with three annual cleanings instead of four.

2) We got a SoniCare ultrasonic brush set for Christmas last year, and there was a noticeable improvement for all areas besides the deep pockets. The periodontist recommended SoniCare, my regular office recommended Braun. ...ask your provider. "Your mileage may vary" :-)

My regular office is Dr. Kami's on University Avenue, which many UC folks recommended to me years ago. I called to ask your questions. 3) They charge $70 for a cleaning. I didn't call my perio specialist... 4) The average is two cleanings a year, with 5-15% of their patients requiring three or four cleanings per year. Ultimately your oral care depends on how often and how well you brush, floss, and care for special areas. For me that's a perio-pick -- a toothpick handle. Bob

Dr. Matsuishi charges $90 for a new appointment. His office makes a first-time, no charge appointment to bring in your child just to get adjusted to the surroundings, then you can make a new appointment. He is a member of Delta Dental. 524-4633

Dr. Bernstein in Berkeley 848-4167 charges $75 for the first exam. He sees adults, and kids ages 3 and over. Yes for Delta Dental.

My family doctor recommended Dr. Denise Bass-Allen, a pediatric dentist in Oakland (763-2022). Very friendly office staff, member of Delta Dental, and charges $40 for a new appointment. They welcome drop-in visits to see the office, etc. and send out new patient packets prior to the visit. Warning: 2 months before a new, non-emergency appointment! Cindy