Barrie dentistry: How much does a filling cost? And other such questions

One of the more common questions that we hear in our Barrie dental office is from a phone call asking about the cost of a certain procedure.  How much does a filling cost?  How much is an extraction?  Read on, and learn why the simple answer is “It depends”, or rather why the better question should be: “What is the best treatment for my dental problem?”

Because you asked, here is the answer to the question of the cost of fillings and extractions, as determined by the Ontario Dental Association fee guide:

Fillings: the cost of fillings depends on the type of tooth (primary or permanent tooth, and if primary, is it anterior or posterior, if permanent, is it anterior, premolar, or molar?), the type of material being used on the tooth (Silver filling?  Non-bonded white filling?  Bonded silver filling?  Bonded white filling?), the number of surfaces involved (one to five surfaces), and whether a post is required (we really don’t do pins in this office anymore).  If you can answer these questions, we can give you a good idea of the cost.

Extractions: is this a simple or complicated extraction?  Is this an erupted tooth?  A soft-tissue-covered impaction?  Will tooth sectioning and bone removal be required, or will a simple soft tissue flap be required?  And let’s not get into the question of whether you need some extra sedation, because that will depend on the type of sedation (laughing gas only?  An oral sedative with laughing gas?  Heavier IV sedation)  and how long of a sedation it will involve.

Even these two examples above clearly show the permutations that are involved when calculating the cost of treatment, and why any dental office, whether in Barrie or elsewhere, would have a hard time even ballparking any fee.  This goes for the cost of any dental treatment – dentures, dental implants, dental bridges, root canal treatment, orthodontic treatment, you name it.

The better question to be asking is: “what is the problem that my tooth / mouth has, and how do I best manage it?”  By approaching things in this manner, you allow the dentist to more accurately diagnose the problem, and then he/she can give you a) the proper treatment options, along with their risks and benefits, and b) the costs of each option.  Oftentimes, we will see a broken tooth that a patient feels will need to be extracted, and find out that it is easily repairable.  To use an analogy, you need to have your physician examine you first (whether that involves just an examination, or further imaging like x-rays, CT scans, or maybe an MRI, and the proper lab tests), before you can get a diagnosis.  Once you have a diagnosis, then the treatment decisions are more easily made.  One does not call up a physician and ask “how much will these medications cost?”, without knowing if one even needs those medications.

So, if you have a dental problem, contact us and let us perform a proper evaluation.  You will be better informed, and you’ll know the cost.  We’d love to be your dentist in Barrie.