I’ve had a similar situation. I came in to have a cavity filled and they attempted to replace the tooth for $15,000. They were warming up the drill when I ran out of there!
Don’t do that. Book a normal appointment in the dental department, either check the types of dentists they have online or ask the nurse to recommend the specialty you need.
Are you quite sure that there was even really a cavity to begin with?
I’ve had to go from one random dentist to another for years. About half of the time the latest one will tell me I have a horrible cavity that must be fixed. I go see another dentist and he tells me my teeth are perfect and “what cavity?”
The primary feature of the ones who have told me I have a cavity they have to drill is that they’re recent graduates who have a ton of dental school student loans to pay off. Makes you wonder.
Well, not really, it’s pretty obvious what’s going on.
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Teeth are like tires they can be patched only a few times
Then it’s root canal
And crown time
20 years ago I should’ve had one done in Taipei
It was 8k fior the cheaper steel one and 24000 for the ceramic coated gold crown
I hesitated a day or two and had some beef Jerkey (stupid of me) and cracked the tooth
No saving it then
Had a crown done in USA soon after ceramic over gold it was 800 US dollars my share after the insurance already paid half of it fir the root
Canal and crown
Had to have a temp put on and wait a week
For the crown to be finished
Lasted 20 years recently had it replaced with this new ceramic material and the doc has a machine that makes it right then and there in 10 mins
One visit only
800 from me again with the insurance picking up the other half
Crowns and canals ain’t cheap
Next step
Is the fake tooth imbedded in your gums
They are 5k each here
I need 4 of them
Think I better get them done in Taiwan
Taipei has its fair share of ATM dentists, not all of them are paying off school loans either (more likely expensive cars, tuition for their kids, or holidays in Dubai). If you’re recommended to get expensive and extensive dental work (or think you might need to), get an assessment done by a hospital dental department or someone you trust.
The dentist should be able to show you exactly what’s wrong, even in simple English or Chinese. I have had quite a few dentists over the years, the odd cowboy and the odd ATM dentist. I never went back to either.
Finally, I found a dentist who did a full mouth x-ray, fixed up several crowns/fillings/cavities, and root canals that failed (it happens because roots are complex to treat). I love my old dentist but she was too busy to treat a failed tooth filling (I bit something too hard… ah! I was warned… but did I listen? Nope!).
Her replacement at the same practice wasn’t as skilled as she was, so the root canal treatment failed quite quickly. I didn’t know why my tooth hurt. Finally, I went to my new dentist, and he diagnosed the problem, educated me, and fixed it. Seriously, look around… and get a 2nd opinion. It helps.
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I already did that. My tooth was hurting bad after I had been to two dentists., so I just went to the hospital. They have a lot more equipment available to them than the average dental.office. So why not? And why ask the nurse when you can ask a dentist after he has examined it ? Private dental clinics are there to make money.
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I go to a female Dentist near Zhongxiao Fuxing - a long time friend of my partner. Prior to me having an ARC/NHI it was of course pay for all, but far less than I would have paid in Australia. I have never paid more than $10k for a Crown or Bridge. I gave up going to the Dentist in Australia due to cost as their rates are like those tommy525 mentioned and rising, while Insurance pays less.
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Jesus Christ, Presley. What works on you?
I have about that many, plus 2 bridges.
Jesus Christ! No offense…do you brush…regularly? Accidents? I think I may loathe the dentists’ office so much that I actually brush in the recommended manner, even though I never floss on anything that could taken as a regular basis. That’s a lot of work in my book. Yeesh
Reply was for the OP’s benefit. Only use emergency rooms in emergency, the OP does not (currently) have an emergency.
Large hospital dental departments will have many dentists with different specialties, you can book an appointment with the appropriate specialist if you research first.
As are dentists in hospitals although they tend to be far, far less mercenary about it. Having been through the hoops with dental clinics I now only go to a hospital dental department unless it’s only for a routine cleaning or very simple procedure.
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35k? Their landlord must have raised rent again, or maybe the Dentist had some CNY gambling debt
You can get a made in Taiwan cap for about 8000NT$ , 35K is a little high but not THAT high. I have been quoted 8000 to around 50 000 before. However for 50,000 they better put some gold in that tooth so it can shine and glitter when I play my banjo😁
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Chalky teeth - hereditary.
In the ‘olden days’, they would have been extracted and a ’ plate’ or ‘dentures’ would take their place. Nowadays it’s Crowns and Bridges - which helps Dentists finances. That and Braces is where the Dentists make money these days.
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I actually wondered if there were such a thing. That’s gotta be cheaper in Taiwan. I paid 30 US bucks for a cleaning that in NY would’ve cost “me” $300.
All my dentists here drive fancy cars
audi Bmw Porsche and one guy a Maserati
I paid for some of these
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My dentist back home had a yacht, and wasn’t in on Friday afternoons as he used to take it out on the harbour. He loved drilling that’s for sure…
At least things are less painful these days - when I was a kid the drills were all pulleys etc, slow, not to mention the painful anaesthetic into child gums. But hey, after it was done we got a reward - a heap of Jelly Beans from the dentist. So while he was lecturing about cleaning teeth etc he feeds you a heap of sugar Candy!!!
I have only ever had 2 teeth pulled out (hence the 2 bridges that I now have) - both brought on by a painful abscess - the most recent a few years ago when a Root Canal under an existing Crown apparently quit. That one got me in strife with Customs at Taoyuan when the dog found the painkillers (which had Codeine in them) in my bag.
Edit - Oh, and its not just the Dentist that charges more now - a cousin’s 6yo grandson was showing off the gap where a tooth had fallen out and I asked her how much the Tooth Fairy paid these days - the answer was AUD5 - I think it was 5 cents when I was a kid.
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Thank you for all of the answers. I think a second opinion is the best option, i’m just praying my tooth doesn’t crack in the time being. I’m unsure how a simple cavity has turned into such a big issue.
I’ve never had issues with my teeth ever since I was a child, I brush regularly and take excellent care of my teeth.
I’m wondering if anybody has any recommendations for good dentists in Taipei with English speaking dentists? Thanks
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Medical records are yours, you can always ask to get them.
I cracked my tooth several years ago and it got fixed until it cracked again. My dentist told me he’d try to rebuild it and he did after doing a root canal. Replacement tooth would be 80K NT$. He gave me the option but said it would not be cheap and he’d try to avoid that option.
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