I’m in need of some advice. I need a dental crown because of decay that built up under a filling. My dentist wants to do something called a post and core, but my insurance only wants to cover the crown only. Is the other really necessary? I’m not made of money.

Candace

Dear Candace,

There is a big difference in the goal of your dentist and the goal of your dental insurance company. While both are a business which wants to make money. One is primarily interested in paying out the least amount of money possible, while the other is primarily interested in keeping your teeth healthy. For the most part, dentists are honest and are just trying to help. Yes, dentists want to make money. They do that by charging for their time fixing your teeth; not by making up things to fix.

Insurance companies want a dentist to just put a crown over a tooth and be done with it. Let me give you the idea behind the post and core build-up. We are taught to do this in dental school. The process is to clean out all the old filling material and build up from there. This helps us be sure there is no residual decay or other problems that otherwise would have gone unnoticed until it is too late and everything has to be replaced. The post and core help to reinforce the tooth so it doesn’t break later, and help hold the crown on.

Affording the Dental Procedures You Need

Your dental crown will not last as long without the protection that a post and core affords. When you have to replace the crown prematurely, you actually end up paying much more than if you’d have gotten the procedure done correctly to begin with. That doesn’t mean you will necessarily have the money upfront you need when your insurance won’t cover what you need. One way around that is to go to a dentist who works to make your dental care affordable.

That doesn’t mean go to a cheap dentist. An affordable dentist will often let you pay out your dental care. They may have an in-house payment plan. Or, they may work through a company like Care Credit, which is a medical credit card. They have low-interest payments and don’t have a penalty for early payoff.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.