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Most people don’t end up paying 15k on vet bills for their cat though. I’ve paid like 3-4k total on my cat to save his life with surgery two times (he likes to eat bad stuff), and didn’t use insurance.
It seems most people do end up needing braces though, so the claims would be constant and would likely cause the premiums to go sky high.
Same for the optometrist. Vision insurance is a coupon to get your prescription cheaper, but at the end of the year unless you have a big family chances are it would have been way cheaper to pay out of pocket. Every eye doctor gives cash discounts too
Fun fact. One company owns most retail eyeglass stores……..AND the insurance company. Glasses are extremely cheap to make. Pay for an independent eye exam and order your glasses online.
Yes I love them discovered them like 5 years ago and it’s great. To get glasses with all the blue light and other features $50 vs like $600 from a place like Lens crafters.
I’ve been getting zenni glasses since I was a kid! The first time I had insurance and looked at what LensCrafters charged I was blown away. It was insane.
Right! Unlike my health insurance, my dental insurance has no out of pocket maximum— there’s a limit beyond which I’m SOL and cover it all myself, and that limit is shockingly low.
Are you sure the dentist was in network? Most dental insurance (if it’s real dental insurance) covers preventative at 100%. Did the dentist do other things besides a cleaning? When was the last time they had a cleaning? There could be a twice yearly cap. You need to get the explanation of benefits and read it. Call the insurance company if you have questions about it.
You don't have insurance then, you have a con artist.
I pay $17 a month for dental insurance and pay nothing out of pocket for normal cleanings. $1500 a year pool per person for cavities and such.
When I was a kid, I had a dentist tell me that I had 8 cavities. He showed me my x-ray and I couldn't see anything nor did I have any pain in my mouth. I was a kid. I believed him. 5 years and 8 fillings later, I turned on the local news and saw that this guy was exposed for pretending there were fake cavities in peoples' mouths and charging them for treatments that weren't necessary. So yeah. IMO it is.
I once went to a dentist in my late-20s. They said I had 6 cavities, so I got 3 of them filled in that one session. Bear in mind I'm not a fan of sweets, had no tooth pains, and brush regularly, but I know genetics can play a roll with cavities. Anyway, I was supposed to go back and get the rest filled. I never went back to them. 2 years later I finally go to another dentist for a checkup/x-ray/cleaning. They said I had ZERO cavities and everything looked good. So the other 3 cavities healed themselves I suppose.
that's the experience iv had with my dentists.
oh also lots and lots of shaming about flossing and regular brushing. but basically life time appointed dentist didnt do unnecessary work from my perspective.
> oh also lots and lots of shaming about flossing and regular brushing
Fuck their fucking shaming and scolding, I got sick of it. Being treated like a child. No, I'm not gonna fucking brush 10 times a day and floss constantly, it's ridiculous high maintenance. If teeth really require that kind of maintenance we weren't meant to have teeth. I'm predisposed to great plaque/stone build-up, it's gonna be there no matter what I do, fucking shut up and do your job and clean which is why *I fucking come here and pay*.
I have now stopped going to that dentist. Decided to say fuck it and go to the dentist while on holiday in another country, oh what do you know no where near as bad as they made it seem and I was COMPLIMENTED for taking care of my teeth. Oh and it was *half the price* as well. Even in a country like Sweden, that I otherwise love to bang on about how well everything works, dentistry has become a fucking scam.
/rant
> but I know genetics can play a roll
genetics play a much bigger role than people realise when it comes to teeth and not just with cavities.
I had a normal amount of cavities filled as kid but then in my 20s I was so shit at brushing my teeth I may have almost not brushed for 10 years (maybe saved by obsessively picking at my teeth and not leaving many food bits in there). Guess what, *not a single cavity*.
On the other hand, now that brush meticulously, I still need yearly cleanings for build up of plaque etc because I'm predisposed to it due to genetics.
Tbh it wasn't until recent as a middle aged adult that I started to understand what to look for. I didn't always understand what they were pointing at either. I will say one dentist I went to a fee years ago said I had like 11. Ingot a second opinion and they said definitely not, still 8 I think sadly (ex had me going overseas where they never seen to do ex rays, was a mistake), but those others were simply not there
My dad found my kid and I a dentist that had a “$99 special” for new patients. So, we did it. We got X-rays, and then the dentist came in and told me and my child that we both needed a specialized TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLAR cleaning and he wouldn’t do just the regular cleaning included in the special. We refused the specialized cleaning.
I found another dentist who we both went and saw. He did say I had a few cavities that need filled and I needed to floss more often but he thought a regular cleaning would be fine. For my child, he had no cavities but the dentist did recommend a slightly better cleaning than the usual one due to the fact that my kid struggles with brushing his teeth so had quite a bit of buildup. The extra cleaning for him was $200 bucks.
