CareCredit

[sarge12]

@Saeren ...Life is too short to live with bad teeth IMO, I know I was at the time amazed at how much better I felt afterward. That was short lived however, because likely even then, my cervical spinal canal was narrowing, which would later take me out of the work force permenantly. A damaged spinal cord is no joke, and to date it is un-repairable. Unfortunately the stenosis of my cervical spine the normally causes agony and pain to a degree that is impossible to ignore, was the opposite with me. The spinal cord carries commands from the brain to all parts of the body, and also carries pain signals from the body to the brain. In my case, the pinching of the spinal cord was interfering with the pain signals reaching my brain. The unexplained limp I had, and lowered control of motor movements causing me to drop things were easy to ignore with the absense of pain. I was very close to becoming paralysed from the neck down or death by the time it was caught. What I perceived to be a high pain tolerence, was actually a diminished ability to feel pain normally. I can still walk thankfully, but there is permenant damage that resulted in being unable to work...and I am one of those nuts that loved working.

[Anonymous]

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@JaseT wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@JaseT wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@GApeachy wrote:

Yay you!!!!!!  Sorry you need it but so great that you do have it.

DH just had his cut out, no dental ins. but it was only $865.00. (shew!)  I figured with it being an "Oral Surgeon"  we'd pay out the tailpipe.  My DS recently got the Care Credit, $2.5k and his wife just put her invisilign knockoff (Byte) on their card for a scheduled promo of $65/month 'til pif.  I believe the terms are 28 months.  It even comes with led teeth whitening kit.   I'm wondering if I should do a cli request to help take the bite (get it ) out of the utl%. 

Congrats again, and hope it goes smoothly.

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Extractions are actually pretty cheap, usually no more than $75 per tooth for more complex extractions. It’s the IV sedation that’s going to be expensive since that has to be done by an anesthesiologist. 

The place actually has excellent reviews and they specialize in clients like myself that have anxiety issues so I think it will all go smoothly. They’ll probably put me on antibiotics starting today which my body hates but I’ll survive. 

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I had two extractions done by an oral surgeon and he did all of the IV sedation himself. There was no anethesiologist. My total after insurance coverage was only $120!

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Colorado actually requires IV sedation to be administered by an anesthesiologist. I’m not talking about partial sedation but full-blown out cold surgical sedation. 

Medicaid will cover everything with no copays up to $1K but I will have to pay for the IV sedation myself if they don’t deem it medically necessary. I will also have to pay for anything above the bare minimum so I am better safe than sorry as far as the CareCredit goes. 

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That's odd as I live in Colorado too and I was out cold for it.

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I actually just went and looked it up and they do offer both in-office and anesthesiologist in a surgical center, depending on their evaluation of patient needs. When I looked the first time, I missed the part that says they can do general anesthesia in the office. So yes that will save some $$$. 

[sarge12]

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@JaseT wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@JaseT wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@GApeachy wrote:

Yay you!!!!!!  Sorry you need it but so great that you do have it.

DH just had his cut out, no dental ins. but it was only $865.00. (shew!)  I figured with it being an "Oral Surgeon"  we'd pay out the tailpipe.  My DS recently got the Care Credit, $2.5k and his wife just put her invisilign knockoff (Byte) on their card for a scheduled promo of $65/month 'til pif.  I believe the terms are 28 months.  It even comes with led teeth whitening kit.   I'm wondering if I should do a cli request to help take the bite (get it ) out of the utl%. 

Congrats again, and hope it goes smoothly.

---

Extractions are actually pretty cheap, usually no more than $75 per tooth for more complex extractions. It’s the IV sedation that’s going to be expensive since that has to be done by an anesthesiologist. 

The place actually has excellent reviews and they specialize in clients like myself that have anxiety issues so I think it will all go smoothly. They’ll probably put me on antibiotics starting today which my body hates but I’ll survive. 

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I had two extractions done by an oral surgeon and he did all of the IV sedation himself. There was no anethesiologist. My total after insurance coverage was only $120!

---

Colorado actually requires IV sedation to be administered by an anesthesiologist. I’m not talking about partial sedation but full-blown out cold surgical sedation. 

Medicaid will cover everything with no copays up to $1K but I will have to pay for the IV sedation myself if they don’t deem it medically necessary. I will also have to pay for anything above the bare minimum so I am better safe than sorry as far as the CareCredit goes. 

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That's odd as I live in Colorado too and I was out cold for it.

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Most dental surgery is done with laughing gas followed by IV sedation with Versed. It actually does not put the patient out cold at all in fact. It does produce memory loss, so any pain you were feeling during a procedure is not remembered. The patient is not technically unconsious though, and the first memory I had after him pulling my teeth was to tell him to let me know when he is going to start, only to be told he was through. Versed is a wonderful drug.

