My dentist charged me @$40 to replace a filling. He put the original one in about a year ago, and it came out yesterday while I was flossing. Should I have had to pay for the replacement? Should I ask for a refund?
2007-03-09 09:07:35 · 7 answers · asked by TheDarkAges 1 in Health ➔ Dental
I should add that the $40 was post-insurance.
2007-03-09 10:47:38 · update #1
I should also add that the filling came out about a week after I went in for a cleaning.
2007-03-09 12:04:33 · update #2
Of course he should charge you. There are any number of reasons why your filling became loose and came out. He gave you a good deal on the price and you should appreciate it.
2007-03-09 09:18:23 · answer #1 · answered by clarity 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
fillings have a life expectancy of three to four years. BUT- if you have a habit of chewing ice, corn nuts, etc, even biting on the end of a pencil- can have an effect on the wear and tear. Decay can start at the margins from day one. If you were flossing, it may have caught the edge made by the enamel decaying away from the filling margin . It actually did you a favor. They caught it early! Also- the incisal edge of the anterior teeth does not hold up as well as your bi' and molar's. Some of that is because you bite with them. Other is it is a small surface area trying to hold composite in thin air so to speak, and it is just a chamical bond doing it. If it happens reapeatedly- you may want to consider a crown on the tooth to avoid doing a filling over and over and over again.
2007-03-09 14:00:26 · answer #2 · answered by Oneria2006 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A new filling cost's about $100 to $ 150 depending on the dentist. You came off cheap and only because it only lasted a year.
2007-03-09 09:16:55 · answer #3 · answered by Mightymo 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
call the office and ask if there is a warranty or guarantee on fillings they place. if not, then yes, he should have charged you. If there is and you fall into that catagory you should absolutely ask for a refund and tell them not to bill your insurance as it will go toward your yearly max. Honestly your insurance may deny it if they realize that it was just done a year ago.
2007-03-09 11:56:25 · answer #4 · answered by Dawnita 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
all of the answers that you received are correct. 40$ for a filling over a year old. Do you know how much is usually charged?
2007-03-09 10:06:11 · answer #5 · answered by jan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Insurance usually limits payment on the same surface/same tooth to two year interval.
Most dentists will replace for free within that time unless there are extenuating circumstances.
2007-03-09 12:47:44 · answer #6 · answered by emmalue 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, he should have chanrged you. And you got off CHEAP if he only charged you $40. CHEAP.
If he had just put it in last week, then he probably would have replaced it for free. Not after a year.
2007-03-09 09:13:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