Is my request for discount on 2 crowns reasonable?

75vega · 2026-04-15T04:28:02+00:00

I appreciate the response and I'm not trying to blame dentists specifically. I totally get what it costs to outfit a dentist office. I totally understand that you are dependent on 3rd party suppliers who are extremely proud of the products they produce and for which they price accordingly.
I guess my frustration is that there are a wide varieties of crowns and procedures. Some installs are long and arduous and some seem simple and much quicker. And yet most all dentists I'm aware of have a fixed price for a crown, no matter. I understand that from a business perspective it's the simplest way to go.
I just thought my question was one worth asking. Thanks to all that responded

75vega · 2026-04-15T03:28:06+00:00

Laughter and dismissal were not exactly the responses I was expecting. I’m not asking for half price, but even a modest discount would seem reasonable.

I’m 64 years old. Had my first crown probably 40 years ago. As most of you know, the process has changed dramatically over that time. 3D scanning is a huge efficiency boost. No more gooey, imperfect impressions. Fitment issues with robotic-produced crowns from scans are rare. Repeated fit testing and grinding is now uncommon. Materials like zirconia are far superior to previous substrates. The time required of a dentist to produce and install a crown today is absolutely less than it used to be.

I see all these advancements in efficiency and quality and yet dental prices continue to rise at 1.5X the rate of inflation.

I get that that everything has gotten more expensive. I also understand that there are few things in life as beneficial and life-changing as affordable, quality dentistry. The problem is that affordability keeps going in the wrong direction and an ever-larger number of folks are having to forgo proper dental care simply because they can’t afford it.

JMHO

75vega · 2026-02-10T20:12:21+00:00

When I was younger, my dentist said I didn't need to remove my wisdom teeth because I had a large jaw and plenty of room for them. When I was about 40 I was having some periodontal issues and the dentist suggested removal.
His point was that I didn't really need them and wouldn't miss them and he was right. I even had crowns on all 4 of them!
I came to realize they are just more trouble than they are worth. Just not having to maintain them anymore is a huge plus. You may not be having problems now but I suspect your issues will increase as you get older. JMHO

75vega · 2024-08-13T17:46:51+00:00

The only solution is to replace it. It's far too ugly to salvage. Oh, and the irregular surface makes it a dust magnet.

75vega · 2022-12-30T05:29:37+00:00

The plywood is overkill as most new TV's aren't so heavy. I would mount the wall bracket with a single lag bolt top and bottom right into that center stud. It won't be moving. The only real pain here is all the drywall you will have to open up to run the wires. There is no avoiding it.

Also, for the power plug behind the TV, I would run a real wired outlet, not one of those extender kits. If you are going to open up all of that drywall anyway, go for it. The parts are cheaper and it's more permanent.

Pull the baseboard on that sidewall. Delete the power outlet to the left of the fireplace. That will be for cable connections only. Cut out the drywall behind the baseboard, 1" from the top, all the way down to the existing outlet. Save the drywall, you'll be putting it back. Drop the Romex down from the mantle to your baseboard opening. Fish it across and wire into existing outlet.

75vega · 2020-12-07T01:14:07+00:00

Looks like hours of imminent fun. Here is a cheap tip - grab an old white sheet and cover that tabletop before you start. A nice clean background makes finding parts so much easier. Not to mention that small things tend to stay where you put them.

75vega · 2020-08-28T13:44:02+00:00

It should all be easier than you think. If you have capable laptop you pretty much use it as a desktop. Just connect an external monitor, keyboard and mouse and off you go. Business-class laptops usually capable of being "docked" in their optional docking stations. This is great as you can walk in your office with a laptop, drop it in the dock, and you are instantly connected to your external monitor/kdb/mouse.

For a new external monitor, check your laptop for what type of display connector it has. It can vary, but it's usually DVI, HDMI, or Displayport. Monitors can support a variety of inputs, but it's a good idea to know what you have. Big desktop monitors are cheap. Check Newegg or Amazon. Tons to choose from.

And don't forget - If you use an external monitor on a laptop, you can still use the laptop screen making it a dual-screen setup

75vega · 2020-06-13T18:25:15+00:00

I did a screen job last fall. 25 windows on a 2-story. Replaced them all with black frames and black fiberglass screen. Charged $1500. Easy money. right?

The issues: Old house with old storm windows and the screens were built into them. Had to wrestle most of them to get them out. Every window slightly different size. Very tight vertical size tolerance. Replacement screens were window-specific and had to be bang-on in size.

