Dental Deceit

[Lucky]

Lawyers, doctors, dentists- probably all professionals have their flaws. I was once in a courtroom where the defendant had plead guilty under a plea agreement. Everything was cut and dry as to his sentence. But, for some reason, the family hired a lawyer for the sentencing. Rather than tell the family that there was nothing he could do as it was all set in stone, he charged them $2500 to appear in court. He told the court what a good guy the defendant was, and, of course, the judge sentenced the guy as per the plea agreement. The lawyer had essentially ripped the family off.

Doctors too are human. They run all sorts of tests to run the bill up, then bill for things they didn't do. I have long since learned the value of getting a second opinion from another doctor who has no financial stake in the outcome.

But today I am here because of frustration with dentists. When I moved to the area, I immediately sought out the services of a gay dentist. You know, keep it in the family, patronize gay business, and,of course, a certain belief that one of our own wouldn't rip off one of his own. How wrong I was. The dentist put crowns on two teeth, and I paid extra for a precious metal crown on each. I later had the occasion to see another dentist on an unrelated matter. He asked me if I knew that one of the crowns had a chip in it, and the other was not properly fit. The one with the chip should be replaced right away. So, I wrote the gay dentist and he refused a refund. But luckily I had a picture, and he ultimately sent me a check. The second bad crown was replaced later and I did not seek a refund. But guess what? When the crowns were removed, I discovered that he had used a cheap metal, not the precious metal I had paid for. No doubt he thought I would never find out.

Recently a periodontist told me I needed $18,000 in urgent dental work. The person very aggressively told me that nothing less would do, that I could trust no one else to be honest with me because they would just tell me what I wanted to hear in order to get my money. So I went to a dentist I knew, and he didn't see the problem. Neither did the dentist who had just cleaned my teeth and did a full mouth x-ray. I sent the x-rays out of state to get an objective opinion, and the dentist and periodontist who reviewed them didn't see the need for all that work either. So today I got a thorough exam, complete with the latest in digital x-rays. Guess what? That dentist thought I didn't need that work either.

While I was at the dentist, he showed me the x-rays of a 17 year old girl. They were just about the best teeth you could imagine. Yet a periodontist had told her, in writing, that she needed 14 cavities filled at a cost of over $3000. This guy was going to drill into perfectly healthy teeth just to make money!

So, yes, I am glad I went for a second and third opinion. I am going to end up spending $700 instead of $18,000. Friends of mine have been having similar issues. So far, they have 3 estimates. One is $20,000, one is $12,000, one is $7,000. All for the same problem.

What a world we live in. No doubt the economy is keeping many people from having dental work done,and some dentists are desperate to keep up their boat payments!

[TampaYankee]

Yes Virginia, you find used car salesman everywhere... the attitudes and ethics anyway. Caveat Emptor.

This guys problem was his unbounded greed. Imagine how much easier he could sell $3k worth of unnecessary work to his patients.

I need some kitchen and bathroom remodeling and have been tempted to join Emily's List for information about local contractors. I have a natural dislike for being forced into joining anything and have yet to bite the bullet. It is just this kind of episode that would get me past that reluctance drop a frank review on this guy.

I hate it when people try to screw me.

[Guest hitoallusa]

It's true. I also had a bad experience with a dentist so I stopped going there. They keep calling for my return but I decided not to go back there.

Some dentists are desperate to keep up their boat payments!

[Guest EXPAT]

When I moved to Southern California this time, I tried out 3 new dentists and they were all telling me lies. I reported each of them to the California Dental association and the BBB (which really is useless frankly). But the big scam out here now is to try and charge $1000 for "deep cleaning".

So I go back to my family dentist in Indiana a couple of times a year. And they are honest. It's really sad the state of dentistry. I guess with teeth getting healthier they are desperate for business. I've never had a cavity and I never will (hopefully).

[JKane]

I know a great dentist in North Hollywood, anybody needs his name, PM me.

[Guest Allessio77]

Have has the same experience with dentist....huckstering unneeded dental work.

Right now I am trying to decide if my current DDS is being honest with me.

He wants to cap 2 more teeth, which seem fine to me. One I just got capped, and one has had a filling in for 30 years. No Pain....no problems.

I just don't know what to do.

[TampaYankee]

I should have mentioned that I have been very fortunate with my dentist. I found my dentist 33 years ago. His office was in the basement of his house. Chair, assistant and everything. After a year or so, he had a whole new office condominium built with maybe 20 office units. He worked out of two connected together and acquired a partner to help with the practice.

He was honest, funny and easy to work with. I guess I impressed him early on that I was't a fan of pain... lol. That was my rep anyway and I can say that I never experienced much to this day. He was a great conversationalist. He passed away in the 90s from cancer. I moved over to his parnter who had a great rep also. Kept the same hygienist. Still there to this day.

His office has slowed down. The partner he took on after the passing of my dentist left after some years to relocate with a spouse. He took that opportunity to cut back the operation, not seeking any new patients.

Never had a bad or even questionable experience in that office. I'll keep seeing him until his doors close for good, or mine.

[BiBottomBoy]

I wouldn't choose a dentist just because he was gay in the same way I would hope a straight person wouldn't choose a dentist just because he's straight.

I think we need to take sexual orientation out of our non sexual decisions.

[Guest Anton]

Hey Lucky,

I’m sorry to read about your of frustrations with your dentist. I find myself in a funny situation. Lately I’m about as often in Europe as I am in the States. So I have a dentist at both sides of the water and I always have a second opinion ...