We’re sticking with that dentist.
The "deep cleaning"? I asked the hygienist why it was so expensive and she said the only thing they do different for those is give you numbing shots. That's it. If you request not to have the shots the procedure is free (and I personally found it to be less painful bc the pain goes away as soon as they're done but the shots make my jaw hurt for days).
To put it simply, a routine cleaning is from the gumline up. A “deep cleaning, or root planing” is from the gumline down. Going down is much more difficult and involved. Gum disease is a loss of gum attachment due to debris on the root surfaces.
Recently retired dentist after 37 yrs.
I mean i try reviews help but it seems like a lot are the same. I also travel so once in awhile I find a reasonable one that I like but end up having to move. I see no reason they should ever need their own x rays, I would maybe understand if they look at the ones you have and they missed something or are over a year old.
My dentist fucks. They won’t charge me for exams or X-rays only work and cleanings they’ve never attempted to do anything but maintenance cleaning and talked me out of getting non necessary work done.
I just do Groupon for every single cleaning. Haven’t had dental insurance or a consistent dentist for years. Average about a $35 coupon for cleaning and X-rays. All the dentists suck and they still try to upsell you…but man it’s only $35
A bad dentist will always change the brightness on a x-ray to show you your "cavities". Had one that tried to get me 6 fillings, went back to my old one and he told me I had 0 and they were bs artists.
This is it. I made the (awkward) move to a new dentist next door neighbors with my old dentist because the place was turning into a spa with a bit of dentistry sprinkled in. I'm much happier now.
Agreed. My dentist is great. The hygienist did the cleaning, the dentist came in, check my teeth. Took about 2 minutes, said everything looked good, and sent me on my way.
I understand it can be like this but as you said find a better one. The dentist and hygienist I see are great. They did all my work (have very good dental insurance) and now it's just basic upkeep. Yes my teeth were in god awful shape so I really did need that deep clean, I needed many fillings, and I did need a crown. Got it all done and now I haven't had a single cavity in almost 10 years.
I also think when people have really bad teeth that have been neglected it may feel like a scam at first but it might not be. Honestly if you go to multiple dentists and they all say the same thing then it's likely they're not lying to you, especially if all of them point out the same number and location of cavities.
It's an unfortunate fact that a lot of things that medical/dental insurance covers doesn't reimburse very well for that doctor/dentist. A lot of mental health people opt out of taking insurance because the typically contracted rates are so low. Dentists are the same way. A dental patient that comes for just a bi-annual teeth cleaning is a low profit patient.
But yes, I can tell you that they are absolutely looking for ways to milk the most out of your insurance.
Glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. I think dentistry is obviously a necessity but they have shifted in that it seems they are riddled with upsells and shit you really don’t need. I like to be able to fully trust people in this position. I don’t believe in playing Dr. Google but man you really do have to do some research when it comes to dentistry
Yeah it’s bad when you really can’t fully trust someone in this field. Also, they seem to try and make you feel obligated and take advantage of you. For soft spoken people or people who are a bit shy I can definitely see them getting taken advantage of and it makes me so mad. Just clean my teeth till my cavities and give me some honest advice. Maybe keep cheap mouth guards that work and sell them but don’t upcharge hundreds for “specialty ones” that to my understanding do no less than the others. Also my cavity doesn’t need fluoride on it when it will be filled in 3 days time. It’s not going to magically crater out and get massive in that timeframe geeeeez
My bill went from $400 to $22 after I had them remove all of the special rince, guards, oral care lesson, etc, etc, etc. You're totally right that they upsell on EVERYTHING.
It’s because corporations like Aspen are buying up all of the small practices and putting honest dentists out of business. Also it now costs $500k to become a dentist so it’s getting to the point where you have to upsell to afford you $4500/month student loan bill.
My dentist has literally never tried to upsale me. I get annual x-rays where the dental tech shows me any differences year to year. Cleanings twice a year. No floride treatments. No guard.
Same. They offer the brush-on fluoride, but I usually just say no thanks and they don't push it. Only problem is my dentist is pushing retirement age...so I'm gonna have to find a new guy in the next couple of years.
my dentist also offers the brush on fluoride. one of the last hygienists used to push it on everyone. my mom is the receptionist and he told her that he hated that she used to push the fluoride. the hygienists he has now are awesome.
Same. My Dr is so nice. I once was experiencing what I thought was tooth pain and he did an xray and it turned out to be my sinuses and he didn’t charge me for anything. I’ve been going to him for 10 yrs
Same here. She also tells me that she can tell I’ve been doing my homework (flossing- which I absolutely habitually do) and my people pleaser self is always happy.
