Dentists

"Although costs vary across the country and by dental office, the cost of typical metal filling ranges from approximately $75 to $145 per filling, whereas a composite resin fillings range from $150 to $300for a single surface white composite filling."

Here are more opinions and answers from other users:

• About $50 a tooth or less.

• Hi. I am a dentist. An honest dentist, one of the few. As a rule of thumb: "Cheap" fillings are bad fillings, 100% guaranteed. If a dentist makes good and cheap fillings, he/she will be out of the dental business in a very short time. Very often, a bad filling is worse that no filling at all, so the "cheapness" of the filling is doubtful. "Expensive" fillings have a chance of being good fillings. A well cared-for good filling can last a lifetime, so the expensiveness of the filling is also doubtful. ... but dishonest dentists can also charge a lot for a bad filling. The trick is to find a honest dentist, and for this task you MUST educate yourself about basic dentistry. I strongly suggest you to read "Complete Guide to Dental Health", a consumer report book.

• I just had a resin filling done today, my first ever filling at the age of almost 31 and the cost was $90 without insurance. It was only a very small cavity. I am a person with a fear of dentists because I grew up with free dental and medical being an airforce brat and I was very nervous picking a dentist for the first time (so many exposes on corrupt dentists claiming work needs to be done when it doesn't). I hadn't been in 7 years and was amazed I didn't need more fillings. I contacted 1800 DENTIST.

• I had two fillings done in the last two weeks. I wanted only composite fillings, and it cost $170 per filling. I live in Northern Virginia where rent is relatively high. My insurance only paid 80% of the mercury filling, that is $86 (of $105). I guess $170.00 is right in the middle of the range of prices.

• Years ago I paid $250 per composite filling, which fell out within a year in San Diego. The dentist charged the same for the replacements, which also fell out. So I didn't see a dentist for years. Yesterday I got some composite fillings in Ensenada Mexico that were $45 per filling, with a warranty.

