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Originally Posted by Yucatan2
Had my last teeth cleaning last December, after years of just normal cleanings it was recommended I see a periodontist. This dental office in Fruitland Park has a nice dentist and staff, but maybe not the advanced cleaning apparatus such as the ultrasonic unit. Anyway, because of not yet having my Covid vaccination, I put this off. Got vaccinated in April, then went on a 3 month camping trip.
Upon return, in late July I made an appointment at Dental on Fennell, because as a new modern office they seemed to have the latest equipment. Could not get in until Oct 12 for an initial appointment and cleaning.
I was there at least 1.5 hours getting panorama, multiple small xrays, some fancy camera views of every tooth. Finally the probing for gum depth. I heard mostly level 2,3 and a few 5’s in the molar areas. Dentist comes in, tells me my teeth are grinding and we could use Invisaline to correct them (big money), there are two small fillings he could fix, one on a far back molar that’s been there since the 1980’s. And of course, I need the deep cleaning and scaling to the tune of $1000, which my insurance doesn’t cover.
So, I end up leaving the office with NO cleaning, they will check again with insurance, as will I.
But it seems like I am being held hostage…..no teeth cleaning unless it is the deep cleaning first. I was not happy to say the least. Anyone know a dentist that will just do a cleaning, or is the insurance going to require the deep cleaning now that this dentist has recommended it?
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I’ve just returned from my 11:30 dentist appointment at Dental Care on Fennell, near Miller’s Ale House and Mission Barbecue just off 466. The $79 cleaning, x-rays, and exam in the ad so many of us received in our mailboxes is just a come-on to get people in the door. If you insist on that deal without using insurance, you will get a very limited number of x-rays and perhaps a less thorough cleaning. I was told, “Let us bill your insurer and you’ll get a lot more and you’ll pay less.”They ended up charging about $300, of which I paid $50.
On the other hand, I liked my hygienist—a pleasant young African-American woman in a head-covering, and I thought she did a thorough and painless cleaning. The x-rays were more elaborate than I’d ever seen (a panoramic view, a 360° view, and 18 individual x-rays), and she also took closeup photos of the crown of each tooth—new to me.
I also liked the young Ecuadorean-American dentist, though he kept saying “awesome” and “perfect” about, say, a missing filling in a broken tooth—neither awesome nor perfect (why do young people keep saying that?).
Replacing the missing big filling in a molar next week will cost $1200, of which I have to pay $622, with my insurance paying the rest. I have no idea whether that is reasonable.
Everything at Fennell Dentistry seems to be state of the art, and I suppose that accounts for the cost. I was pleased with the people and the standard of care, and I’ve already scheduled my next cleaning. No one suggested that I get a “deep cleaning” or “Invisalign” braces. I was also there for 90 minutes, all told. As I said, they were thorough. It’s quite possible that the owners have read a book about how to increase profits in a dental practice, but I didn’t think I was being pressured, and when I refused a fluoride spray after my cleaning, it was cheerfully removed from the bill I saw in advance. (I’d never seen an itemized bill in advance that tells me exactly what the insurer will pay ant what I will pay and what it would cost without insurance. I wish that were provided in doctors offices). This approach isn’t new. (When you go to a chiropractor and are urged to purchase unneeded vitamins or herb tea, that’s because the chiropractor read articles an how to maximize profits.)