Submitted by unevolved_panda t3_yskcws in personalfinance
My dentist referred me to a periodontist early this year. I went in early this week for an initial appointment, so the periodontist could evaluate for himself what needs to be done. We set up an appointment for a phone call today to discuss cost, which I definitely should have taken as a warning sign, but I naively thought that my dental insurance would cover a good chunk with this.
They want over $4,000. After my insurance's contribution. That's more than I take home in two months. I don't think I've ever spent that much in one go on anything before (not even on a car; every car I've had as an adult has costed less than $1000, and even the most expensive repairs weren't $4k). I'm trying to wrap my head around it. The office offered financing, but 15% of my annual income is 15% of my annual income, whether I spend it in one transaction or 20 (I don't know if they charge interest, but if they do, fuck that).
The periodontist office should be sending me a breakdown of the costs in writing (we didn't get very far on the phone call, I basically laughed and said there was no way I could handle that cost, not in the timeframe between this call and my appointment in about two months). But I just....what the fuck? What do I do? Second opinion? Call the local dental school? Let my teeth fall out? Are there scholarships I can apply for? Is this just a day in the life of a periodontal patient and I should suck it up? Start budgeting $300/month for my teeth and maybe get this taken care of in a year? Should I have been budgeting/saving for periodontal care the way homeowners budget/save for a new roof or a new furnace?
Edit: I really, really appreciate everyone's suggestions and thoughts so far. I am not quite as panicked as I was before. My employer's open enrollment period isn't until May (changes go in effect in July), but my benefit resets in January, so in addition to looking for a second opinion I guess I'm doing some number crunching to see what the difference would be in doing one side of my mouth in early 2023 vs putting it off until I can get into a different dental plan.