Cost of a Dentist Visit??

Updated on May 02, 2011
D.W. asks from Plano, TX
12 answers

Hi Mamas! I recently took our 4 year-old to the dentist for a "regular" check-up and I about fell out when I got the bill! It was over $150! All she did was clean his teeth, floss, and then the actual dentist spent about 4 minutes inspecting his teeth--no x-rays, nothing weird, just a regular cleaning. They really put the pressure on for me to have him do x-rays, but I just didn't see the benefit of it at this young age (is that an incorrect assumption?) I guess I just don't know what to expect from a pediatric dentist. We don't have any major dentistry issues in our family, so I guess I'm a little ignorant of the cost of dentist work. I have dental insurance for my husband and myself, but we opted not to get it for the kids (also have an 18 month old) b/c we didn't think it would be worth the cost (how wrong we were, apparently!). Anyway, I guess I'm just curious as to what the average cost for a dentist visit is, how often "really" should I take a 4 year old (every 6 months or once a year?), and if anybody out there has a great dentist for kids they can recommend--one with a personality and some bed-side manners :) Thanks so much, fellow moms!
D.

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C.J.

answers from Dallas on

Sounds a little high. My sons' pediatric dentist in Keller charges $89 for a non-insurance visit. It is typical $95 ish, but if you pay up front at the time of visit, they give a small discount. Dr. MacAnthony if you want to try her out.
Quite a drive from Plano, but maybe you could call your dentist and find out if there are any ways to minimize the bill, like paying up front, getting on an in-house plan (some places you can pay $10 a month and it covers regular cleanings or with doctors, check ups. Kind of like thier own insurance plan).

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M.M.

answers from Dallas on

Check around. Every dentist can charge a different amount. I inquired to my insurance about someone out of netwk (old dentist) and was told he priced things real well. He actually charged less than my insurance covered. Regarding X-rays, my 4.5 yo went in and they didn't take xrays since her mouth is too small. I went to someone ultimately in network. what i've seen before is those dentist that push something are dentists you leave for another. you should not feel pushed for whitening or whatever they want to sell you.

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S.G.

answers from Jacksonville on

$150 sounds about right for everything that was done. Xrays at his age are normal and good because they can see the adult teeth forming in the gum line. My son has been seeing a dentist since he was 3yrs old and just had his first set of Xrays this last visit (4 1/2). He grinds the back side of his upper front teeth so we do have to watch that area for cracks or cavities so they can get pulled. You might want to consider putting your son on the dental insurance. Most dental covers 2 cleanings a year, 1 set of xrays a year and normally 80/20 coverage for fillings and the what not where you pay the 20% and possibly even a deductible. Mouth accidents can happen too so imagine if you had to take him in on an emergency visit how much that would cost out of pocket!!

Good luck
Shaire

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K.W.

answers from Dallas on

We use Dr. Tim Brister at Texas Pediatric Dentistry and love everyone! He's available to spend however long you feel necessary. I prefer knowing all the adult dentition is developing normally, so I like the xray option. I take all 3 of mine every 6 months. They beg to go. I've never had a bill, bc we do have insurance for them.

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

Sounds high to me, without the xrays. I just took my 6yr old because she fell and knocked a tooth loose. We got a new dental insurance in April and the dentist hadnt verified it yet. So we had to pay and they will reimburse us. The cost was $65 and this included xrays. You might wann call and see if maybe they accidently charged you for doing xrays.

My oldest is 16 and weve beed using Dental Care for kids in Flower Mound for years. They are great.

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J.M.

answers from Dallas on

Preece and Church has an office up in Keller. We go to the Fort Worth office on Hulen. Dr. Church is super sweet and everything is set up for kids--flavored gloves, cartoons, video games, etc. But, our office costs are the same, except we have insurance (which is really cheap monthly) and routine office visits are free, even xrays. I think they started xrays when my oldest was 4 or 4 1/2 (he didn't want to at 4, so they did it at 4 1/2). They keep really detailed records and have been watching a spot on a molar and last visit did a quick drill-and-fill just on a small cavity spot. It was a great experience for him, overall. We go every 6 months and I consider it just part of routine "maintenance" :) on the kiddos.