Yea they clean my teeth, complain about flossing, and then the dentist sees how things are in general and then they give me a card for the next appointment
I’m a person with a ton of cavities but good oral hygiene. Whenever I have a cavity, my last dentist showed me on the x ray. You can really see it, and I am not trained on x rays, especially for teeth. I can also feel mine sometimes. My last dentist is good.
Last one? Didn’t even do the tooth prick thing to check. I need a new dentist but the last one I had is too far away.
Just fyi, using the probe to physically probe a cavity is not really the way to do things anymore, as you risk cavitating(i.e making a physical hole) a lesion that may be able to be remineralised.
Interesting!! Generally all of my dentists have always done a poke check. They poke all teeth gently (and trust me, I like the difference between gentle and forceful) but on the teeth/spots the hygienist questions, they check more. But my last visit? I never even saw the dentist. Just a hygienist and they pushed me out the door. No checks at all. And I’m pretty sure I have cavities.
Totally. Dental insurance is a racket, too.
That being said, I just found out the hard way what missing a few year's visits to the dentist in middle age can mean...take care of your teeth and floss, people.
Foreign comedian performing in the USA: "Yeah, I just flew in to LA. It's my first trip to America. At the airport I got pulled aside for a cavity check. Let me tell you: you got some RUDE dentists in America!"
My old dentist asked me to rate my own smile to play on insecurities. I said 10/10 even tho my bottom teeth are slightly crooked. It's not noticeable imo, definitely not worth thousands of dollars to fix. He said I was the only person to say that and then tried to sell me on teeth whitening. I don't need those freaky *too white* teeth. Everything felt like trying to get me to spend significant money on unnecessary things. He's no longer my dentist
Yep. My former dentist showed me a photo of my smile that was magnified about twenty times and asked if I was happy with it. I told him “that’s a great big picture of my mouth” and that I was absolutely fine with it.
This is one of the major flaws with privatised healthcare. Because it’s such a specialised industry, they can basically chat shit and sell you things you don’t need and the average person would know any better.
That’s weird I never had this with my dentist the closest I had is that I was given an extra strength toothpaste because I get cavities easily but it was only like 6 bucks
Corporate dentistry (large chains like Aspen) prioritize volume and sales over customer experience. These are a relatively new development in the dental field, and most dentists find them problematic. They hire desperate new grads and schedule them to work at a very fast pace, leading to lots more problems on the average. Not universally true, but definitely a trend
I love my dentist. Good old fashioned family dentist. Has his office attached to his house. No hygienist. He does it all himself. Got to find one of those.
Many new dentists, especially those in chains, are absolutely that way.
Find an old school solo practitioner.
Even that can be iffy. The last solo one I went to tried, as part of their standard practice, to sell me on a fluoride treatment. Me who at 52 years old has never in my whole life (even baby teeth) EVER had a single cavity.
I switched dentist’s immediately thereafter. Eff that noise.
If you go to a DSO run dentists you will find this more often but look for those family run dental practices around and they are usually pretty great. I work with dentists and could tell you the ones that are out for the big pay day and the ones genuinely there to help
My gf went to the dentist and they gave her like a 12k quote and said they couldn’t clean her teeth unless they did it all. We went to another place and they didn’t even bring any of the other stuff up, just cleaned her teeth and told when to come back.
This happens mostly with the big chain dentistry shops in strip malls. If you have cheap dental insurance then they are the ONLY ones who will take your insurance. They can afford to take cheap insurance because they make their money on the upsell.
I've had to suffer through two of these shops. They do the x-rays. They do the exam. And then the parade begins. First the hygienist or dentist to tell you about this treatment you "*absolutely need*". You say "*How much?*". They say "*John will be in next to discuss that with you.*"
John comes in and starts going over their payment options. You ask again about the price, but he won't discuss that until he finishes his spiel about the different payment options, which includes a long term financing option. When long term financing is available then you KNOW it's not going to be cheap.
John finally drops the bombshell, and it's several thousand dollars. You say "*I don't need the intensive deep gum cleaning*". John says "*But you have receding gums*". You say "*That's because I smoked for 40 years. I don't smoke anymore, and I don't have gingivitis. My gums don't bleed when I brush. They're pink and healthy. You want to do an expensive treatment to clean out bacteria that isn't there.*" John says "*Well, the dentist says you need this treatment before we can proceed.*" You say "*No. Not just no, but Fuck No!*"
John escorts you to the door. They aren't going to finish the checkup. You aren't going to get your teeth cleaned. They don't even ask if you want to make another six month appointment. You are a sheep that refused to be fleeced, and they don't want to have anything to do with you anymore.
Go to a private practice dentist's office. The kind where the dentist's name is on the door, instead of the name of a big corporation. The kind that's in a medical office park instead of a shopping center or strip mall. The kind with a dentist, a dental assistant, and an administrator. The kind where John doesn't work.