I wouldn't choose a dentist just because he was gay in the same way I would hope a straight person wouldn't choose a dentist just because he's straight.

And BiBottomGuy,

I agree with you and at the same time I don’t. I also hope that straight people don’t choose a dentist just because he's straight. But as long as gay people are still refused jobs at certain places, or if they even get fired when an employer finds out that somebody’s gay, I have a slight preference for spending my money at gay businesses.

Eeerrr, I have to correct that. I have a slight preference for spending my money with gay friendly businesses.

Sincerely, Anton.

[BiBottomBoy]

Gay friendly is very different than simply a gay business. My doctor is straight but because of the neighborhood I live in most of his patients are gay.

[Lucky]

Ditzy, Inc. The receptionist at my gay dermatologist called me at 8 a.m. today. It seems that when I left on Monday, she charged me a balance of $5.00, but was really supposed to charge me $55.00. Could I come right over and make that payment?

I said, "Why, do you have creditors at the door?"

"No, she replied, "I just need to get this posted."

I asked her to send me a bill, but she said she couldn't do that.

So I drove the several miles over there and were they at all apologetic for this inconvenience? Not at all. It was more like I had skipped out on them.

But no doubt the doctor knows none of this, and I am generally happy with him, so I will not say a word.

[Guest CharliePS]

I have had three regular dentists over the past half century. They have all been straight family men, Conservative Jews who went to good liberal arts colleges and Ivy League dental schools. I have never had a bad experience with any of them. Just because the demographic works for me, of course, doesn't mean it will work for someone else.

[Lucky]

There is the stereotype of the hard-working, very smart Jew who is a whiz at his job but not so good in the social realm. I have met many Jewish professionals who are indeed whizzes at their job, but many are quite adept socially. But often when you are dealing with someone super smart and well educated, they tend to be on a level of intellect that does impede their everyday social interactions with the common folk. They don't have to be Jewish.

I did meet Charlie's dentist, and we hit it off right away, as it seems we like many of the same authors and are both avid readers.

[BiBottomBoy]

I think it's very hard to have both social and intellectual intelligence in the same brain.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Then why are you not going to him anymore??? Am I missing something?

There is the stereotype of the hard-working, very smart Jew who is a whiz at his job but not so good in the social realm. I have met many Jewish professionals who are indeed whizzes at their job, but many are quite adept socially. But often when you are dealing with someone super smart and well educated, they tend to be on a level of intellect that does impede their everyday social interactions with the common folk. They don't have to be Jewish.

I did meet Charlie's dentist, and we hit it off right away, as it seems we like many of the same authors and are both avid readers.

[Guest JamesIvory]

But the big scam out here now is to try and charge $1000 for "deep cleaning".

Interesting price. My dentist is always trying to upsell me. But recently I have had a small gum infection and he wants to do a deep cleaning. His fee is $550. per quad so $2,100 for my entire mouth. I am just going to have him do the quad that is bothering me. His fees are extraordinary.

[Lucky]

A few yeas ago a bitch of a hygeniest was cleaning my teeth, and suggested I might want root planing. I said I would think about it, but before I was out of the chair she was saying that she would start right now. I got up and left, giving her and the dentist a piece of my mind. The price then was $125 a quadrant.

[Guest JamesIvory]

OK I just returned from my dentist having a deep cleaning done on the quad that has been bothering me. After the standard deep cleaning was complete they moved me to another room where the dentist was going to do a lazer treatment. I informed them I did not want this additional treatment and proceeded to the check out area.

At the billing desk the woman informed me it would be $550. which was the quoted price as I mentioned in my post above. I explained that fee included the lazer treatment that I denied and I like her to recalculate. You would think the ground had opened up and was swallowing the staff in lol.

After a little back and forth between her and another person in billing that came up with a adjusted fee of $378. I thanked them and paid it and left. On my way home I was thinking nice savings but also wondering if I made the correct choice about the additional treatment.

Now I am hoping on my next trip, in four weeks, the dentist does not retaliate in some painful way. I would hope not as he must run into this from time to time. I have been seeing him several years now as well.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Deep cleaning? I didn't even know there was something like that. My dentist thought I was a poor guy so he didn't offer treatments that was essential. I stop going there. His office kept calling me to come back. I simply said no and never went back. I hate when these doctors play money game. I know you have to make your living but can you do that with less golf trips and expensive vacations? And they get mad when they are not called Dr.

[Lucky]

$378 for one quadrant? That's very high. Our local dentist wants $105, but says that is a discount from the usual rate of $220. But he's getting a of of quadrants.

What was the laser supposed to do after you had already been deep cleaned?

[MsGuy]

What was the laser supposed to do after you had already been deep cleaned?

Add $172 to the bill?

[Guest JamesIvory]

$378 for one quadrant? That's very high. Our local dentist wants $105, but says that is a discount from the usual rate of $220. But he's getting a of of quadrants.

What was the laser supposed to do after you had already been deep cleaned?

That is a excellent question. I asked and the answer was basically the same thing to clean up the gum lines or whatever. Total garbage in my mind. Once I get past the problem I am experiencing I think it will be time to look for a different dentist. Only due to his fee not because I dislike him or his ability.

[BiBottomBoy]

The laser breaks down particles that the deep cleaning can't reach and makes the teeth whitening process last longer.

[Guest hitoallusa]

What kind of dentists do you guys see? My good dentist just clean my teeth and doesnt recommend any of services mentioned here. He just tells to brush correctly, floss and use a mouthwash product of some kind. He says that's enough. He is a good doctor.

[BiBottomBoy]

Most try to upsell you on teeth whitening services.