Mead Family Dental

Happy Memorial Day!

All of us here at Mead Family Dental would like to wish you a happy, healthy Memorial Day 2011. We're grateful for those who served in uniform and we remember those who died for the cause.

Be safe and keep in touch.

Mead Family Dental Gold Club vs. brighter.com

I just saw a news item about a new dental discount service called "brighter.com." 

I'm not able to see exactly how it works, but it seems to be a "dental discount plan" administered by a company. The company is clearly aiming the service toward those individuals or families that do not have dental benefits to help defray the costs of dentistry. You pay a certain amount to brighter.com and they give you a list of brighter.com dentists that will give you discounted prices on services. Membership doesn't appear to include any services, they just entitle you to discounts. You pay the dentist directly at the time of service. The service boasts that you will be able to see how much a service costs online so you can comparision shop. 

The idea is intriguing, but let me see if I can take a little wind out of their sails:

• The plan is limited to the dentists that have signed up with them on their website. I would expect that in a larger metropolitan area you may find more dentists who have signed up. Around us (Saginaw Bay area of Michigan) the pickings appear to be limited.
• The fees listed on the site (they listed "prices typical in Freeland, MI 48623) were all over the map and didn't seem consistent with fees that I charge for procedures.
• They listed nonspecific procedures with a fee. For instance, they quoted a fee of $254 for a "cavity." A cavity is not a service. A cavity is a hole in the tooth created by acid from oral bacteria and dietary acids. A cavity can be small or large and can be fixed in a variety of ways. I couldn't tell you how much it would cost to restore a cavity without diagnosing the problem first. 

This is a business model put together by bright people who don't know all that much about dentistry. They understand that people without dental insurance are looking for discounted dental care. The concept is good. The idea of being a loyal, paying patient in return for a discount just makes sense. But why does a third party like brighter.com need to be involved? In fact, doesn't paying a third party a monthly or yearly fee add to potential costs?

"Well," you say, "dentist's certainly aren't offering this kind of a discount plan."

You're right...I'm not offering this kind of a discount plan. I'm offering a MUCH BETTER ONE!

The Mead Family Gold Club is an excellent option for those without insurance who are interested in top notch preventive care and would like a discount on dental services. You can find the details here or just go to www.meadfamilydentalgoldclub.com. But here it is in a nutshell: for one low price you get cleanings, x-rays and exams for a whole year and a killer discount on other dental procedures.

Interested? Email me at alan@meadfamilydental.com or call the office at (989) 799-9133. We'll give you all the information and get you on the road to dental health and great discounts! 

Your "cousin" in the business

I got an email from my cousin last week. He described going to a new dentist. He liked the office and thought the dentist was a good guy. 

My cousin is a pretty level headed guy. He's certainly not distrustful of professionals that I can tell, but he didn't have a relationship with this new dentist. He was concerned that maybe his dentist was trying to oversell him on dentistry. The dentist was suggesting some pretty expensive treatment that he had never had before.

Health care professionals have a dilemma. There's an inherent power imbalance in the doctor/patient relationship most of the time. The doctor is highly trained in a very specific area and the patient usually doesn't have a lot of knowledge in this area. Last year National Public Radio aired an interview with an economist by the name of Dan Ariely that infuriated a lot of dentists. The interview essentially described what a lot of people believe about dentists. Since dentists diagnose dental problems as well as treat them, there seems to be a distinct conflict of interest. Why wouldn't a dentist represent problems as bigger than they are if they're going to get paid more?

Dentists got mad. Really mad. The story challenged the dental profession's ethics and integrity. I have to admit that I was pretty mad about the story myself. You might notice that I commented on Dr. Ariely's blog and was disappointed that he never replied to the fact that data he quoted in this interview doesn't seem to exist.

However...when I took a step back I realized that his major point is worth thinking about. Why wouldn't a dentist take advantage of such an opportunity? There's no way to standardize dental diagnosis. One dentist might see a cavity where another dentist might want to "watch" the area for changes. 

What's the solution here? Is there any way to know if your dentist is ripping you off? 

I suggest that there are things you can do as a patient:

• Have a relationship with your dentist. If you don't feel comfortable asking your dentist questions about the condition of your teeth and the treatments that they offer, then you're probably at the wrong place. This one is pretty tough if you're in a new town or going to a new dentist. 
• Ask them to show you: if a dentist or their office staff cannot explain and show you the problem that they're asking you to fix with expensive treatment, then be skeptical. It doesn't make you a jerk, it makes you a smart customer. A dentist confident in their diagnosis and treatment will take the time to make sure you understand and believe in the treatment. 
• Get another opinion: I know for a fact that most dental patients won't do this. I'm convinced that they think that their dentist would be offended. Perhaps some would be. I'm not. I know that a patient that understands the treatment that I'm offering them is more likely to be happy with the treatment. If they check with someone else and they say, "yup, that's what I would do" then everyone wins. If they take a look and say, "whoa, I'm not sure I agree" then the patient can gain more understanding and perhaps make a better treatment choice. Dentists don't all treat dental problems the same way. A disagreement with treatment plans doesn't mean that one dentist is doing it wrong. Second (and third, and fourth...) opinions make for better understanding.

This Saginaw dentist is happy to be a second opinon. Further, I will happily give a second opinion at no cost to the patient or nominal cost if we need more diagnositic information is necessary to reach a diagnosis. We need more patients making excellent decisions about their health and they shouldn't avoid getting second opinion because it's very costly. 

So are you wondering what happened with my cousin? After we talked (actually IM'ed on Facebook) he actually emailed his dental office and asked for his x-rays because he was seeking another opinion about the proposed treatment. They obliged him and he emailed me his x-rays. Although I couldn't render a diagnosis simply by looking at x-rays I was able to explain that the treatment his new dentist offered didn't look out of line from what I could see on the x-rays. You know what's even better? The dentist called to make an appointment with my cousin apologizing for not explaining the treatment in more detail. 

Second opinions make for better treatment decisions. And no one stole anyone's patient and no one got hurt. Isn't building relationships with your dentist grand?

Do you need a "cousin" in the business in the Saginaw Valley? I'm happy to do it for you. Email me at alan@meadfamilydental.com or call the office at (989) 799-9133. If you're not from around here I don't mind doing some leg work to make it happen. Patients who are better informed make better decisions and that's good for everyone!

This Saginaw dentist will testify before a Michigan senate committee!

Sorry for no blogging so far this week. I've been busy preparing to testify before a Michigan senate committee on three bills that will benefit dentists and patients in Michigan!

• senate bill 213: This bill would correct a loophole in the law that doesn't allow pharmacies to fill out of state prescriptions from dentists. Why is this important? Think or a patient living in the western Upper Peninsula who sees a dentist in Wisconsin. 
• house bill 4192: This bill would amend the Michigan Automated Prescription System to allow a MAPS registered dentist/physician to check their own controlled substance prescriptions.
• House Bill 4389: This bill would give retired dentists and podiatrists special immunity when working on indigent populations. This would allow retired dentists to work without having to purchase malpractice insurance. This is the same immunity that physicians currently have.

Why am I doing this? My experience with testifying before a Michigan house committee was really good. I feel strongly that this potential legislation is very positive. Having a practicing dentist speak about how the laws will affect patients and dentists in the state of Michigan lets these legislators see why the legislation is important. SOMEONE should let them know...why not me? Another dentist colleague of mine is going to be testifiying as well. I appreciate that Dr. Tom Poirier is coming too!

Stay tuned for more blogs! I have some pretty amazing things that I'm working. I can't wait to show them to you!