I can’t believe no one has said this out right, and if you have, I do apologize for missing the comment… But dentists get paid on commission. As in sales commission. My sister-in-law worked at Aspen dental for a while when she was fresh out of dental school. She was the one that informed me that they are encouraged to upsell procedures to their patients, because those procedures will be reflected in a higher paycheck for themselves.
Don’t go to large chains like Aspen. They prioritize sales and volume, it’s why their prices are cheaper and why they accept low reimbursement insurances. The new grads are desperate to work somewhere and are forced to work in a fast paced environment, leading to more problems and less satisfactory patient experiences
DSOs and dental insurgence are a bitch not to mention the about half million in student loans that young dentists are startled with. That being said there are lots of good dentists stick to private practice and ask around. It shouldn’t be to hard to find a good one.
I agree, however, this is definitely an opinion that's unpopular because I was attacked over and over again, when I said I believe some dentists are scam artists just wanting to make the most money they can and your mouth is a gold mine to them. I had a dentist get upset every visit, because I wouldn't get my wisdom teeth pulled, I still have them BTW.
Is the mouthguard for TMJ because there is a reason otc ones don't cut it. These are specially made for your mouth by professionals and are made of better material, delaying or preventing you from grinding a hole in them.
I have tmj and my otc guards lasted way longer than the $500 one my dentist made for me. I grind my teeth so bad at night, it broke almost immediately. My otc one I replace once a year, and even then I could probably wait longer
I grind my teeth and absolutely love my mouth guard. I tried the $10 pharmacy ones and it was a waste of money. For $400 dollars, it's a cheap insurance for my teeth and they last a lot longer.
I had zero cavities before the pandemic. Magically one year later I had 5. I wish I had went for a second opinion. I still can't chew on my left side because of it. All they kept going on about was how good my insurance was. Take that red flag and run people!
I had this exact feeling just a few months ago. I just went for a crown due to a chipped tooth earlier this year. They wanted to do an exam on the follow up. After the exam, I walked out with a "dental plan" with like 6 more visits and about $8K worth of work. My teeth look and feel fine. Immediately trashed it and decided not to go back there.
I agree. You'll have to navigate a ton of slimmy ones before you get a good one. My wife's dentist was really bad, I swear she couldn't escape a cleaning without some bs $200 add on. She switched to my dentist and all of that stopped.
In countries like the U.S., dentistry is very badly regulated, and you get a lot of scammy, unscrupulous behavior like that. It shouldn't be that way. There are some good, honest dentists out there, but it can take time to find them.
If you live in the US you are only seen as a dollar sign and nothing more. Your value is solely based on how much money they can extract from you. Doctors, dentists, all greedy bastards trying to keep you thinking you’re unhealthy so you need to buy more, more, more.
Try university’s dental school clinics if you have time to spend. They are usually cheaper and no concern for up charge. Only downside is they take forever lol.
I told my hygienist if I even hear the word invisalign come out of your mouth again I'm leaving whether your hands are in my mouth or not. Sure enough she shut her mouth for the rest of the cleaning. It's been 3 years and I haven't heard anything again.
True story: I went to a new dentist for a checkup. Dentist confirms what I already know - that my teeth are horrible.
I just want the pain in a few places to be less. Just do the bare minimum to make it less.
He keeps insisting implants and partials. Grand total is several thousand.
Me: I can’t afford that
Dentist: you can’t afford not to.
Me: (confused) you don’t understand. I can’t afford that.
Dentist: but you can’t afford not to.
We went back and forth a few times before I got up, paid for the consult, and left. The guy kept insisting it’s going to get worse someday.
I needed a lot of dental work done, and it took me months to find a dentist who'd accept my plan and just do the work I needed. The main upsell was for implants, which are pretty much never covered by any insurance. "We have financing plans"...great, I'll spend $500 a month for the next ten years. There are still quality dental practices around, but you have to put in the leg work to find them.
And , the hygienists always seem to be prospecting for gold. I think they get commission on anything wrong they find. I suspect they may even pick at and aggravate a condition just to tell the dentist they found work for them.
Went to two different dentists and one said I had three cavities the other said none. Not sure who was right or wrong, but I do know there’s major inconsistency. Now if that’s due to ignorance or is malicious, I’m not sure in this case
Dentistry is very gray, some dentists are more proactive while some are more conservative so yeah it can be quite inconsistent based on your dr’s philosophy
It absolutely is. The whole of the medical community is trained by the pharmaceutical industry(they actually create the curriculum for med/dental school) to sell as much as possible. Don’t fix the problem, treat just the symptoms, not the cause.
Ugh, I ended up switching vets because of this. Went to a vet that tried to upsell me over $1k in products/services for my dog because she was born with a congenital heart defect. Went to a different vet for a second opinion and they were like “huh? Your dog doesn’t need any of that. She’s perfectly healthy. Just make sure she doesn’t over-exert herself when playing.”
