Ever get the feeling that dentists "recommend" the most expensive form of preserving your teeth with no consideration for the patient's ability to pay?

Last dentist I went to pulled a molar, replaced two fillings, and crowned a cracked tooth. That was about 2-1/2 years ago. He also said I needed two other teeth crowned because "they could break at any moment."

I was highly dissatisfied with his work. The tooth he crowned took 2 years to stop hurting from his cement job. He said it would last 2 weeks while the pH adjusted and that's why it was sensitive. His lab tech kept making unusable bleaching trays. The last one actually had a hole in it. He threw away the mold and then yelled at me because he had to make a new one. He sold me bleaching gel that was 18 months past expiration. He left a sharp edge on one of the fillings and I asked him to buff it down. He was mad and said there was nothing wrong with it, then proceeded to file it down so much that now I have a sensitive spot there.

When I called with the concerns I was having, he wouldn't return my calls. When the assistants called to do a routine check of how things were going, I told them my concerns and they said they would tell him and he would call back. He never called back.

A year ago I was eating a bagel and heard a crack. My baby tooth that never came out finally decided it had lived past it's prime. Two weeks later it fell out. Now I have a gap in my lower teeth right in front. Knowing it would cost around $3000 to fill the gap, I've just lived with it. I absolutely hate it. The crown in front of the molar that was pulled, cracked when I was eating popcorn.

I went to a different dentist because he had sent out a $39 inital consultation and x-rays flyer. He wrote up a treathment plan and wants to do a 2-tooth cantilever bridge to replace the missing molar/cracked crown. He needs to do a 3-tooth bridge with a pontic for the missing front tooth. He wants to crown one of the teeth the former dentist said could break any time. The other tooth that was suggested to be crowned is actually still structurally sound. So, 6 crowns at a cost of $917 each. He wants to seal 7 teeth, because they don't have cavities yet, at a cost of $41 each. He wants to do a frenulectomy because it's completely pulled the gum tissue away from one tooth, that's $466. Add in anesthesia, it comes to $6335.

I said that kind of expense isn't feasible and asked about a partial to replace the 3 lower teeth. "Oh, you don't want a partial. You have to take them out and clean them, and food gets under them." Yeah, OK, fine, but we're talking like 1/6 the cost too. I asked about the Valplast type of partial that uses a flexible nylon base that doesn't have metal hooks. "I don't know what you're talking about." A few minutes later, I saw the video presentation about "no-show partials" on his closed-circuit TVs that are in the waiting room and all exam/treatment areas. The exact thing I had just mentioned.

What is it with dentists who suggest outlandishly priced, possibly unnecessary repairs without any consideration for what the patient can possibly afford?

Guess it's off to a third dentist for a second opinion. I have an article clipped out for one in Appleton who donates a lot his time and services to uninsured, low income people. I don't expect a handout, but maybe he can suggest a lower cost alternative.

To make matters worse (or maybe better), I just found out one of my credit cards has had a credit line increase up to $9500. I now have $5500 available credit. I don't need this temptation. I need the teeth replaced to keep the remaining ones from shifting and becoming crooked and costing more to repair down the road. But I don't need the added monthly expense either.

What to do, what to do?