Saturday, November 14, 2009

My dentist won't fill my cavities or treat me in anyway unless I have a teeth cleaning?

I went to the dentist today for the first time in a while. I have several cavities that need to be filled but overall, my teeth are in good shape and my mouth is healthy. In fact, he inspected my teeth and said that for a person who had not had a cleaning in 20 years, things looked good. He made a proposal for my dental care that began with an extensive teeth cleaning. I told him that I was opposed to teeth cleaning as I have had several friends become very ill following the procedure. I became very angry, yelled at me and told me that he refused to fill my cavities until I had a cleaning. I did not seem concerned about the health of my mouth, he just kept saying "it is my work and my reputation and I won't have your teeth fall out in 30 years and have you say I did bad work" Is this a normal tack for a dentist to take? He just seemed more concerned about money. He also is charging me 3 times what the insurance told me my costs would be.

My dentist won't fill my cavities or treat me in anyway unless I have a teeth cleaning?
go to another dentist, he must be one of those idiotic dentists out there
Reply:Yeah! I don't understand this, my teeth were very good until i got my first teeth cleaning. The aftermath has been a nightmare. In my opinion a teeth cleaning is just asking for trouble I think that for most people it is just a gimmick to get or create more business. now don't get me wrong I'm sure that their are reasons for it, but not for everyone.
Reply:First, he's right. I know you don't want to hear it, but he is. He is focused on prevention, not just repair. I applaud him for that. If you get your teeth cleaned regularly, then maybe next time you won't have any cavities that need filling. Remember the saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".





And, about the costs. By law, he can't charge you more than what his contract with the insurance company says. Perhaps there is some miscommunication. The insurance probably told you what your out-of-pocket costs would be, and you probably got the whole cost from him. Ask his office what your co-pay will be.





Edit: Doing a filling on teeth that haven't been properly cleaned is like trying to repaint a dirty car. Not very effective. I agree with the point that since we all do work in the dental field, yes, perhaps we know a tad more. If you don't like it, go somewhere else. I seriously doubt that he "yelled" at you, but I wasn't there. Only you know if he was stern or yelling. Perhaps because you didn't like what he was saying, it came across as yelling... Ask the dentist's receptionist for an estimate of charges showing what your insurance will pay. Then call your insurance from the dentist's office to clear up any misunderstanding. Go to the source.
Reply:I'm sorry to say that I agree to with what your dentist had to say. He probably could've been more tactful when he delivered the message, though. It's important to get your teeth cleaned and get your mouth healthy before doing any dental treatment, especially if it's been 20 years since your last cleaning. There may be some periodontal disease that need to be brought under control prior to treatment. There's really no reason why your friends got ill following a teeth cleaning and no reason to believe that you will as well. Most dentists have patient's overall oral health in mind when proposing treatment. In my office, new patients get exams, cleanings, then treatment.
Reply:While I don't agree with any dentist yelling at a patient, I always try to play devils advocate, because I know from being in the dental field for over 10 yrs. that there are always two sides to a story. Are you sure that he actually yelled? As in raised his voice and screamed loudly? Or did he just very strongly state his policy? Many dentists do not want to do any restorative work unless a patients teeth have been cleaned in the last year. Perhaps that is simply his policy.





One thing that I would like to mention to you is to do some severe research on teeth cleanings and periodontal disease. This is a very real and serious disease of the gums and bone, and can cause a person to not only loose their teeth, but can also allow bacteria in the mouth to breed abundantly and can cause major health problems, including heart attacks and strokes. This has been proven by the ADA. As far as your friends getting ill after a cleaning, I have never in the 10+ years that I have been a dental assistant, heard of this happening. It is possible that your friends had alot of bacteria and tartar in their mouth, and the process of cleaning all of that out from under their gums, caused their gums to bleed (Normal if there is alot of inflammation) and perhaps they swallowed some of the blood and this made them sick to their stomach. Many people have also reported feeling ill after getting a full body massage. This doesn't mean that it is bad to get a massage and the benefits far outweigh any short term discomfort following the treatment. The same goes for getting your teeth cleaned.





If a person got regular cleanings every 6-12 months, then they probably wouldn't need to have an extensive, deep cleaning. This is why preventative care is SOOOO important and why dentists stress this so much.








As far as the charges, if this dentist is a contracted provider for your insurance, or as also called an in-network or PPO provider, then he is required to only charge what the insurance companies usual and customary (Or also called reasonable and customary) fee is. For example: If the dentists normal fee for a one surface filling is $150.00 and the insurance companies fee is $125.00, he must lower his fee for that patient to match what the insurance companies fee is. The insurance percentages would then go into effect, 80/20% or whatever that specific plan designates. The patient would then be responsible for a $25.00 copay, and any deductible that they owe for the year. Many insurance companies "downgrade" composite fillings to the cost of an amalgam filling. If the patient chooses to have a dentist do a composite filling (Or they go to a dentist who only does composite fillings) they are then responsible for the difference in cost. Is it possible that this dentist is not an in-network provider for your insurance plan? An out-of-network provider can still file on your insurance, however they are not required to follow any rules set aside by your insurance plan. I know this because my office is out-of-network for all insurance plans and all of our patients are well aware before they have work done that they will have a higher copay in our office than they would pay in an in-network office. They are willing to pay this higher copay because of our excellent reputation and the quality of work that our dentist does. You need to make certain if this dentist is in-network. If not, he does not have to follow your insurance companies fees and if your insurance company tells you he does, then they are misinformed, because that is what being out-of-network mean (The dentist does not have a contract with your insurance company to follow their guildlines). I would check into that.





Edit: %26lt;Giggle%26gt; Perhaps all the people who are telling you he is right are telling you this because they DO work for dentist and have a wee bit more dental knowledge than the average person. This is why we have licenses to practice dental assisting or dental hygiene. They don't just give those licenses to anyone. You do have to have a bit of knowledge in the dental field to get one. We are simply offering you some true dental knowledge, as we deal with dental problems on a daily basis in our offices. However if you are simply wanting someone to tell you that your right and cleanings cause problems and that this guy is overcharging you, then we can't do this. You asked for advice and you got some good advice from more than one dental professional. But if you don't want to take it, that is your choice. We are simply trying to help you keep your teeth for the rest of your life, but it is your decision if you don't want to trust what we are telling you. They are your teeth. Good luck.


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