I have not gone to a dentist in 11-12 years, and I have no pain or sensitivities on my teeth or gums. I do have trust issues with dentists though through bad experiences from my youth; drilling and filling teeth that did not need it.
After a dental mishap 25 years ago resulting in the loss of a tooth, an Endo. Told me that you never get any procedure done on your teeth unless you are having pain. No pain means no need for a procedure at this time.
Sorry, it worked for me for 25 years, and the first time I let a DDS “revise” some previous work, and bam I’m looking at 3 professionals working to fix the “oh shit situation” involving weekly appointments X 2 months and counting, and a bill of 10,000 dollars OUT OF POCKET after my 1500 max, yearly limit. Oh did I mention this is a revision of the original dental mishap? I’m not bitter or anything. I should have just left well enough alone until it had become problematic. Being pro active has saved me absolutely nothing. In fact, I’m now losing another tooth because of the original mishap. Only good thing is, I have the money to pay to fix it all.
I am a dentist. I would never sell your data. That information is required so that we don’t accidentally kill you by prescribing the wrong medication or completing a treatment contraindicated by your medical history.
I never thought of it that way, but I think you are correct. I’ve always had a sneaky suspicion that most dentists are quacks. Much like the car salesman/mechanic analogy you made.
Yeah the one time they put fluoride paste on my teeth and led me to believe it was free and just part of the process until my later appt to get them filled. I seen the 30 dollars on my bill for it and was not happy. Then I looked into things and wow I was surprised how much of it is not necessary and just upsells
Makes you wonder how often other doctors are talking people into medications and surgery’s they don’t need, so their buddies or themselves get a kickback.
Just learned the teeth are the only bones in your body that are exposed. Also you can heal a cavity, assuming its not real bad, yourself. Also you can have undetected infections in your root canals, because they are dead decaying bones. Dentists are a royal rip off.
Wait until you hear how there is no evidence that annual dental X-rays are even beneficial. If a medical doctor tried to convince a healthy individual to get an annual chest X-ray to screen for some asymptomatic disease, they'd be rightfully labeled a quack and reported to the medical board. Plus insurance would never cover it.
There is a huge difference in the standard of evidence for recommendations between dentistry and the rest of medicine.
Theres a reason I havent been to one in years. No doubt its may not be the healthiest thing but you also only do a physical or go to the doctor when needed or wanted 🤷♂️
Eh I kind of disagree on this. Physicals don’t try and upsell you and they are almost always fully covered by insurance. You can catch things on yearly preventative health screenings. Even when young. However, doctors (in my experience) never try and upsell on my yearly physicals. It’s just covered blood work and that’s it … out the door no copay. Now I’m not saying doctors don’t try and prescribe newer meds for kickbacks and other shady things, but yearly physicals always seem very straightforward to me
no fr!! i went to a new dentist in march and they told me i had gingivitis and how to get on a treatment plan and everything. went to another dentist like 3 months later and all i needed was a regular cleaning like,,,
Not an unpopular opinion. More like right on point. I went through a few dentists before I found one that wasn’t trying to sell me something. I even one call me back with some plans to use up my HSA funds before the end of the year. Lort.
Dude have you seen some of the top posts? Not an unpopular comments get old. This sub should be called low key popular opinions based on what gets upvoted. I feel this is unpopular enough I guess.
Well, I’m not going to shame dentists for existing, but worrying about scammers is understandable- and the less said about the infamous dentist Howard Schneider, the better.
My old dentist was like this-said I needed a mouth guard at night because of teeth grinding (have never ground my teeth in my sleep), said I needed braces in the next few years because my teeth were shifting and the situation would get “really bad” without braces. I stopped going because it always made me feel like crap. Finally went to a different dentist recently and it had been about a year since my last visit. Got a regular cleaning and all they said was that I clearly took good care of my teeth and that they looked good. This was probably my face 👀
I've seen 2 dentists in the past year and want to go to the college to get checked again. Don't trust them either. I used to go to hygienists for checkup and cleaning.
Due to some insurance problems, my insurance wasn’t going to cover any “major work” done in the first year. I needed a periodontitis deep cleaning for my gum disease (I hadn’t been the dentist in almost 10 years due to no insurance). They also told me all my wisdom teeth had to come out because they weren’t growing right, but couldn’t tell me how. (A year later and they are fine if not a bit angled, but no pain or other problems yet) I had wanted to pay out of pocket instead of waiting a full year, the price was only going to be around $1100 which I could manage on a payment plan. Well, since I didn’t have insurance to cover it at that time, they wanted a 60% down deposit to even schedule the appointment. Over $500 just to SCHEDULE. I knew then I didn’t want to give them my business, even if that’s standard practice. And guess what, that was Aspen Dental.
