| Trish Crocker |
11-20-2012 11:43 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Barefoot
(Post 583273)
Since I'm a seasonal resident, I have a regular dentist in Canada. I "ran out of time" before we left Canada, due to medical problems of a friend. So I thought I'd schedule a teeth cleaning in Florida, even tho I don't have coverage here.
I started calling dental offices yesterday. It is around $80 for a teeth cleaning, which is very reasonable. However, in order to have my teeth cleaned in Florida, the dental offices tell me that I'm required to also have an exam by a Florida dentist, which is a Florida law, $50 and X-rays $100. That makes a bill of $230 for a cleaning. Yikes. Lesson learned.
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Barefoot, I understand your frustration but I just wanted to throw my 2cents in. Any time a person calls in that is not a patient we always schedule an appointment with the Dr. first. Trust me...this is NOT to make money, this is good dentistry. The hygienists are trained professionals and most of them do a terrific job but they are not dentists. If an individual came in, got a cleaning and then 3 months later developed a toothache...maybe from an undiagnosed cavity under a crown or a breakdown in a filling, that patient would be very upset because the problem was not identified. I also read a lot on this forum about dentists 'upselling'...I'm not naive..I know there are unscrupulous dentists in the industry, but sometimes patients will misinterpret what is being said. When you go to a dentist, his job is to give you the best oral care. He may prepare a treatment plan that would give you options...anything from simple fillings to a mouthful of implants and crowns. As an adult patient, you have the freedom to decide and the dentist should help you with that decision and work, if possible, within your budget. There are patients that need a crown...but insist that a filling would be just fine because it's 'cheaper'. What you may not realize is that filling material is not meant to last forever..amalgam (the silver stuff) expands and contracts with heat and cold...this enables bacteria to enter under the filling and may lead to cavities. Composite fillings are plastic (the one's that match your teeth) and are better but if you have a large filling this means that the structure of the tooth itself is compromised and it could easily lead to a broken tooth or a fractured 'root'. Eventually, the end result is you either lose the tooth or spend a lot more money in the long run in trying to save it. A GOOD dentist will tell you the best way to fix it so it will last, hopefully for a lifetime. Yes, it is more costly than the cheap fix initially but will save you money overall. If it is fixed properly the first time you may be able to avoid a root canal and/or a post and core buildup..both of which are costly..and you can avoid pain. I enjoy reading everyone's comments because we are going to have to find a dentist when we move there...that's going to be a strange experience :)
Oh Barefoot...one other suggestion..you may ask your Canadian dentist for a copy of your current xrays...let the dentist in Florida know that you have them. If your regular dentist has digital xrays he should be able to e-mail them to the the dentist there. |