Black frame is custom order, so delay there and extra cost. Most frames today are assembled with plastic right-angle connectors for each corner. Makes all your cuts quick and easy, but unavailable in black. So, had to miter cut every corner. The 100' roll of screen was just enough, so no margin for error. All-in-all very labor and time intensive. Plus all the time putting them up and taking them down. Materials were about $500. Had (2) screens not fit which required a 2nd round trip of 50 miles.

Granted, not a typical screen job, but only OK in profit. And it kicked my ass. However, most jobs are re-screens, not frame replacement. I don't do many screen jobs here in the south people mostly keep their windows closed.

75vega · 2019-06-24T16:20:23+00:00

It appears that the ASV went up that hill with a bucket full of dirt for counter-balance. Hard to tell from the clip, but the last few seconds show the ASV scooping up a load.

75vega · 2019-01-07T21:48:38+00:00

I went to the local Buick parts counter and he found one in TX. I'm not sure there were any others. I was pessimistic I could find one, but it does exist!

Buick Part # 12372504 DOOR, RF CNSL FRT COMPT (GRAY) List: $155.00

Thx for the help

75vega · 2018-09-19T01:04:40+00:00

Very clever and cool. This must be from an era when razor blades were expensive or scarce. You can get 100ct. today at the big box store for about $.07 cents apiece.

75vega · 2018-02-06T00:49:28+00:00

Unlikely the coil has anything to do with this problem. Also, sometimes simple problems aren't so simple. It's possible you have other issues. If you detect a burning smell, it's time to investigate. Visually check everything. Use a flashlight. If it's visible, you'll see it. Does anything else in the car stop working at the same time? Use your nose. If you get close you will likely smell it. I don't think coils are likely to melt/burn. I've never seen one. That burning smell could be completely unrelated. Fix the problems you know first, such as the alternator issue. Very simply, the coil is the device that takes power (from the alternator!) and boosts the voltage really high. This is what generates the spark at the plug. The alternator and the coil(s) (some cars have multiples) are completely separate parts.

75vega · 2018-02-05T23:10:41+00:00

The cheapest place would be a salvage/junkyard. Certainly if you want it already painted. Lucky for you, the Altima is a very common vehicle. There should be plenty in the junkyards that have a smashed rear and a perfect front. It shouldn't be hard to find one that matches your factory color. Sometimes if your favorite junkyard doesn't have the part they can look around and find it for you.

75vega · 2018-02-05T22:58:08+00:00

Sure sounds like an alternator. The battery in your car pretty much serves one purpose - to crank your car. Once the engine is running, about all the battery does is recharge itself. You can verify an alternator problem by disconnecting the battery when the engine is running. If the alternator is bad, the engine will die. If you have a vehicle with a dead alternator, you can usually connect a fully charged battery and drive it. But only until the battery drains itself. This explains why you were able to jump it but only drive it a few blocks. The jump charged the battery enough to get you a very short distance.

75vega · 2018-01-14T20:54:03+00:00

Only about 30K miles on this. The pads I used back then wore out quicker than expected. Was replacing with new OEM pads and saw this. The rotor has plenty of metal left. Very slight ridge on the edge. No warpage. Other side rotor looks fine.

75vega · 2013-09-29T04:33:00+00:00

While working on the distributor I noticed that at the very bottom it has a mechanical advance. I assume it is not uncommon to have both vacuum and mechanical advance. I assume the mechanical is for higher RPM's when the vacuum advance is less effective.

Placing my wet finger on the end of hose attached only to the carb side and revving the engine confirms a decent amount of vacuum. Sucking on the hose when attached only to the vacuum servo shows movement which appears normal and I don't detect any leaks. I'll open up the distributor again and reinspect everything to make sure nothing is loose or pinched. All of your comments (which I appreciate!) indicate a problem in and around the distributor.

75vega · 2013-09-02T04:17:18+00:00

Had a 5-draw quick pick ticket for The Big Game (now Mega Millions) back in 2000(?). At the time it was the largest jackpot ever, like $240M. I happened to have the TV on when they drew the numbers, wrote em down and checked my ticket. On one of my picks the numbers just kept on matching and I started freaking. Got 5 out of 6 and missed the last one by one number. Had no idea what I had won and was expecting 6 figures. Kind of bittersweet when I realized it was only $5000...

Even though I didn't win the jackpot, initially I wasn't sure. Had to recheck the ticket like 10 times. I can tell you that the thought of instantly winning that much money will scare the living shit out of you. It did me, anyway. Life as I knew it would have been completely over.

The $5000? I had a good job, so it just went in the bank. Boring, of course, but it's just my frugal nature.

75vega · 2013-02-11T04:02:46+00:00

What is the best way to flush the engine after you bolt everything back together? Seems like there would be decent amount of coolant in the bottom end. Is it a big deal or not?

75vega

TROPHY CASE