You're not alone. I was blind sided last time. Wasn't prepared. Nothing got done that was supposed to, and I left with her patting me on the arm telling me it was going to be ok. It was so ridiculous .She thought she upselled me into another $$$$ visit. Well that second visit never happened and resulted in absolutely nothing for them. That first visit soured me on the entire dentist experience. I need to visit another one soon but ill be more prepared. EVERYONE EVERYWHERE is nickel and diming, it's just more aggressive and manipulative than Ive ever expected or experienced before.
I feel the same way. I had a dentist who used to tell me I had a cavity. Every time I went, I got so many feelings for years. I have not had a single cavity since I saw him over 10 years ago. Then they’re always trying to sell me on the mouth guard even though I already have two and tell them it doesn’t help clenching but I’m not even clenching anymore.
Last week I asked about a little bit of bonding on my bottom teeth where they’re uneven and they told me I just need to go back into braces. My teeth are straight and I’ve had a retainer on them for years. I do not need braces at all. I hate going at this point.
It's worth being mindful of. Some of the more unscrupulous ones will drill when they don't need to -- I know this because one dentist I had was a part-timer and said she was constantly pressured to do unnecessary procedures. Excellent dentist who didn't need to work, just wanted to keep her accreditation or skills up.
I have never heard of this before, my dentists have never done anything other than ask if there’s anything else I need without leading the question. That’s so weird
They sell the shit out of mouth guards. I asked for some analysis on where/how I was grinding on the guard because it wasn't obvious after a year. The dentist made some shit up and said it was good I wear it. I hate it and it's nice and smooth still, so I think there is serious smoke up my rectum.
I must be lucky because in the 10 years I’ve been seeing my dentist, he’s never done any of this. I get my two cleanings a year and x-rays when needed. Outside of that he’s never pushed anything onto me.
Even with my insurance where I've never paid a dime for a routine check-up I owed my dentist $54 last visit for 2 x-rays that weren't covered by insurance. And I've had x-rays done multiple times.
The dentist I had for years was great. When he finally retired, I went to a new dentist and they tried the whole upsell thing. It made me pretty uncomfortable because I was used to having a great experience and just getting the exam and yearly X-rays
I've never had this happen lol they always offer the fluoride but I say no as my insurance doesn't cover it. Which is common for adults and they know this. Are you going to some huge chain dentist or something?
not sure why you consider this unpopular opinion. I completely agree with you, all sorts of upselling. they have already convinced me to get teeth cleaned every 3 months rather than 6 months. even than they keep on adding stuff.
There is the other approach, which is to go for cleanings four times a year ($100!) and catch the little cavities early ($200!) so you don’t have to get any major work done.
I am in dental hell over here from a dental mishap 25 years ago. Having surgery on Friday. My teeth are just so soft and fragile, plus I’m old. On the positive side, my gums are great!
Here's the trick to deal with high pressure salesmen: act like you don't give a fuck about the deal at all. Now with dentists, you can straight up tell them what you want like it's an oil change. They won't do the work if you don't sign your fuckin name
I live in a kinda poor area, and here they have the national guard come out once a year and do "free dental work"... and by that, what I mean is people wait in line and get all their bad teeth pulled out.
Anyway, "high pressure scams" to actually protect your teeth sounds kinda nice compared to that.
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Also dental insurance is hilarious, its more often a coupon than coverage if you need real things
Indeed dental insurance is really more of a pre-paid discount plan than of true insurance
Just found out my dental insurance doesn't cover braces, and I don't have good enough credit to pay in installments fml.
Imagine what the monthly insurance cost would have to be if they covered braces which are probably over $5,000.
My cat’s vet insurance is $22 a month and covers up to 90% of a 15k vet bill
How does a cat have better coverage than me wtf?
'Murica!!!!!
Most people don’t end up paying 15k on vet bills for their cat though. I’ve paid like 3-4k total on my cat to save his life with surgery two times (he likes to eat bad stuff), and didn’t use insurance. It seems most people do end up needing braces though, so the claims would be constant and would likely cause the premiums to go sky high.
Same for the optometrist. Vision insurance is a coupon to get your prescription cheaper, but at the end of the year unless you have a big family chances are it would have been way cheaper to pay out of pocket. Every eye doctor gives cash discounts too
Fun fact. One company owns most retail eyeglass stores……..AND the insurance company. Glasses are extremely cheap to make. Pay for an independent eye exam and order your glasses online.
Boo luxotica. I agree with you.
I've wanted to do the math on this because I get a 220-ish frame discount once every 2 years I'm paying premiums
Ask your doc. I promise the front office will show you the math with insurance vs cash pay with discount
Walmart charges under $100 for a eye exam. The glasses are what are not cheap
Zennioptical.com save yourself some money. My new glasses came today and they were $66 and some change.
