About how much does it cost to fill 4 dental cavities on a 5 year old?

Question

This question is posed to any parents who have experienced this recently. Thanks.

PS - the reason I'm asking is my boyfriend's daughter's mother told him the dentist wants $800 - $1000 for this.

Answer 1

Remove all the teeth. He is five

Answer 2

I'd opt to save the teeth - you're only 30 and the average life span in developed countries is now nearing 80 for men, which means you've got around another 50 years to go. If the teeth are saveable then save them, and start to look after them. I had a gap of 10 years where I didn't see a dentist at all, between the ages of about 15 and 25, and when I finally went I didn't have any problems with my teeth at all, and all I had done over those 10 years was brush thoroughly once a day before bed and floss once in a while. Sometimes used mouthwash, but not often. My point is that even EXCELLENT home care really isn't much of an effort - brush twice daily, floss every day and use a fluoride mouth rinse. It will take up maybe 10 minutes of your day. I'm sure you can spare that. You're only 30 - you really don't want dentures so soon, do you???

Answer 3

I'm just shocked to hear a 5 y/o has 4 cavities all at once. :-O

Dental costs do vary, depending on your region and the dentist you use. We also don't know if some of these are serious and may need crowns or additional work.

Answer 4

My 5 year old had this done a few months ago and my portion of the bill (insurance paid some) was around $500. For the people who are suprised by a 5 year old having cavities... It doesn't matter what the age, decay can happen! When my 5 year old was 3 he needed his two front teeth capped because 'I' wasn't very smart and let him go to bed with his sippy cup. Lesson learned!

Answer 5

My office charges 100 to 175 depending on the number of surfaces for white fillings. If you leave them alone, the teeth might become infected. Then your child will have to have them taken out. The bad thing about that is when teeth become too infected, lidocaine injections won't work and the area that the teeth are being extracted from will not be numb. I'm not trying to scare you, but I once had to physically hold down a 9 year old while a dentist removed her teeth, which were literally black.

Answer 6

There is no acurate way for someone to answer this. What are the letters of the teeth in question? What surfaces? What material will be uses:amalgam or composite? Do they need a protective base beneath them?
You really would get a more acurate answer by going to see a dentist and having him give you an estimate based on his diagnosis. Could be between $100.00 and $400.00. I hope this helped you. I didn't mean this rudely, so I hope I didn't come off that way. But this really would be like asking how much a car costs. Who knows? Depends on alot of details.

And please, please do not listen to these people who are telling you to pull the teeth or just leave them alone, they will fall out soon anyways? Oh, my gosh! I can't even begin to tell you what all is wrong with that statement. But just for anyone who is not "dental savvy", the last baby tooth usually doesn't come out until about 12 yrs. old. So leaving it in there will allow the decay to grow to the point of abcessing. That is just wrong on so many levels. And don't even get me started on the ones telling you to just pull them. These are the parents I see everyday with hardly any teeth left in their own mouths!

Answer 7

Please contact the local health dept in your township or county and ask for a referral to someone who does access to health care and dental care. You should get a few estimates.
Most cavities run about $80.00 a tooth, but in some areas its more costly than others. If you were having your car fixed youd get 3 estimates, do the same for this situation to find care you can afford.
Peacheswrites

Answer 8

Dental work on a five year old? Don't forget to ask what you are doing wrong. A friend had a child with one cavity but the doctor said to ignore it because it would not cause a problem and that he will lose the tooth shortly. Another friend dentist fixed the tooth.

Answer 9

Listen to Justine. She knows what she is talking about.

Do not listen to people who say not to get the fillings done. Which is better; preventing pain and infection and preserving the natural arch form for growth and devlopment of yanking out a few teeth that won't be replaced for 8 or 10 years? D'oh!!!

Answer 10

Kids get lots of cavities and they should be taken care of immediately. If cavities are not treated, the tooth will decade and may fall out and failing to guide where adult teeth should grow.

Answer 11

I've paid anywhere from $100 TO $150 per tooth...it is tax deductible as a medical expense, so that will help in the long run. If the child needs crowns...expect that to triple in cost per tooth.