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How to Avoid Getting Overcharged by Dentists in the US

8 points by behnamoh 4y ago

thenerdhead 4y ago
Just my anecdotal experience the last time I went to a newly built dentist office with young fresh graduates. I felt like a commodity being processed through the office. They looked up my insurance(I have good insurance) and tried to do every procedure possible that is covered. When I would say no, they would try to scare me for no reason. It felt so disconnected with reality and attached to squeezing as much capital out of the process. All I wanted was my teeth to be cleaned for yearly maintenance. I felt so used. This is no different than most medical services too, but dentists especially stand out for vulture-like behavior.
RunningDroid 4y ago
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ThinkBeat 4y ago
Start by asking your insurance company? They are strongly incentivized to cut costs as much as possible. A great dentist may not be a cheap dentist, you will get the cheapest one. The procedure you need to have done may have more than one possible treatment option. Again, they will profit from getting you to undergo the cheapest treatment, not the one that may be best for you. Even if you leave out the profit motive, there is nobody as the insurance company who is qualified to offer an opinion on the best treatment and best dentist. I would suggest doing as much research as possible -before- calling the insurance company. Preferably with an expert opinionn to go with it. Obtaining this is not straight forward since it would take finding someone you trust, a dentist you feel good about to aid you in figuring it out. All of which gets into a catch 22 situation. You want to call the insurance company to find a good dentist, but before you do that you need to find a good dentist. A dentist is of course incentivized to make as much profit as he can from each patient My approach is to ask people at work and friends who they use and if they are happy with their dentist. If they have kept the same one for a number of years that can be a good indication. Someone may also have a family member in some part of their extended family and friends, you could talk to. so they can give you the information needed to direct you to the cheapest possible dentists in their portfolio.

8 points by behnamoh 4y ago

Just my anecdotal experience the last time I went to a newly built dentist office with young fresh graduates. I felt like a commodity being processed through the office. They looked up my insurance(I have good insurance) and tried to do every procedure possible that is covered. When I would say no, they would try to scare me for no reason. It felt so disconnected with reality and attached to squeezing as much capital out of the process. All I wanted was my teeth to be cleaned for yearly maintenance. I felt so used. This is no different than most medical services too, but dentists especially stand out for vulture-like behavior.

RunningDroid 4y ago

Membershipwall dodge: https://scribe.rip/@parttimeben/how-to-avoid-getting-overcharged-by-dentists-in-the-us-c5aaff0d8048 https://scribe.rip/@parttimeben/how-to-avoid-getting-overcha...

ThinkBeat 4y ago

Start by asking your insurance company? They are strongly incentivized to cut costs as much as possible. A great dentist may not be a cheap dentist, you will get the cheapest one. The procedure you need to have done may have more than one possible treatment option. Again, they will profit from getting you to undergo the cheapest treatment, not the one that may be best for you. Even if you leave out the profit motive, there is nobody as the insurance company who is qualified to offer an opinion on the best treatment and best dentist. I would suggest doing as much research as possible -before- calling the insurance company. Preferably with an expert opinionn to go with it. Obtaining this is not straight forward since it would take finding someone you trust, a dentist you feel good about to aid you in figuring it out. All of which gets into a catch 22 situation. You want to call the insurance company to find a good dentist, but before you do that you need to find a good dentist. A dentist is of course incentivized to make as much profit as he can from each patient My approach is to ask people at work and friends who they use and if they are happy with their dentist. If they have kept the same one for a number of years that can be a good indication. Someone may also have a family member in some part of their extended family and friends, you could talk to. so they can give you the information needed to direct you to the cheapest possible dentists in their portfolio.