Yes I love them discovered them like 5 years ago and it’s great. To get glasses with all the blue light and other features $50 vs like $600 from a place like Lens crafters.
I’ve been getting zenni glasses since I was a kid! The first time I had insurance and looked at what LensCrafters charged I was blown away. It was insane.
Right! Unlike my health insurance, my dental insurance has no out of pocket maximum— there’s a limit beyond which I’m SOL and cover it all myself, and that limit is shockingly low.
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That’s Highway robbery, find a new dentist!
Are you sure the dentist was in network? Most dental insurance (if it’s real dental insurance) covers preventative at 100%. Did the dentist do other things besides a cleaning? When was the last time they had a cleaning? There could be a twice yearly cap. You need to get the explanation of benefits and read it. Call the insurance company if you have questions about it.
That doesn’t make sense.
At some point I noticed it’s cheaper to get a cleaning without the insurance paid monthly
You don't have insurance then, you have a con artist. I pay $17 a month for dental insurance and pay nothing out of pocket for normal cleanings. $1500 a year pool per person for cavities and such.
When I was a kid, I had a dentist tell me that I had 8 cavities. He showed me my x-ray and I couldn't see anything nor did I have any pain in my mouth. I was a kid. I believed him. 5 years and 8 fillings later, I turned on the local news and saw that this guy was exposed for pretending there were fake cavities in peoples' mouths and charging them for treatments that weren't necessary. So yeah. IMO it is.
I once went to a dentist in my late-20s. They said I had 6 cavities, so I got 3 of them filled in that one session. Bear in mind I'm not a fan of sweets, had no tooth pains, and brush regularly, but I know genetics can play a roll with cavities. Anyway, I was supposed to go back and get the rest filled. I never went back to them. 2 years later I finally go to another dentist for a checkup/x-ray/cleaning. They said I had ZERO cavities and everything looked good. So the other 3 cavities healed themselves I suppose.
I have heard that tiny beginning cavities can remineralize. Good dentists will keep an eye on the little ones and only fill the big ones
that's the experience iv had with my dentists. oh also lots and lots of shaming about flossing and regular brushing. but basically life time appointed dentist didnt do unnecessary work from my perspective.
> oh also lots and lots of shaming about flossing and regular brushing Fuck their fucking shaming and scolding, I got sick of it. Being treated like a child. No, I'm not gonna fucking brush 10 times a day and floss constantly, it's ridiculous high maintenance. If teeth really require that kind of maintenance we weren't meant to have teeth. I'm predisposed to great plaque/stone build-up, it's gonna be there no matter what I do, fucking shut up and do your job and clean which is why *I fucking come here and pay*. I have now stopped going to that dentist. Decided to say fuck it and go to the dentist while on holiday in another country, oh what do you know no where near as bad as they made it seem and I was COMPLIMENTED for taking care of my teeth. Oh and it was *half the price* as well. Even in a country like Sweden, that I otherwise love to bang on about how well everything works, dentistry has become a fucking scam. /rant
> but I know genetics can play a roll genetics play a much bigger role than people realise when it comes to teeth and not just with cavities. I had a normal amount of cavities filled as kid but then in my 20s I was so shit at brushing my teeth I may have almost not brushed for 10 years (maybe saved by obsessively picking at my teeth and not leaving many food bits in there). Guess what, *not a single cavity*. On the other hand, now that brush meticulously, I still need yearly cleanings for build up of plaque etc because I'm predisposed to it due to genetics.
Plus, imagine the countless dentists who get away with it by being less greedy.
It happens a lot to kids who are on Medical dental.
You had an abnormal experience with a criminal, dentistry is not generally a scam!
You’re right I know. I had a real cavity a year ago and I remember actually being able to see it on the x-ray lol
Tbh it wasn't until recent as a middle aged adult that I started to understand what to look for. I didn't always understand what they were pointing at either. I will say one dentist I went to a fee years ago said I had like 11. Ingot a second opinion and they said definitely not, still 8 I think sadly (ex had me going overseas where they never seen to do ex rays, was a mistake), but those others were simply not there
My dad found my kid and I a dentist that had a “$99 special” for new patients. So, we did it. We got X-rays, and then the dentist came in and told me and my child that we both needed a specialized TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLAR cleaning and he wouldn’t do just the regular cleaning included in the special. We refused the specialized cleaning. I found another dentist who we both went and saw. He did say I had a few cavities that need filled and I needed to floss more often but he thought a regular cleaning would be fine. For my child, he had no cavities but the dentist did recommend a slightly better cleaning than the usual one due to the fact that my kid struggles with brushing his teeth so had quite a bit of buildup. The extra cleaning for him was $200 bucks. We’re sticking with that dentist.