• Dr. Judd's research will hopefully lead us from the current medieval practice of treating teeth into a brighter future. Please read Dr. Judd's information... Dear Government Executive and Employee: We can all stop spending billions for American dental work and research. Let me tell you why: I have learned the real causes of dental cavities and gum infection. People, including you, will now be able to take care of their own dentistry with insignificant cost, and end with perfect teeth. Cavities and gum infections are ended! A great amount of REPUTABLE DENTAL RESEARCH proves the following: Tooth cavities will be ended simply by rinsing acids off the teeth. ACIDS ALONE EAT THE ENAMEL. There would be no cavities in the world if all people rinsed acids from their teeth promptly. Just sip water, milk or other liquid while eating. Water reacts with acids. Foods and drinks, other than those containing acids, have no action on tooth enamel. SUGARS HAVE NO ACTION ON THE ENAMEL. Bacteria cannot damage the enamel (calcium hydroxy phosphate). There is no such thing as decay of the enamel since bacteria require carbon and hydrogen to live. Billions of human and animal remains show teeth and bones are resistant to earth-bound organisms. Teeth reenamalize when clean. TO MAKE TEETH CLEAN ONE BRUSHES WITH ANY BAR SOAP. (There are good toothpastes at the health food stores. Check the ingredients before buying. Don't get anything with glycerine in it.) Soap washes off in just two rinses. What about toothpastes? Glycerine in all tooth pastes is so sticky that it takes 27 washes to get it off. Teeth brushed with any toothpaste are coated with a film and CANNOT PROPERLY REENAMELIZE. Taking calcium and phosphate in the diet results in reenamelization of the teeth, but only when they are clean. Bar soap does a perfect job in cleaning the surface. The enamel thickens and becomes less sensitive. Adenosine diphosphatase furnishes phosphate to teeth. Gums are disinfected by brushing with any bar soap. Not only bacteria and viruses are destroyed promptly by small amounts of soap in water, but also white flies and aphids. Gardeners: Spray 1 tsp of dishwashing soap in 1 gallon of water to kill white flies and aphids. Plaque, a poorly formed crystal stuck to the bottom of the enamel, is prevented and eventually removed by brushing with bar soap. Dental procedures to get the badly formed crystals off dig holes through the enamel. These cavities catch food and cause gum infection. Prevention of plaque retards gum pockets. Gum pockets are formed as the plaque pushes the gums away from the teeth. Gum pockets, from 1 to 8 mm deep, are also formed by FLUORIDE, which severs the protein molecules adhering the gums to the teeth. SOAP PREVENTS GINGIVITIS caused by bacteria which is lodged in the gum pockets. VITAMIN C AND PHOSPHATE help knit the gums back to the teeth. Pressing against the gums with fingers forces adhesive materials from the gums onto the teeth, which helps the process. Abscesses can be offset by holding Cepacol (14% alcohol) in the mouth 5 minutes. Receding gum surgery will end when the gum pockets cease. The very mention of the procedure, which involves transferring flesh from the roof of the mouth to the excised area of the gums, is a heinous and useless procedure which ought to pass into oblivion. Removal of flouride from drinking water, pastes or gels saves the enzyme adenosine diphosphatase so it can deliver phosphate to calcium at the tooth surface, resulting in a beautiful, semi-flexible enamel. As stated above, the gums can be reconnected to the teeth by taking vitamin C (ascorbic acid) (1 tsp) with Arm and Hammer baking soda (1/2 tsp) in 1 inch of water, letting it fizz and then diluting to 1/2 to 1 cup with water, then drinking. The resulting SODIUM ASCORBATE is non-acid, very pure and a thousand times more soluble than vitamin C. Sodium ascorbate is more reactive than ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) in building connective tissue and antibody structures and more effective in killing some viruses and bacteria. Receding gums and plaque are ended when soap is used for brushing and vitamin C is taken daily in the form just mentioned. 30% of American youths ages 8-10 have no cavities. 100% of Ugandan youths ages 6-10 have no cavities. What does this tell us? The reason Ugandan youths have 3 times better teeth than American youths is because they do not consume as many acid foods, have no fluoride in their drinking water, have regular meals rather than sipping acid drinks all day, have more calcium and phosphate in their diet, and have fewer dentists to work on their teeth. Dental literature says 42% of Americans over 65 have no natural teeth, while 25% of those over 43 have none. Dental literature says Americans age 43 average 32 cavities, those age 17 have 13 cavities, blacks and poverty stricken (without calcium and phosphate) have twice this and the native Americans have four times this amount. The Native American plight can be blamed on their poor nutrition, excessive fluoridation, and free but improper dental care. If fluoridation were effective in preventing cavities, Native Americans would have the least cavities. They have had forced fluoridation for approximately 62 years. Fluoride in water at 1 part per million INCREASED tooth cavities in four large reliable studies (7%, 22%, 45% and 10%, averaging 21%). The reason far these increases has to do with the fact that adenosine diphosphatase is destroyed by fluoride and CALCIUM FLUORIDE which slips into the enamel, is alien to the tooth composite and makes the enamel weak, brittle and discolored. The health of American teeth will increase to be very nearly perfect if the regimen of water rinsing, soap brushing and taking calcium, phosphate and vitamin C in the diet is implemented. Fortunately, we now know the current teeth perfecting protocol of dentistry with fluoridation is flawed. If the early estimates of 80% tooth improvement in childrens' teeth by age 13 were true, each American would now have less than one cavity. That is far from true. The teeth in America are in a sorry state, and at the present time are getting worse. Numerous top scientists over the past 60 years have discarded the theory that fluoride helps teeth, or is a nutrient helpful to man. To avoid fluoride is to prevent more than 114 ailments listed with references in a book "Good Teeth Birth to Death" by Gerard F. Judd, Ph.D.. These 114 medical side effects extend all the way from cancer down to headaches caused by 1 ppm fluoride in the water. Thirteen of these side effects are proved by a double blind study on 60 patients by 12 physicians, 1 pharmacist and 1 attorney. The mechanism for destruction of enzymes by fluoride has been proven by x-ray studies. Hydrogen bonds are broken by fluoride. Fluoride is the smallest negative particle on the face of the earth. Since the fluoride particles are so small and so intensely negative, they connect with the hydrogen bonds holding the enzyme coils in place and ruin every enzyme molecule at very low concentration, around 1-3 ppm. These enzymes are often 3,000 or more times the small size of the fluoride. The effect is ruinous. To avoid fluoride is to prevent the destruction of 83 enzymes listed with references in Good Teeth, Birth to Death, by Gerard F. Judd, Ph.D.. Fluoride is a severe biological poison. Being intensely negative, it unlatches positive hydrogen bonds in enzymes AND proteins. It is fortunate we have learned fluoride is a nerve poison. Fluoride causes cavities. There is not the slightest doubt. Methylmercury formed from amalgams in the body is deadly. It causes brain disease. Fillings made of quartzite and epoxy are a safe substitute. Fluoride harms the economy by making people purchase other than city water to avoid it. It also harms the economy by making people dependent on undependable professions that know nothing about it. Ignorance about fluoride and what it does is worldwide. Keep the teeth moist. Teeth that are dry crack. If you chew ice, teeth may crumble. Teeth do have a breaking strength. LOOK IN YOUR MOUTH. Tell the dentist(s) what you want done and get several bids for examination and work. Save your fortunes. We now know we can cancel the green light given by Harry Truman with the help of Congress to subsidize dentistry. Billions of dollars being wasted in this regard (Public Law 755, June 24, 1948) can now be returned to the taxpayers. I hope you will put this information in the hands of your Congress persons so they and we may alert the newspapers, radio and TV stations, magazines, and all other news media as well as their friends, families, and associates about this giant leap in dental technology. I ask for your feedback on this letter and I would also like you to ask for feedback from the ones you contact. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Respectfully yours, Gerard F. Judd, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Chemistry

