Teeth cleaning only
 

I am looking for a dental office where I can get cleaning only. I have a regular dentist up north that takes care of X-rays, etc. went to dentist here this am. He suggests $9000 worth of must dos. Will not just clean!

I would believe many dentist if not all would agree to the limitation you so seek

I would be interested to see if any dentists does a regular cleaning.

Almost all dentists want to start with x-rays, exam and say you need a deep cleaning for more than $6oo. At least that has been my experience so far!

I tell my technician I am there for a cleaning only.
There is never an issue.
Most of the dentists in the area know they have seasonal customers and will accomodate the services requested.
The other thing I told my dentist here when we first moved in was that I am very old fashioned....I do not need anything done that has nothing to do with function! No vanity improvements needed.

I just switched medical plans and would like those who have their dentists that do a regular cleaning, to tell us their names.

aarp dental takers
 

I also need a cleaner only who takes aarp dental. It is connected to delta dental. Please help with recommendations. Also need someone who uses nitous.

thanks

I went to Dr Forest Jerkins on 441 in Fruitland Park. The dental hygienist did a great cleaning and Dr Jerkins did not try to 'upsell' any services. After the cleaning, he came in for an exam (which I think all dentists will do), told me everything looked great, and said he would see me in six months. I would recommend him.
352-728-8881 3360 Hwy 441/27 Fruitland Park

That is not my experience here at all (that they say deep root cleaning for $600 is needed).

It seems to me that if a dentist were to do a cleaning only, knowing that they see chips, cracks and old fillings/crowns worn away at the margins where bacteria will enter and form an abscess inside the tooth that then requires root canal or extraction, it would be malpractice to not advise the patient to get the tooth/teeth fixed before abscess forms.

Here's what Mayo Clinic says about that:

"A tooth abscess is a pocket of pus that's caused by a bacterial infection. The abscess can occur at different regions of the tooth for different reasons. A periapical (per-e-AP-ih-kul) abscess occurs at the tip of the root, whereas a periodontal (per-e-o-DON-tul) abscess occurs in the gums next to a tooth root. The information here refers specifically to periapical abscesses.

A periapical tooth abscess usually occurs as a result of an untreated dental cavity, injury or prior dental work.

Dentists will treat a tooth abscess by draining it and getting rid of the infection. They may be able to save your tooth with a root canal treatment, but in some instances it may need to be pulled. Leaving a tooth abscess untreated can lead to serious, even life-threatening, complications."

Tooth abscess - Mayo Clinic

Basically what I hear is that the threat/fear of being sued creates a demand to do more than a patient desires.

I would venture a guess that a hold harmless agreement might solve the problem.

We are very happy with Palm Dental. They are all Pankey Institute trained which is an absolute must for me. Dr. Williams and her staff are fantastic. Very fair pricing too. I'm not sure if they insist on x-rays, etc but you could always call and ask. They are far more reasonable than my northern dentist... about half the price for a great cleaning. So, even though we go north for the summer months, they have become our dental practice of choice.

I go to Buenta Vista Dental, they will accept x-rays from your other dentist, they can be electronically transferred if they are up to date.

I wish this site had a way to flag and save posts so that you could pull them up in the future easily.

From my understanding of what my wife (who knows) has told me, the issue is one of documenting problems and making the patient aware of the treatments and the consequences of not having the treatments. I suspect many offices will not deviate from their new patient protocol of doing a complete examination (including x-rays if you don't have a recent set) and documentation before any services, including cleanings, are performed. I believe the issue that can come back to bite them is from problems that they failed to diagnose. That is why dental offices keep meticulous records. An ethical office will present the options and let the patient decide. If you can find an office that is willing to do a cleaning only then that is great but I suspect that is not the norm.

You may actually need a deep cleaning! Regardless, I use a dental office outside the bubble and my wife practiced for 35 years.

Yes, I believe the potential liability is from failure to diagnose and inform the patient of recommended treatments.

I spent 37 years practicing dentistry and there are dentists who are unethical who will try to convince you that you need things you do not really need, just so they can make a lot of money. There are also dentists who will avoid telling you what you really need to know, because they don't want you to be upset and go somewhere else. Both of these types are unethical.
Any dentist who would agree to "just do a cleaning" without knowing what oral conditions may be present that could jeopardize the patient's oral and general health is being unethical, and unprofessional.
And, no, a "hold harmless" clause does not protect the dentist from being sued for not treating to the standard of care. It simply does not.
If you have recent x-rays from another dentist, then it should be a simple matter to have duplicates sent to the new dentist.
It would be fair to pay a nominal fee to the dentist for the time and trouble to forward those records, and it would also be fair to pay the new dentist for the time and trouble to evaluate these records. Often, a dentist will forward a note to the new dentist, advising of areas of concern that while not necessarily being treated, are being closely monitored.

It takes a little time to get everyone up to speed. The ethical dentist takes that time, and the reasonable patient pays for that time.

