Wow, some dentists need a clue

[Corporate Thug]

So I found this new dentist based on the reviews he was getting on yelp. I went to him a few times. He is a nice guy and does solid work but shortly after my first visits, I basically concluded that he is one of those up seller.

Long story short, on my first visit, instead of charging me cash for the $29 new patient special he had for x-rays, he billed the insurance company $200, which is 20% of my yearly max. He looked over my teeth and made some notes about the teeth that needed cavities...he wouldn't do a cleaning on the first visit for some god awful reason. So I come back a week later and, as he is doing the cleaning, he says he found some additional cavities and asks if they are new. Really? 3 new cavities in a week? pretty unlikely. So he does the cleaning and 2 filing...there are 4 more to complete based on the "new" ones he discovered. He tells me to make an appointment for a third session.

He asks me several times if I already had someone in mind to do two of my implants...I said yes. After the second sessions, his office literally calls me once a week for a month straight to set up the filings...the voicemails also ask if I saw their surgeon even though I told them a ton of times that I'm using my own guy (who has done implants for family members). After another month of no-stop weekly calls, I tell the secretary to please stop calling my number and I will contact them when I am ready for my second appointment.

They STILL don't get the point and call (now once every two weeks though)...WTF am I supposed to say to them to make them get the damn point?

 

[techs]

Many insurance companies won't pay for an office visit and an cleaning on the same day, so I can verify that part.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Dentist industry is REALLY struggling right now......as you can tell, they need business as people don't have money and simply cannot go and pay cash for everything.

Dental is the first thing that gets neglected. Their overly filled pockets are filling it....

You should've dropped this dentist the second he found 2 new cavities 2 weeks after initial visit. Also, you better HOPE he didn't drill too deep, cause if he did you are looking at a root canal in no time....

 

[Skel]

I dropped my last dentist because they started calling me on a almost weekly basis to inform me that I wasn't using the max benefits my insurance would cover. When your dentist starts having that used car salesmen feeling it's time to move on.

 

[techs]

In defense of dentists, have you seen the price of the new Lexus?

 

[Slew Foot]

All dentists are like that. They're worse than chiropractors

 

[steppinthrax]

So I found this new dentist based on the reviews he was getting on yelp. I went to him a few times. He is a nice guy and does solid work but shortly after my first visits, I basically concluded that he is one of those up seller.

Long story short, on my first visit, instead of charging me cash for the $29 new patient special he had for x-rays, he billed the insurance company $200, which is 20% of my yearly max. He looked over my teeth and made some notes about the teeth that needed cavities...he wouldn't do a cleaning on the first visit for some god awful reason. So I come back a week later and, as he is doing the cleaning, he says he found some additional cavities and asks if they are new. Really? 3 new cavities in a week? pretty unlikely. So he does the cleaning and 2 filing...there are 4 more to complete based on the "new" ones he discovered. He tells me to make an appointment for a third session.

He asks me several times if I already had someone in mind to do two of my implants...I said yes. After the second sessions, his office literally calls me once a week for a month straight to set up the filings...the voicemails also ask if I saw their surgeon even though I told them a ton of times that I'm using my own guy (who has done implants for family members). After another month of no-stop weekly calls, I tell the secretary to please stop calling my number and I will contact them when I am ready for my second appointment.

They STILL don't get the point and call (now once every two weeks though)...WTF am I supposed to say to them to make them get the damn point?

I hate fucking dentist, most of them are full of shit. One dentist told my wife that she needed 2 crowns and her wisdom teeth pulled. Went to another dentist a few months later and all she needed was a deep cleaning.

I had a dentist do a crown on me, he f-ed up so bad. I pretty much learned that he left such a large "margin" between the crown and remaining tooth material that it decayed out and and to be re-built. The same dentist did another crown and didn't do a bite adjustment, a few days later my bite was not correct....

 

[steppinthrax]

This right here will make dentist irrelevant in the future

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caries_vaccine

 

[JTsyo]

He looked over my teeth and made some notes about the teeth that needed cavities

And that's when you know you don't want him working on your teeth.

 

[ichy]

All dentists are like that. They're worse than chiropractors

Well unlike chiropractors dentists at least do some positive things.

I was incredibly lucky to find the guy that I did. I hadn't been to a dentist for a decade and finally bit the bullet. No patronizing lectures, no bullshit attempts to upsell and certainly no crap like recommending I get my wisdom teeth removed. He just gave me a clean bill of health and a reminder to come back in half a year for another cleaning. Definitely a guy I'm sticking with. My father recently went to a new dentist who tried to sell him all kinds of bullshit unnecessary treatments.