[Anonymous]

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@sarge12 wrote:

@Saeren ...Life is too short to live with bad teeth IMO, I know I was at the time amazed at how much better I felt afterward. That was short lived however, because likely even then, my cervical spinal canal was narrowing, which would later take me out of the work force permenantly. A damaged spinal cord is no joke, and to date it is un-repairable. Unfortunately the stenosis of my cervical spine the normally causes agony and pain to a degree that is impossible to ignore, was the opposite with me. The spinal cord carries commands from the brain to all parts of the body, and also carries pain signals from the body to the brain. In my case, the pinching of the spinal cord was interfering with the pain signals reaching my brain. The unexplained limp I had, and lowered control of motor movements causing me to drop things were easy to ignore with the absense of pain. I was very close to becoming paralysed from the neck down or death by the time it was caught. What I perceived to be a high pain tolerence, was actually a diminished ability to feel pain normally. I can still walk thankfully, but there is permenant damage that resulted in being unable to work...and I am one of those nuts that loved working.

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I have actually seen you mention your plight with your spinal cord and it concerns me a bit for myself. I have multiple vertebra up around my neck that have collapsed on each other. It doesn’t cause me any pain unless I focus on the area but basically the vertebra don’t separate out unless my head is leaned forward. Then you can make out each one of them. They also fan in opposite directions so there is no doubt if I got hit just right about an inch below my neck it would kill me. It’s gotten worse over time, I’ll have to bring it up to my doctor the next time I make it in for a regular doctors appointment. My head always hangs forward though, it’s uncomfortable to keep it straight up and I have no doubt it will cause me problems soon enough. :/

[Anonymous]

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@sarge12 wrote:

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@JaseT wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@JaseT wrote:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@GApeachy wrote:

Yay you!!!!!!  Sorry you need it but so great that you do have it.

DH just had his cut out, no dental ins. but it was only $865.00. (shew!)  I figured with it being an "Oral Surgeon"  we'd pay out the tailpipe.  My DS recently got the Care Credit, $2.5k and his wife just put her invisilign knockoff (Byte) on their card for a scheduled promo of $65/month 'til pif.  I believe the terms are 28 months.  It even comes with led teeth whitening kit.   I'm wondering if I should do a cli request to help take the bite (get it ) out of the utl%. 

Congrats again, and hope it goes smoothly.

---

Extractions are actually pretty cheap, usually no more than $75 per tooth for more complex extractions. It’s the IV sedation that’s going to be expensive since that has to be done by an anesthesiologist. 

The place actually has excellent reviews and they specialize in clients like myself that have anxiety issues so I think it will all go smoothly. They’ll probably put me on antibiotics starting today which my body hates but I’ll survive. 

---

I had two extractions done by an oral surgeon and he did all of the IV sedation himself. There was no anethesiologist. My total after insurance coverage was only $120!

---

Colorado actually requires IV sedation to be administered by an anesthesiologist. I’m not talking about partial sedation but full-blown out cold surgical sedation. 

Medicaid will cover everything with no copays up to $1K but I will have to pay for the IV sedation myself if they don’t deem it medically necessary. I will also have to pay for anything above the bare minimum so I am better safe than sorry as far as the CareCredit goes. 

---

That's odd as I live in Colorado too and I was out cold for it.

---

Most dental surgery is done with laughing gas followed by IV sedation with Versed. It actually does not put the patient out cold at all in fact. It does produce memory loss, so any pain you were feeling during a procedure is not remembered. The patient is not technically unconsious though, and the first memory I had after him pulling my teeth was to tell him to let me know when he is going to start, only to be told he was through. Versed is a wonderful drug.

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I have a high tolerance to Versed. They gave it to me when I had a colonoscopy and I had a rather comical experience with that. I actually still to this day remember how messed up I was. I kept asking for a comment card when I was leaving because they were so nice and the doctor told my grandma that it happens all the time and I wouldn’t remember any of it. Yeah I definitely do. 

When I had surgery for a spontaneous collapsed lung, I woke up on the operating table with my chest open and freaked out my doctor... I fully woke from the anesthesia and they had to knock me back out. 

My body processes sedatives very effectively. It was great for not blocking out from alcohol but unfortunately caused me nothing but problems with trying to get my anxiety under control because I build permanent tolerance to benzodiazepines and nothing else does anything. 

[sarge12]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@sarge12 wrote:

@Saeren ...Life is too short to live with bad teeth IMO, I know I was at the time amazed at how much better I felt afterward. That was short lived however, because likely even then, my cervical spinal canal was narrowing, which would later take me out of the work force permenantly. A damaged spinal cord is no joke, and to date it is un-repairable. Unfortunately the stenosis of my cervical spine the normally causes agony and pain to a degree that is impossible to ignore, was the opposite with me. The spinal cord carries commands from the brain to all parts of the body, and also carries pain signals from the body to the brain. In my case, the pinching of the spinal cord was interfering with the pain signals reaching my brain. The unexplained limp I had, and lowered control of motor movements causing me to drop things were easy to ignore with the absense of pain. I was very close to becoming paralysed from the neck down or death by the time it was caught. What I perceived to be a high pain tolerence, was actually a diminished ability to feel pain normally. I can still walk thankfully, but there is permenant damage that resulted in being unable to work...and I am one of those nuts that loved working.