The patient whose main concern is avoiding fees will eventually find the appropriate dentist, if he looks long enough. He will also get exactly what he's paying for, which can in the long run, be a lot more expensive and painful than seeking out conscientious care at a reasonable fee.

I believe the best way to find out is to call the dental offices and pose the question to each office. If you are comfortable with the answer make an appointment. Ask the question again when you arrive for your appointment and then again before the work commences.

Ah the voice of wisdom-one who knows instead of just offering an opinion! Thank you!

Second this referral..Good Dental Practice

Might consider asking if your up north dentist does x-rays that go direct to computer. Then request dentist to provide you with a digital copy. Only issue is the dentist here may want something that is less than a few months old.

Don't go to Dr Helen Ta on Camino Real at Spanish Plains. There was no hygenist on duty the day I went for cleaning. Dr Ta claimed I had a deep pocket and refused to clean my teeth unless I allowed her to do $130.00 (out of pocket) worth of deep cleaning. Guess she figured I had deep pockets in my trousers also.
If there had been a hygenist on duty that day, my teeth would have been cleaned before Dr. Ta ever saw me. I figure she ripped me off for the extra work, called my Dentist up north who didn't disagree with me.
X-rays are necessary for a new Dentist, but you can get the latest ones from a previous Dentist.

Have your dentist up north send your most recent X-rays and periodontal charting to your new dentist here. If your mouth is healthy they should be able to do " just a cleaning" but in the presence of advanced periodontal pockets or bleeding gums, you should address the infection, not settle for a routine ( healthy mouth) cleaning. You are only hurting yourself and it is unethical for a dentist to ignore it.

Hi Laker: First, I admire your ethical beliefs. I belonged to the Societies of CPCU and CLU and both had at their center Ethics.

Your ethical business approach is solid and they are qualities possessed also by my dentist, Dr. Whitt. Class guy.

As to the hold harmless you are correct as I failed to mention the issue of the standard of care. Frankly as many attorneys will say agreements were made to be broken and indeed I spent many an hour in mediations disputing contracts

In my final analysis of the OP's question it seems that s/he would serve all concerns best by splitting the dental work needed to be done between dentists in both locations?

Personal Best Regards:

Reply
 

Dr Hendry, good dentist on 441, no games but if you need something will tell you honestly.

After getting a many thousand dollar estimate, I drove back to my old neighborhood and spoke to my dentist. He said to be wary of dentists who go to seminars on how to wring every last dollar out of a client.

In the north, we have registered dental hygienists that will clean your teeth between regular appointments with your dentist but I haven't seen any here unfortunately.

It does. Go to "thread tools" which is near the first post and then click on "subscribe to thread". You can also create folders like: doctors.

My problem is I have way too many subscribed threads!

I respectfully agree to disagree. I, sure that some people need to have this done but I think, it didn't apply to me.

Went to my dentist up north last summer and he still insisted I didn't need a deep "root" cleaning or deep cleaning as I have said. I had broken my bridge with two teeth, and he was able to reinstall it, for a fraction of what I have had to pay in TV. IMHO. He also repaired a cavity that other dentists never seem to pick up on, after x-rays and a exam.

I have been to several dentists who always say they need to take x-rays and do an exam. I agree with that but several have quoted astronomical prices for work, that didn't need to be done. IMHO

The last person who did a regular cleaning informed me when you give them your insurance card and they see you live in TV, they assume you have a lot of money to pay for a lot of services.

I'm not trying to paint all dentists with a broad brush as I am sure there are honest dentists out there. I just haven't found one in my plan that I feel comfortable with that believe in reasonable and customary cost. I believe in taking care of my health and I am hoping this thread will provide me with a name that's in my plan.

Go outside The Villages for a dentist.

Maybe I will have to!

For now, I am hoping someone will provide a name for me that's in my plan. I have been searching for two plus years and I pretty much have gotten unreasonable quotes, for routine work.

I am not trying to penny pinch because I agree with the poster who said, "you get what you pay for" and there are some things one must not skimp on.

On the other hand, I don't want to get ripped off. I have been to four or five dentists and it's the same old story.

Just looking for an "honest dentist". Also looking to avoid having to do a lot of "trial and error" in finding a dentists. If Dr. Jerkins or Dr Williams were in my plan, this would not be an issue for me as good friends recommended them to me. Maybe I will have to bite the bullet and pay what's necessary, if I can't find a good dentists in my plan.

My dentist is not in my plan but he does submit the paperwork and insurance payments go to me instead of him. This is fine as it has my wife's stamp of approval.

Yes, the dentists I have been to do that. If you try the $49, $59, etc specials they also find a way to rip you off. I am a dental hygienist so I speak with some knowledge of the system. I am sorry I do not have an answer for you.

I was going to change dentists here in Florida and when I tired I had to pay for a cleaning and X-ray's at the new office. Now staying with the old one which is somewhat out of the way.

Same thing happened to a friend here in The Villages she had to have a root canal after a cleaning, a tooth pulled, periodontist visit and then fillings for the root canal. Each office had to do their own X-ray's.