Does your dentist try to sell you add'l. services?

[89911]

Originally Posted by Sonic dB

In addition to this, there are many, many practice-management groups across the country that hold their own seminars and sell their expertise on marketing to the patient's ' growing your practice' etc.

Bingo. It just seems many of the Dentist in the growing area's are strong followers of them. I truely think in their own minds they are doing what's best for the patient. One of the reasons I never go to them, (I'm busy enough with a 3 month wait for appointments.) I don't mind informing new patients there is nothing wrong and move on. It's the "hungry" seller you have to beware. Interesting enough, one of the biggest consultants in Dentistry is Sterling Management, owned by Scientologist. http://www.Scientology-lies.com/press/atlanta-journal-constitution-1989-03-18/consulting-firm-aims-dentists.html

[89911]

Originally Posted by rick-l

Is there any reason to have a panoramic x-ray every year and if there is why doesn't my insurance pay for it?

What an insurer pays should never be the absolute guideline for what needs to be done. Implants are a good example that not covered by insurers (generally) but, in my opinion, superior to other alternatives. As for Panoramic films, one every year is unnecessary. They are only to view wisdom teeth and other problems usually not viewed with routine bitewing radiographs. Insurances only pay for these every 3-5 years, which in this case is correct.

[Mule]

Almost 20 yrs ago a dentist told me I had a 6mm "pocket" that had to be fixe with some type of gum surgery. I went to see the surgeon, new MB outside, diamond bezel president on his wrist. He tells me $1200 or $1500, I can't remember which (with ins). Neither one seemed to be able to persuade me that it was really necessary. I declined. They warned that it would increase in size and consequences would be dire. Almost 20 yrs later it's still 6mm & I'm still waiting for the "dire consequences."

[cnielsen]

Here is my opinion from a dentist's standpoint...

Every patient is different and it is unfair to generalize or make an opinion based on an internet description. Everything that has been said here is absolutely 100% correct in "some" cases. Yes, there are money hungry dentists out there just like any other profession. They make me sick. I see the patients come into my office with all their silver fillings replaced with white ones just because their old DDS said they would get MS or some other unproven ailment. Arrrgh, now the white fillings are leaking and I need to explain to them why they need to be replaced all while they are still making payments on the old ones...yes, it does happen!!!

Now, that being said...there are lots of cases where fillings need to be replaced and sometimes they need to be replaced with crowns. If you could sit in my seat for a day you would see that old fillings can cause teeth to fracture leading to potentially more work, i.e root canals or extractions. There are different types of fillings, different techniques to placing them and of course the skills of dentists varies widely. I have seen both silver and white fillings fail and patients report that they were done only a couple years ago by a previous DDS. On the other hand, I have seen just the opposite with 30+ year old silver and gold fillings that look amazing. I am certainly not afraid to tell patients if their 30 yr old fillings look good. As a rule of thumb though, silver fillings usually last an average of about 25 years. They almost always need to be replaced eventually. White fillings usually have a somewhat shorter lifespan.

I hate to give people big expensive treatment plans and I do patients and friends favors ALL the time...but if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. I am hoping to not scare my patients away with this sort of stuff so they will return often and refer all their frients and family. In your case, I am sure your old dentist got used to seeing you every six months and has not noticed how things have worsened slowly over time. Now the new dentist is noticing a defective margin or a small fracture and wants to treat it...that is good. If in doubt, go get a second opinion. I am confident in my work and encourage a second opinion if the patient seems doubtful. Often times they return with a much, much larger treatment plan and estimate!

BTW, $174 for six fillings is dirt cheap!!! Get one or two done and see what you think of the work and experience and go from there.

Good luck and don't be an "anti-dentite!"

[Drdogface]

My perio guy is a good friend and we socialize with him a lot. He recently came back from some conference and said, with a huge energetic smile, that he'd found out about a 'new' bacteria that needed to be tested for and, if found, one needed a $500 root planing and course of antibiotics. Perhaps it's all true but the energetic smile made me ultra suspicious. Of course my wife and I both have that bug.

As a Veterinarian, I have been to numerous conferences where the practice mgmt. guys have classes so I know exactly what goes on. Add to this, this dentist friend has recently hired a very expensive practice consultant. Prices for routing prophy went up 40% !!

[scottmandue]

Hey can one of you dentist hook me up with a deal on a grill?

Something tasteful, maybe gold with platinum Porsche badges on each tooth.

[Rick Lee]

My best friend from college is a dentist in Mountain View, CA. Hopefully, I'll see her in the next few mos. so she can take a look. I trust her more than anyone else. If she says it needs to be done, then I'll have it done.

Again, the $174 isn't the issue. I know it's cheap. But I didn't know that white fillings had a shorter service life. My old dentist often showed me close-up photos of my old fillings and always said they still look great. I have no reason to doubt her and she probably knows I'd do whatever she suggested without getting a second opinion.

[Rick Lee]

Today my wife went for her first cleaning since moving to Phoenix and, of course, was subjected to the new patient sales pitch on getting all fillings replaced. They said it would be $850 out of pocket after insurance and they could do it today. Then they tried to make her feel bad for not doing it. What is with this BS? I'm getting my x-rays or photos on a CD to take to my dentists friend in CA next week for a second opinion. This whole pushy sales pitch from dentists is a totally new phenomenon to me.

[Wangrande]

Additional services?? Does this topic have a happy ending? Oops, wrong profession.

