My wife got an estimate on fixing her teeth: $12k post-insurance. Is there any alternative? | Hacker News Reader

My wife got an estimate on fixing her teeth: $12k post-insurance. Is there any alternative?

1 pointph0rque12 comments

Sorry if this is not hacker news, but my wife just went to the dentist, and the estimate for fixing her teeth came out to $12k after insurance. About 8 of the teeth need post&core followed by crown/porcelain. I can explain the background of the situation if need be, but in short, she has bad teeth despite your normal prophylactic measures.

I would think that there should be research into implanting some kind of stem cell that would grow into a new tooth. Is anyone familiar with anything like this? If not, are there alternatives to this (expensive) procedure?

FWIW, we're both Russian; we're looking into the costs/benefits of traveling to Russia to do this. We're currently in US.

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Friends in similar situations have used dental schools to get the work done. If you have a university dental school nearby that could be an option.

Another, as you mention, is travel. The problem with cheaper fillings though is that they can leech heavy metals into the blood stream. If you're planning on having babies any time soon, you need to be extra careful.

The problem with cheaper fillings though is that they can leech heavy metals into the blood stream.

Urban legend. http://www.ada.org/public/topics/fillings.asp#amalgam

Not an urban legend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/12/20/121018/65

I've got a $20k bill for my teeth coming up soon (implants)

Are implants similar to what I've described in the original posting?

sounds like you're describing caps (eg, placed on existing teeth)

implants are "new" teeth that are drilled into your jaw - they look like perfect teeth.

Ok thanks... I was thinking that something like this exists:

>implant some kind of stem cell(s) that would grow into a new tooth.

Are the new teeth made of the same cement-like substance as real teeth (hydroxyapatite, if I recall correctly)?

not sure what they're made of - read about implants here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osseointegrated_implant

its really amazing, titanium is the only metal that "fuses" with the body.

There are more bioabsorbable metals than titanium, like magnesium, calcium and various composites of each.

How many implants is that?

3. I need a bone graft, too.

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