• Dr. Judd only said to use BAR SOAP. I must have copied his info from a place other than his site. This is what he says,(ref 5)? Reenamelization of the teeth occurs when they are clean.? All toothpastes make a barrier of glycerine on the teeth which would require 20 rinses to get it off.? A good solution for clean teeth, which I have used for 5 years, is bar soap.? Wet the brush, swipe the bar two or three times with it, then brush the teeth thoroughly and the gums gently.? Rinse with water three or four times.? All oils are washed off the teeth and the gums are disinfected.? The bacteria are killed by the soap.? The teeth are then ready for reenamelization with calcium and phosphate in the diet.? The enzyme adenosine diphosphatase delivers phosphate to the enamel surface.? Do not use liquid soaps.? Their different composition is harmful to the protoplasm. This is a link to Dr. Judd's site so you can read his affidavit.

Fillings cost between $50 and $300 depending where you live, and the filling material (amalgam or composite) used.

Dentists won't lose their jobs because they use mercury amalgams. There has been study after study after study, that shows no diseases linked to amalgams. To say mercury is poisonous in all forms is akin to saying oxygen is poisonous, because when combined with carbon it can form carbon monoxide - therefore all oxygen is poisonous. And so far as re-mineralization is concerned - I'm sure Dr. Judd's research is accurate, but most cavities are formed in deep pits and fissures in tooth structure. Food particles get jammed down deep into crevasses so small that a tooth brush can't remove them. Eventually a cavity forms. This is how 90% of cavities form. Sealants, fluoride and proper hygiene and diet can control the vast majority of decay in this country.

Please see your dentist for a permanent solution; a temporary way to ease the pain is with simple pain medicine, or a numbing solution such as Orajel or Anbesol. Also, avoid very hot and cold foods/liquid, which can irritate the tooth.

I take three Aleve and about 10 to 15 minutes later the pain is tolerable and about 10 to 15 more minutes the pain is gone for the most part and I can continue on without trying anything and everything to make it go away. Funny enough, the Aleve helps me faster than Vicodin does...

