Mead Family Dental

Dentistry in the News: "Why Your Dentist Costs So Much."

This post is a follow up to an article I wrote about a few months back. 

My conclusion: if you don't trust that your dentist has your best interests at heart, you need to ask them about it or find another dentist. 

A couple more points were made in the second article that are worth reflecting on. One commenter was quoted to say:

"My wife saw a dentist who quoted her $750. Then halfway through the job, when she was numb and had a big hole in her mouth, he told her he misquoted the price and it was going to be $1,500. She could not exactly argue."

What can I say about this? I'm about 99% sure that the dentist was preparing a tooth for a crown and realized that there were bigger problems with the tooth than expected. The tooth was probably going to need a root canal treatment as well as the crown in order to save it. I'd love to say something like this has never happened to me, but it has. I try to explain possible risks and complications prior to starting a treatment. However, it's not unheard of to need to revise my diagnosis and treatment plan once I've had a chance to look closer at a problem. I try to avoid these kinds of surprises, but when it happens I explain it in plain English. The patient always has a choice to refuse treatment. I'm guessing that this patient didn't feel like their dentist explained what was happening very well and the patient came away feeling like the dentist was putting the screws to them. Unfortunate, to be sure.

Most of the rest of the article tried to explain why a) dentistry is expensive and b) why one dentist costs a different amount than another. I think dentists spend way too much time trying to justify their fees and way too little time explaining why we suggest the things that we do!

The very best part of the article was in reference to "how do I know if my dentist is a good one?"

"Ask a dental specialist, like an endodontist. One specialist wrote to tell me, “The best way to find a good dentist is to find a specialist who sees everyone’s patients on a referral basis. He or she will know who is good and who isn’t. Trust me, as a specialist, I know who is doing what, because I see their work every day.”

That's a tip I had never thought of, but I think it's valuable.

After reading the follow up article I come up with conclusions similar to the first article:

• Dentistry is expensive.
• No one* likes having to have dental work done.
• No one likes paying the bill.
• Prevention is MUCH less expensive than needing work. But having work done immediately is similarly less expensive than waiting if something is broken or it hurts.
• "Dental insurance" isn't really like insurance at all. Dental benefits are kind of like a gift card. Usually it's like a gift card that covers about half of the gift you're looking for. It may help with some of the costs of dentistry but is not likely to pay for more extensive needs.

So talk to your dentist. Ask a lot of questions. Get a second opinion. Or third! Try to be a good consumer and you'll feel a lot less like a victim.

If I can answer any questions about this post or any other dental questions I would love to hear from you! I can be reached by email at: alan@meadfamilydental.com. I answer all of my own email and would love to hear from you! Or you can call the office at (989) 799-9133. I would love to be your Saginaw dentist!

 *I know there's probably someone reading this who thinks "I like seeing my dentist so much I'd go more often if I could!" You are great people to have as patients, but frankly, I wonder about you. 

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!