u/Tankipani88

Does anyone else think there are less bumblebees this year? I'm in Otsego County.

I had to have my wisdom teeth removed, along with two molars that were being pressed against and damaged by the wisdom teeth. My appointment in March of 2020 was cancelled, and it's taken until this week to get it dealt with. I don't have insurance, and the dentist I had since childhood had retired during COVID, so I had to shop around for a new dentist. One clinic quoted me $3,800 for the extractions, and said there would probably be additional fees but couldn't explain. Another wouldn't do it unless I passed a credit check, which I told them I wouldn't pass, and they couldn't tell me whether it would cost more or less than the $6,000 I had in the bank. The next one said only a surgeon could extract the teeth, and it would be about $3,000 plus whatever the anesthesia cost. Tried Aspen Dental despite the warnings, and they said $27,000 for multiple extractions and cavity treatments and preparation for implants that they said are necessary to prevent my jaw from becoming nonfunctional.

I ended up at a local office, getting six teeth removed, no surgery, no anesthesia, and paying just over $1,000.

What was the difference? All these dentists were highly rated and have been open for a while. Why was this dentist able to undercut the prices so much? Why did he just pry my teeth out and not need surgical methods or anesthesia?