[Sonic dB]

Originally Posted by Wangrande

Additional services?? Does this topic have a happy ending? Oops, wrong profession.

[RWebb]

i dumped a guy for doing stuff like that

what reallt pissed me off is he tried pushing a bunch of cosmetic stuff on my 81 yr old mom - he knew she was in ill health too

i mentioned it to a friend who used the same guy - he is chief of staff at the largest hosp. in town, so it may get around

there are plenty of fine dentists who are not greedy

when this happens - stop them right there, explain the problem and tell them you are going to find somebody else

[Evans, Marv]

I changed dentists when the one I had gone to for several years started giving me those kinds of pitches. Seems he'd recently gone to some kind of training for cosmetic dentistry. He also commented about how I had gum disease everytime I went in, when I couldn't perceive anything wrong over a long period of time. I changed to a great little Japanese lady dentist who's doing a great job and couldn't be happier.
I became suspicious of dentists from the time I was in grammar school. My parents took me to the dentist in our small town. He told my parents I needed all of my molars filled in the centers because of cavities. I told them I couldn't see any cavities, but they made me to do it because "the dentist knew about those things and we didn't". So I had to take time off from school for quite a while for my appointments while he ground and filled. That was in the days when they had those low speed, cable driven drills. Anyway, years later, my molars started cracking and breaking apart from all those large fillings and had to be capped. I know he scammed me (us - my parents), and have been suspicious since of dentists that push a bunch of procedures.

[89911]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Today my wife went for her first cleaning since moving to Phoenix and, of course, was subjected to the new patient sales pitch on getting all fillings replaced. They said it would be $850 out of pocket after insurance and they could do it today. Then they tried to make her feel bad for not doing it. What is with this BS? I'm getting my x-rays or photos on a CD to take to my dentists friend in CA next week for a second opinion. This whole pushy sales pitch from dentists is a totally new phenomenon to me.

How did your wife find out about this Dentist? The problem with many areas that have been growing quickly is that there aren't many people with "roots" in the area that can give you a recommendation based on years of experience. And yes, it is upsetting to find out those that have unnecessary work proposed. Find coworkers or neighbors that live in the area and ask them. Don't use the phone book or any stupid 1 800 Dentist (these are just payed for by Dentist for referrals). If you ever step into an office and they diagnose and then want to do the work the same day, run. Unless for some kind of strange anomaly, most office are booked for months.

[Rick Lee]

I actually read a long thread on this topic on City Data Forum and someone listed a few dentists within walking distance of my house that they claimed didn't pull this sh.....stuff. I think my wife found hers on her insurance co. website. We're both going elsewhere next time. I think Joeaksa told me he had someone, so I'll check with him. My mom told me the other day that she has some fillings older than 50 yrs. I mean, I'd rather be proactive and fix things before they require more work. But this used car sales pitch BS is very off-putting. Do they teach this nonsense in dental school nowadays?

[onewhippedpuppy]

I went to the same dentist for several years. Cool guy, we always talked about flying and aviation. Then he bought a new Mooney. Perhaps a coincidence, but suddenly my teeth got very bad. All of a sudden I had two cracked teeth that needed capped, one worse than the other. I got the "bad" one done with plans to get the other done at a later date. Then my wife went in, and she had two teeth that needed capped as well. This was after going to the guy for several years, all of a sudden we both needed a lot of work. They also started getting much more pushy with the whitening and adult braces, and raised their rates.

We bailed and went to a dentist recommended by a dental hygenist friend. No mention of my remaining cracked tooth, no mention of my wife's supposed two cracked teeth. Suddenly, both of us are fine. He asked me once, "has anyone ever talked to you about braces?" I answered yes, and that was the end of the conversation.

Personally, I think some are more "aggressive" than others and push work that doesn't really NEED to get done. Keep my teeth from falling out, don't waste my time, and I'm a happy camper.

[Rot 911]

Doesn't seem to be a problem with my dentist. Hell I even had an old filling fall out. He filled that one and said don't worry about the others unless they came loose.

[billyboy]

My dentist completely changed the view that I had acquired of them as a child. My childhood dentist used a belt driven drill that did about 50 rpm. He would literally push me up the back of the chair and then stop so I could slide back down to start over. The dentist that I've had for the past 15 years or so is incredibly gentle and painless. As far as selling stuff, he said that I showed signs of excessive night grinding. He said that I could buy one of the mouth guards that they sell for a couple of hundred or go to Rite-Aid and get a football mouth piece for a couple of bucks that would do the same thing.

[Drdogface]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Do they teach this nonsense in dental school nowadays?

No Rick, I don't think they teach it in dental schools but all of them go to continuing education seminars all the time. Just after I came back into the US from Nam and started to practice (Vet Med) the seminars began to include 'practice management' classes. Many of these were directed at improving your income and it went from there. Their pitch was for you to just sell more products and services mostly by 'client education'. Not all these were bad ideas, in fact most are good, but some practicioners take it to extremes and don't have much in the way of honest sounding presentations.

My wife and I have both had the 'filling replacement' speach/scam run on us several times. Fries my bacon when that happens too but I expect that some old fillings do need to be replaced if they are deteriorating.

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by rick-l

Is there any reason to have a panoramic x-ray every year and if there is why doesn't my insurance pay for it?

my dentist is always hounding me about x-rays. i have no cavities, no problems and im 42. whats he gonna see now that has not already shown itself.

[89911]

My first of 4 will be starting college in less then 2 years. Maybe you should stay away from my office for a while.