 

[sjwaste]

This right here will make dentist irrelevant in the future

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caries_vaccine

Economically speaking, why wouldn't any association of dentists fight that one to the bitter end? Fillings have to be a huge moneymaker.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Dentist industry is REALLY struggling right now......as you can tell, they need business as people don't have money and simply cannot go and pay cash for everything.

Dental is the first thing that gets neglected. Their overly filled pockets are filling it....

You should've dropped this dentist the second he found 2 new cavities 2 weeks after initial visit. Also, you better HOPE he didn't drill too deep, cause if he did you are looking at a root canal in no time....

fortunately, it was a small surface cavity on both of my two front teeth that was previously filled so there was almost no drilling at all.

 

[rudeguy]

what cup size are you going for OP?

Saline or silicone?

 

[lxskllr]

You should've dropped this dentist the second he found 2 new cavities 2 weeks after initial visit.

^^^ WTF is that?! Either you fucked up the previous time, or you're a lying piece of shit trying to make boat payments on my mouth. I wouldn't go back to him if he did the work free.

 

[Corporate Thug]

what cup size are you going for OP?

Saline or silicone?

enamel.

 

[steppinthrax]

Economically speaking, why wouldn't any association of dentists fight that one to the bitter end? Fillings have to be a huge moneymaker.

They can only fight so long, and in other countries (China) people barely go to a dentist. Other countries will develop this and provide it as a vaccine.

 

[Corporate Thug]

^^^ WTF is that?! Either you fucked up the previous time, or you're a lying piece of shit trying to make boat payments on my mouth. I wouldn't go back to him if he did the work free.

yeah, and he charged $80 per filing AFTER insurance which covered 50%...my old dentist charged $60 CASH per filing

 

[Mixolydian]

You're an anti-dentite!

 

[skim milk]

I had a similar experience with non-stop calls after one cleaning visit. Obviously, the dental industry has taken a hit and struggling. I told them I moved and they finally stopped all calls. Tell them you moved if you want the calls to stop.

 

[lokiju]

Had a filling fallout last year in December and having not set up a new dentist since moving to the area, I did some quick research to fine one that took my companies insurance and had decent reviews.

Well come to find out the filling fell out because the cavity grew to the size that I now needed a root canal (a 1st!).

Took two 4 hour visits of my mouthing being wedged open and my canals being a huge pain in the ass to get cleaned out.

All in all, I was pleased with the dentist, thought he did good and seemed professional.

Then the sales calls start after about two weeks.

Weekly they're calling me to make an appointment to come in and get a full cleaning done.

Finally after the 4th or 5th time I said "I'm a grown man and do not need to be called non-stop to be told to do something I am very capable of deciding when is best for me to do."

She seemed all flustered but sure as shit they haven't called again.

 

[OnePingOnly]

All dentists are like that. They're worse than chiropractors

Where does this leave lawyers?

OP, just curious. Did you go to one of those 'Aspen Dental' clinics or some other corporate franchise? I ask because those are known to be pure shit operations that are run owned by private-equity firms and employ freshly-minted dentists that are saddled down with enormous school debt.

When I needed to have my wisdom teeth pulled years ago I was referred to an oral surgeon and thought he did great. I've had mixed experiences with general dentists, too, but I've found one that I like and I'm happy with his service.

 

[kranky]

I don't know, my dentist has never tried to upsell me on anything and I've been going there for many years. The closest they ever came was when they hygienist mentioned they now have some high-powered whitening treatment available, but never went beyond that.

So they aren't ALL like that.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Where does this leave lawyers?

OP, just curious. Did you go to one of those 'Aspen Dental' clinics or some other corporate franchise? I ask because those are known to be pure shit operations that are run owned by private-equity firms and employ freshly-minted dentists that are saddled down with enormous school debt.

When I needed to have my wisdom teeth pulled years ago I was referred to an oral surgeon and thought he did great. I've had mixed experiences with general dentists, too, but I've found one that I like and I'm happy with his service.

Quite the opposite...it's actually a family practice that the son and daughter continued after the father retired; they don't even do financing.

 

[Six]

I've been lucky. A buddy recommended a good dentist to me. I've been going to that office for 6-8 years now. The only problem is that...I have to make an appointment 4-6 months in advance for any non-emergencies.

 

[Homerboy]

For 2 years when my son went to his dentist they said "he needs an appliance to align his bite". That it would only get worse as time went on. I refused to get it.

Now he goes and they give him GLOWING reviews on how perfect his bite is. I always want to ask "Oh really? Let's check the charts from 2 years ago you assholes."

My wife went the other day (1st time in 2+ years) 7 cavities. They broke it out into 2 sessions to get filled. Each a month apart. Problem is it goes over the max per-year on our dental plan. I told her to tell them to schedule one session this year and one next year in January (will save us ~$1000 or so). They gave her grief about it. F-Them.