---

I have actually seen you mention your plight with your spinal cord and it concerns me a bit for myself. I have multiple vertebra up around my neck that have collapsed on each other. It doesn’t cause me any pain unless I focus on the area but basically the vertebra don’t separate out unless my head is leaned forward. Then you can make out each one of them. They also fan in opposite directions so there is no doubt if I got hit just right about an inch below my neck it would kill me. It’s gotten worse over time, I’ll have to bring it up to my doctor the next time I make it in for a regular doctors appointment. My head always hangs forward though, it’s uncomfortable to keep it straight up and I have no doubt it will cause me problems soon enough. :/

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The average width of a spinal cord is about 10mm and is incaged in a canal of 13mm, by the time mine was caught 4 levels were 8mm or less with 2 being under 5mm. This resulted in both internal bleeding of the spinal cord while also preventing the needed blood to supply the spinal cord. The neuro-surgeon flatly stated I would have to have 4 level cervical fusion or in less than 6 months I would be paralysed from the neck down or dead. This resulted in the easiest decision ever. He did not tell me then that I would likely never work again, even though he told me after receiving SSDI, that he doubted then that I would ever work again, but they never say that because it impedes any progress that might be obtained. I still have some limp, muscle spasms, and the worst is some diminished bowel control that gives me little warning before having to go. It does not prevent travel, but does prevent enjoying travel...I don't travel. I mostly stay home 95% of the time at least. If I had not had a pulmonary embolism that put me on medical leave it would not even have been checked as early as it was. The fact I was already on medical leave was what prompted me to find out why I had a painless limp...actually was dragging one leg sort of.

[CreditCuriosity]

Head to mexico to get it done at 1/4 the price or less... Dental stuff in this country is crazy expensive as alot of us know.  Between Lawyers and greed it is much more costly in the US than any other country.

Grats on the CC card although make sure with your dentist they offer the term you want at 0% or an acceptable APR as will go up to 16.99 on promo financing at 60 months.. Good card to have, but yet gotta be careful as well how it is used.

[sarge12]

For anyone curious, this was cut and paste from my MRI report. Result was 4 level cervical fusion C3-C7, a titanium plate and 10 screws held it all together until the cadaber bone material fused. The purpose is to prevent further damage, but cant reverse damage.

C2-C3- Facet degenerative change. Mild to moderate spinal stenosis
with AP diameter of the canal measuring 9 mm. No significant foraminal
stenosis.

C3-C4- Uncovertebral osteophytes. Moderate spinal stenosis with AP
diameter of the canal measuring 8 mm. Mild left foraminal stenosis.

C4-C5- Uncovertebral osteophytes and broad-based disc osteophyte
complex. Severe spinal stenosis with AP diameter of the canal
measuring 7 mm. Moderate bilateral foraminal stenosis.

C5-C6- Uncovertebral osteophytes and broad-based disc osteophyte
complex. Severe spinal stenosis with AP diameter of the canal
measuring approximately 5 mm. Moderate right and severe left foraminal
stenosis.

C6-C7- Broad-based protrusion indents the cervical cord. Severe spinal
stenosis with AP diameter of the canal measuring 5 mm. Mild right and
moderate to severe left foraminal stenosis.

C7-T1- Mild to moderate spinal stenosis. Moderate left foraminal
stenosis.

Impression-

1. Severe spinal stenosis at C4-C5, C5-C6 and C6-C7 with significant
foraminal stenosis at these levels.
2. Suspected myelomalacia at C5-C6 and C6-C7.
3. Moderate left foraminal stenosis at C7-T1.
4. Moderate spinal stenosis at C3-C4.

[GApeachy]

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@sarge12 wrote:

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Was your medical team able to determine the cause of the PE?

[sarge12]

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@GApeachy wrote:

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@sarge12 wrote:

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Was your medical team able to determine the cause of the PE?

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No, they were clueless and checked a lot for deep vein thrombosis but found nothing. They kept me in the hospital for a week and put me on coumadin. The coumadin caused drug induced pancreatitis and put me in the hospital another week with life threatening problems. After finding the severe stenosis and doing having 4 level cervical fusion, I entered the hospital 3 times, and this time I almost coded due to being unable to breathe in air. In that 2 month span I was hospitalied 3 times with life threatening problems. They switched my thinner to Xarelto, but no longer take any blood thinner. I can walk but do still have some spastic gait and I also have minnieres disease that also causes balance issues. It caused vertigo until I had gentemicin injected in my ear..chemical labyrinthectomy, that was about 8 years before all the other issues, but caused balance issues that were also caused by the damaged spinal cord, which is part of why it was not caught earlier, the balance issues were ignored because of the mennieres disease.