I just had all four of my wisdom teeth out yesterday morning. The dentist told me to wait about 4 hours after the surgery to eat anything. First of all, you're going to be bloody, tired, drugged, and in pain so you're not going to WANT to eat anything until later. You won't even be thinking about it.

Here is my tried and tested recipe for a reletively comfortable post- extraction experience: You will need,

1. A loving someone to take care of you (like my awesome husband for me.)

2. Gauze, take home with you lots of gauze to place in your mouth to help stop the bleeding. You'll still need it possibly the next day.

3. Pain killer prescription. I choose Vicadin for the first day, then move to Ibuprofen later if you get nauseated.

3. To absorb your drool collection, place a folded paper towel on your tongue sticking out like a sucker. It absorbs all your blood and drool so it's not messy and you don't choke. Don't spit. Let the drool just drop out if it needs to.

4. Lay on your back propped up on pillows. This allows the circulation of blood not to flow specifically to one side and swell you up more on one side than the other.

5. Find the herbal remedy Arnica at your local pharmacy. It comes in the form of little beads. Place 4 beads under your tongue to disolve, 3 times a day. Start this two to three days before surgery and follow through three to four days after your procedure. Arnica is a natural remedy for swelling and bruising. It works!

6. FOOD: Besides ice cream and soup, you're gonna LOVE cinnamon applesauce, pudding, soaked Oreo cookies in milk, mashed sweet potatoes with lots of butter and a little salt, Naked Juice Protein drink for added nutrients, soft fruit, yogurt, instant maple oatmeal... yum! Get creative!! Anything soft and mushy, there's lots of food out there!

7. Ask the dentist for a syringe tube. A couple of days after surgery you can use this to squirt salt water in the back of your mouth to help release trapped food.

Good luck!

PS. - I wasn't asleep for my operation. I was kinda in and out consciously but definitely awake for the last 2 teeth. This wasn't a bad way to do it and it was actually amusing. You can't feel anything and I just hummed a lot. It's like being drunk. Really drunk and numb.

Everyone is different when it comes to wisdom teeth being pulled out, for example all four of mine came out yesterday and I have no swelling at all!!! I have minor pain which ibuprofen helps with,main prolem the bleeding I bleed very badly making it so I couldn't eat at all what I did is got the boost shakes and drank one when my beeding calmed down for a bit so my blood sugar wouldn't go too low and I had some nutrients in my body I would highly suggest that. Now that my bleeding isn't so bad I've gone to foods that aren't to difficult for example microwaved (so it's soft) chicken nuggets now I am chewing with front teeth and little with front molars but be careful with food getting caught it will happen. DON'T stick your fingers in your mouth to get it out your hands are dirty and could cause an infection since they are open sores.Rinse after you eat with warm salt water don't swish the water just let it move around in your mouth last thing you need is to start bleeding again and your suppose to do that 3-5 times a day, and if your wondering about the procedure I was not knocked out just numbed my dentist was amazing walked me through the whole thing and funny thing is it took less time to take the teeth out than it did to get me completely numb, you will not be able to talk and yes you won't be feeling your face I would suggest having a friend drive you home to be on the safe side your mouth will be dry I used a ice cube to just keep my lips and front gums moist but BE careful because you can't feel anything don't want to keep ice on for to long just run it along for a moment here and there and before you go to bed make sure you put a towel down on your pillow or you will be buying new pillow cases

1-3 Days After: Soups, Eggs (scrambled), mashed potatoes and similar textured foods.

4-7 Days After: This depends on how you're feeling you can try solid foods if you think you're healed enough. It's really a judgment call you know your body better then anyone else. I suggest if you needed stitches to not try solid foods until they have came out.

I would rinse with salt water (1/2 tsp per 8oz of water) after every meal to make sure you have any food particles out of your mouth. Rinse gently NOT vigorously.