One of my premolars got so infected that it made the whole left side of my face swell. I couldn’t see my regular dentist so I looked for an affordable dentist online and found one with good reviews. They got me into the office the same afternoon and the dentist told me I needed a root canal right away. She started the root canal at 1:15 and it was 3:50 when she finished. That was just short of 3 hours. The whole thing was painful even though she said she gave me 2 rounds of numbing shots. She said the tooth was hard to treat and the roots broke so now she needed to pull the tooth completely. I agreed to it because I didn’t know what else to do. I had been in so much pain and I was still in pain. The whole thing lasted in just after 5:00. The tooth is gone and now I need a dental implant, so it’s costing me more money than I thought in the first place. On top of that I got a bill yesterday for pulling the tooth. My thing is that why would I be charged for pulling a tooth that was only supposed to have a root canal. Of course I agreed to the extraction but if the dentist hadn’t broken the roots everything would be fine. Can they randomly charge me for what was really the dentist’s fault? Can I just refuse to pay? Jansen
Jansen – We’re not sure why the affordable dentist billed you for both procedures or whether or not breaking the tooth roots could have been prevented. It’s possible that the tooth decay was worse than what the x-ray showed.
We suggest that you speak directly with the affordable dentist to find out exactly what happened and why you are being charged. Ask your regular dentist to examine your x-rays and dental records from the affordable dentist. He or she might be willing to speak with the dentist in your behalf to get more insight on the issue.
The affordable dentist might be willing to negotiate with you. The dentist’s office might report non-payment to a collections agency, so be aware of the consequences of not addressing the issue. It’s best to try to resolve it right away.
This post is sponsored by Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Steven Collins.