Very good read about dentists and fraud

[Gowen]

http://benemax.go2dental.com/ReaderDigestArticle.pdf

This is an amazing story about reporter checking up on dentists giving you a check up.

[freakazoid]

http://benemax.go2dental.com/ReaderDigestArticle.pdf

This is an amazing story about reporter checking up on dentists giving you a check up.

Wow.

[K Frame]

Great. I just found a dentist that I really like...

CROWN ALL 28 TEETH?!!!!  

That guy should not be a dentist. He should be an inner-city used car salesman.


Know what my dentist did with the several "jagged margins" I had, also with exposed roots and was causing "zingers" (sensitivity)?

She used a composite filling material to surface over the exposed root, the same stuff that she used to fill the one cavity I did have. She did the same with several other teeth that don't have crowns.

Cost? $78 per tooth.

I'm also missing a couple of teeth, molars, in the back that had to be pulled. She didn't immediately try to sell me on implants (other dentists have done that). She asked me how I was handling chewing. When I told her I was doing OK, but eventually wanted to get them replaced (didn't talk bridge or implant), she said "OK, we can talk about that when you're ready to do it" and moved on to the next subject.

When I also told her that I hadn't been to see the dentist for a cleaning in at least 6 years, she said "You've done a marvelous job at keeping everything clean. There is hardly any tartar build up. Whatever you are doing, keep doing it."

I'm REALLY glad that I've found this particular dentist.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Because I didn't already have enough reasons to hate going to the dentist...

[Perd Hapley]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMLKbXuv-xA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Gowen]

The ADA's response was laughable, they tell you to get a second opinion.  More xrays another office visit, yea everyone can fork out another $200

[Ben]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMLKbXuv-xA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Copycat.

[K Frame]

When faced with that kind of diagnosis, I definitely would want a second opinion, and I bet, if you were to contact your insurance company, they would foot the bill for it rather than shell out multiple thousands of dollars in possibly unnecessary treatment.

[zahc]

I went to a dentist in the DFW area and he said I had some 8 cavities and would need $900 or so of fillings. Based on the diagnosis and the size of the upcoming bill, I got a recommendation for a different dentist. I went to him, they cleaned my teeth, the dentist re-xray'd me and inspected all my teeth and said "See you in 6 months". I was like "what about all my cavities" and he said "what cavities? I don't fill every little divot unless I see actual decay". 6 months later he did fill 2 cavities and charged a modest fee.

I think the only way these cut-rate people stay in business is the insurance/employer complex and the fact that people choose providers based on what insurance they have, rather than based on the value of the provider.

[Perd Hapley]

Copycat.

?

[Ben]

?

I used that exact video in another thread about dentists a few days ago.

[K Frame]

"the fact that people choose providers based on what insurance they have, rather than based on the value of the provider."

Know how I chose my current dentist?

I walked past her office in the building in which I'm working a couple of days a week.

I knew I needed a dental check up, I hated the last dentist I was to, so I wasn't going back there.

So, I checked out the practice's reviews on line, and then drilled down through the various dentists to pick the one who A) went to a top tier dental school (would have preferred U Maryland, but she went to Temple, also a good dental school) and B) who had uniformly good reviews from the patients who had rated her.

She is exceptionally gentle. She took over a full minute to inject lidocaine in the jaw hinge for a back molar. Many dentists I've gone to inject in under 10 seconds, which can be very painful.


IIRC, Nico was a dental student at U Maryland. He advised me when I had a tooth pulled some years ago. I wonder if he's still around here...

[TechMan]

I went to this dentist one time and he wanted to replace all my silver fillings with the new type.  He was going to charge me multiple 1000's of dollars.  I said no thank you and went back to my regular dentist.

[castle key]

"Is it safe?"

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I went to this dentist one time and he wanted to replace all my silver fillings with the new type.  He was going to charge me multiple 1000's of dollars.  I said no thank you and went back to my regular dentist.

you never heard about this lil moneymaker?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

[TechMan]

you never heard about this lil moneymaker?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

Yep....researched it after that dentist.

[brimic]

Haven't had any dental work done in 25 years except a chip in a front tooth ground smooth. I only had 5 fillings in my life, I think My dad has had zero, my wife on the other hand has had all kinds of contraptions and appliances.
My son already has a Harley in his mouth - a low end Dyna at least, and my daughter is looking at a full dresser or a or even a BMW in the next few years. 

[GigaBuist]

I think the only way these cut-rate people stay in business is the insurance/employer complex and the fact that people choose providers based on what insurance they have, rather than based on the value of the provider.

Yep.

When we got married my wife had dental insurance so she "made" me get a cleaning/checkup.  It'd been 10 years since I'd seen a dentist.  To the dental office's credit they did tell me that if I hadn't told them it had been 10 years since my last cleaning they would have assumed 6 months, and didn't recommend anything extra.  On my second visit to the same office another dentist did recommend I get my wisdom teeth pulled and referred me to somebody else with the same last name.

But my wife kept extolling the virtues of insurance.  We only had to pay $75 for a cleaning!  The paperwork shows we saved $200 per visit!  Insurance is saving us money!   I asked my old man, who has no dental insurance, what he pays for a basic visit and it was $75.  Sorta confirmed what I had been telling my wife about the whole "insurance covers exceptions, not routine stuff." thing.

Now she just takes herself and the kids to a local dentist, pays cash, and it costs the same as it did after the insurance "discount" nonsense. 

[Sergeant Bob]

"Is it safe?"

I see what you did there!

[grampster]

Every time a dentist told me to have my wisdom teeth pulled, I told them I'd only charge them $100.00 a tooth.  I usually got "What?"  After which I'd tell 'em that I was charging for their practice at pulling teeth that didn't need to be pulled.  When the dental assistant finishes cleaning my teeth, she usually recommends to my dentist which fillings should be replaced.  My guy always chuckles and tell her that he and I have an agreement to only fix stuff that needs fixing, not just changing out old for new.

[Tallpine]

Our dentist is okay.  When at cleainings/checkups they try to sell me on some implants,etc I just tell them that I'll think about it when I have an extra $20K lying around with nothing else to spend it on.