Wellness

[AngelPuppy1]

All dentists are pretty high, I think!  My old dentist retired awhile ago and he was reasonably priced as dentists go.  And I trusted him because I believe he wasn't always saying that I needed this, that or the other thing.  Then, I switched to a larger practice.  They were all about the money and trying to push things on you.  You need this, you need that.  And every single thing was an extra, exorbitant price!  I went 2ce and then started asking people for referrals and found a small group of dentists who I like.  They still aren't cheap (none of them are) but they are not high pressure or pushy and I believe they just tell you what you need to know and need to have done.  My best suggestion is to ask for referrals from family members and friends.  

[Montana]

I have been going to my dentist for many years. He will do a treatment plan for gum or tooth problems but does not try to force me to accept. He will point out possible dangers for not taking care of issues but when or if I get work done is entirely up to me. 

For teeth cleaning, I actually prefer the Cavitron. I have to request it each time.  It cuts way down on the manual scraping and digging I hate and makes cleaning go much faster. Thankfully, no gum sensitivity at all. 

I don’t have any way to compare costs, but I feel he is expensive. He works alone.

[AuntG]

Wonder if this is a regional thing. Around here, we have plenty of dentists so costs don't vary greatly. My share of a crown was $800 which is probably considered reasonable in some parts of the country.

[drizzellla]

Homedecor1 - What is going on? That sounds crazy. I am glad you did not sign anything. And also hope you get a second opinion. But the problem will be that the new Dentist will want to do all the Xrays and scans the other Dentist did.

I swear my Dentist is doing the same thing. He is trying to pay for his new 180 degree Xray machine with my checkbook. He also moved into a larger office. And of course had it completely remodeled.

I can't seem to bring myself to go back to him. There are several things that I am not happy about his work. And crown that was not fitted exactly and caused another tooth to break and an implant to loosen.

Also, the Dentist said I had a "bad" cavity. He filled it and the tooth broke about 1 week later. Before I left the Dentist's visit. He gave me an invoice of all the work he would need to do because he knew the filling would not last. I keep wondering how I had such a bad cavity if I had been going to the Dentist every 6 months.

Hope you find a reasonable Dentist. I am looking for one too.

[kaydee50]

When we moved here to Chicago, went online to find dentists.  I emailed several different ones explaining I was new to the area and needed a dentist.   Asked them about their fees for their various services.  Also asked friends who they use. 

Result:  I found a dentist who is reasonable, $700 for a crown, gives senior discounts, will tell me what she thinks needs to be done but leaves it up to me.

So far so good.  So before going to a dentist I would check them out online and get their fees.  

[ciao_bella]

@homedecor   I'm wondering if you might have a university or college near you that has a teaching dental clinic you could go to.  Newly practicing dental students are completely supervised by licensed dentists and specialists. They do everything from cleanings, to implants and everything in between.

From what I've heard, the prices can range from $0 to only a minimal fee.   Doesn't hurt to check it out.  

[Eileen in Virginia]

We’ve been using the same dentists since we moved to Northern Virginia over 40 years ago. Our health insurance barely covered their fees, but they’re good dentists, so we paid the balance out of pocket. I’ve often said, if I’d been born 20 years earlier, I would be toothless today. 

The original dentist retired a few years ago and several longtime staff members followed suit. The “junior” partner is now the sole dentist. She’s updating the equipment to much higher tech equipment that the previous older staff probably wouldn’t have accepted (her words). At our last check-up, I had a new hygienist who spent between 5 to 10 minutes explaining that the ADA had developed new protocols, many of which sounded like their primary focus was income generation. Now crowns should probably be replaced after 5 years - I have at least 5 crowns in my mouth. As my crowns age, it might be necessary to replace them with implants at a cost of about $5K per implant. The “discussion” was a lot more like a lecture and I didn’t feel as though I would be an equal participant in making the decision.

I realize that good dental care doesn’t come cheap, but I’ve got to wonder about the basis for these new protocols. Our next 6 month checkup’s in September. If they try to give me the hard-sell, I’m going to consult my friend’s dentist. She says he’s an excellent dentist who provides multiple options whenever possible. 

[IMW]

We have the very, very, very best dentist in existence imo. My family is with him 38 years. When patients relocate they come back for him and his partner.

We are blessed, he is the only reason I still have my teeth.

Years ago I was his first implant patient— he didn’t want to do it, I refused to see anyone else.

I have his home phone and  cell  phone #s.

He, himself does my cleaning about every 3 months,

by hand. He accepts my insurance.

I know he treats me special, I was his very first patient 

38 years ago,but he is honest, has integrity a light touch and a tremendous  heart.

[sashamatthews]

I want to have new porcelain crowns put on my teeth - the set I have on now needs to be replaced.  I received a quote of $27,000 just for the upper teeth.  I walked out.  These practitioners charge full retail for everything.  There are no discounts.  I pay by check - no credit card fees for them to pay - and they still charge the full rate.  So I just met with a new dentist and we are going to discuss the crowns after the new year.  We'll see what he charges.

[StylishLady]

I wish everyone good luck. I have been through almost a dozen different dentists since moving here in 2001. The last ones did shoddy work with poor materials and I need work again. There seems no easy way these days.