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L.P.

answers from Dallas on

Dr Robert Morgan at Campbell and 75 (he's a few blocks to the west of 75), he is great. We have been taking our older son there since he was 1, he always goes back alone and although he has had some dental work done he is never afraid and loves his dentist.

As for no insurance, when you can add them then do it! My older son is missing some adult teeth, we would have never known that without xrays. Also, even 4 yr olds can get cavities and you won't know until they get bad if you don't get xrays. And, like someone else said, if your child falls and hits their teeth then you will want insurance. And I agree with taking them every 6 months. My older son has weak enamel on his teeth, we can go every 6 months and still have issues with his teeth when they were perfect 6 months earlier.

S.M.

answers from Dallas on

it sounds about right. my Dr is in Roanoke and we love him, Dr Lantzy, I have three boys and they are al different. but yes the x-rays are very important. Get the insurance, my now 5 yo had some tiny cavities that we watched for the last year, his teeth are weak so they developed between the teeth and we were able to watch and catch them at the right time. we did hold off hopping he would be better able to handle sitting still for them to be filled but they just kept getting bigger and we couldn't put them off any longer so he had to be sedated for 7 fillings some tiny some big, but we did them all while we were there, without the x-rays we may have missed them and it could have been really bad for his teeth long term. get the insurance! one small fall could easily knock out teeth, and having a bridge made for a young child is very expensive! trust me, my friend had to do this for her young (4 yo) daughter who knocked out both front teeth in a simple trip and fall accident. and don't trust genetics either my Hubby and I have VERY healthy teeth, but my baby (the milk monster as we like to call him) has very weak teeth!

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

Sounds normal to me for the cost. We did the pediatric dentist route up until January and our daughter (16) started going to our regular dentist. Even her regular dental check was $145. I spent anywhere from $150 up on pediatric dentist.

YES, go every 6 months. We have no dental issues in our family, thank goodness, but we do all go every 6 months for preventative care.

I strongly suggest the sealants when it comes time for that. It is about $50 per tooth but the cost outweighs the potential costs for not doing it. Our daughter has no cavities at all and we attribute that to good genes and preventative care.

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K.P.

answers from Dallas on

It sounds a little high to me. We do have dental insurance, which covers 2 cleanings a year. However, I inquired at my dentist if I wanted to pay for a 3rd cleaning a year how much would it be and they told me $65.00/$70 (no xrays).

We love Dr. Chad ###-###-####. Try giving them a call, they are closed on Mondays. They have a really friendly staff and are great with my girls, ages 5,7,9.

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C.T.

answers from Dallas on

Sounds about right to me. You should get dental insurance for your daughter, too, and your son once he's old enough to go. They do need an x-ray to show how the teeth are developing so they have a benchmark, but if your daughter refuses, I would let it go for now. My son started going to the dentist at 4 and they didn't get x-rays until he had just turned 6. All people should visit the dentist every 6 months. It's better to catch a problem early when it is more easily fixed than wait a year and have to have extensive(and expensive) dental procedures done. I love my dentist, but too far for you to drive. Also, look for a friendly and helpful staff because you never know when you may need a last minute appointment on a Friday afternoon.

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A.S.

answers from Dallas on

My pediatrician recommended a pediatric dentist when my daughter turned 3 and I went with it because I personally have genetically bad teeth. The cost actually sounds about right to me if your visit wasn't covered under insurance because at the time she wasn't covered on our insurance. All she had was a dental cleaning and inspection afterwards and it cost a little over $100. Now that she is about to be five we have both covered so dental cleanings are covered. Still go every 6 months as recommended because I strongly believe in preventative care. I still have problems regardless but my dad has bad teeth so I got it from him. I hope my kids got their father's dental genes.

We go to Dr Grace E Smart at Children's Dental Care of Garland for our kids but that may be a little out of the way from Plano.

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