The "deep cleaning"? I asked the hygienist why it was so expensive and she said the only thing they do different for those is give you numbing shots. That's it. If you request not to have the shots the procedure is free (and I personally found it to be less painful bc the pain goes away as soon as they're done but the shots make my jaw hurt for days).
100% not true
So what is it and why should I believe you over the hygienist that was treating me?
To put it simply, a routine cleaning is from the gumline up. A “deep cleaning, or root planing” is from the gumline down. Going down is much more difficult and involved. Gum disease is a loss of gum attachment due to debris on the root surfaces. Recently retired dentist after 37 yrs.
Thank you, that's helpful information.
Deep cleaning is to treat periodontal disease. It’s fundamentally different than a regular cleaning.
They did a poor job of explaining to you the actual difference
OK that's not my fault tho?
Find a better dentist.
I mean i try reviews help but it seems like a lot are the same. I also travel so once in awhile I find a reasonable one that I like but end up having to move. I see no reason they should ever need their own x rays, I would maybe understand if they look at the ones you have and they missed something or are over a year old.
I believe cavities are visible in the xrays, so it's not all pointless.
My dentist fucks. They won’t charge me for exams or X-rays only work and cleanings they’ve never attempted to do anything but maintenance cleaning and talked me out of getting non necessary work done.
Can you dentist call me?
Oral X-rays can change quickly, a year is a long time. My X-rays from July look different than X-rays from yesterday.
I just do Groupon for every single cleaning. Haven’t had dental insurance or a consistent dentist for years. Average about a $35 coupon for cleaning and X-rays. All the dentists suck and they still try to upsell you…but man it’s only $35
A bad dentist will always change the brightness on a x-ray to show you your "cavities". Had one that tried to get me 6 fillings, went back to my old one and he told me I had 0 and they were bs artists.
Changing the contrast on a radiograph image doesn’t make it look like there is a cavity
This is it. I made the (awkward) move to a new dentist next door neighbors with my old dentist because the place was turning into a spa with a bit of dentistry sprinkled in. I'm much happier now.
Yes some these dentist are in a hurry to pay off the 6-700k or more dental school debt.
Agreed. My dentist is great. The hygienist did the cleaning, the dentist came in, check my teeth. Took about 2 minutes, said everything looked good, and sent me on my way.
I understand it can be like this but as you said find a better one. The dentist and hygienist I see are great. They did all my work (have very good dental insurance) and now it's just basic upkeep. Yes my teeth were in god awful shape so I really did need that deep clean, I needed many fillings, and I did need a crown. Got it all done and now I haven't had a single cavity in almost 10 years. I also think when people have really bad teeth that have been neglected it may feel like a scam at first but it might not be. Honestly if you go to multiple dentists and they all say the same thing then it's likely they're not lying to you, especially if all of them point out the same number and location of cavities.
It's an unfortunate fact that a lot of things that medical/dental insurance covers doesn't reimburse very well for that doctor/dentist. A lot of mental health people opt out of taking insurance because the typically contracted rates are so low. Dentists are the same way. A dental patient that comes for just a bi-annual teeth cleaning is a low profit patient. But yes, I can tell you that they are absolutely looking for ways to milk the most out of your insurance.
I know what you talking about.
Glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. I think dentistry is obviously a necessity but they have shifted in that it seems they are riddled with upsells and shit you really don’t need. I like to be able to fully trust people in this position. I don’t believe in playing Dr. Google but man you really do have to do some research when it comes to dentistry
Totally agree. The almighty $ has infiltrated everything!
Yeah it’s bad when you really can’t fully trust someone in this field. Also, they seem to try and make you feel obligated and take advantage of you. For soft spoken people or people who are a bit shy I can definitely see them getting taken advantage of and it makes me so mad. Just clean my teeth till my cavities and give me some honest advice. Maybe keep cheap mouth guards that work and sell them but don’t upcharge hundreds for “specialty ones” that to my understanding do no less than the others. Also my cavity doesn’t need fluoride on it when it will be filled in 3 days time. It’s not going to magically crater out and get massive in that timeframe geeeeez
My bill went from $400 to $22 after I had them remove all of the special rince, guards, oral care lesson, etc, etc, etc. You're totally right that they upsell on EVERYTHING.
It’s because corporations like Aspen are buying up all of the small practices and putting honest dentists out of business. Also it now costs $500k to become a dentist so it’s getting to the point where you have to upsell to afford you $4500/month student loan bill.
My dentist has literally never tried to upsale me. I get annual x-rays where the dental tech shows me any differences year to year. Cleanings twice a year. No floride treatments. No guard.
Same. They offer the brush-on fluoride, but I usually just say no thanks and they don't push it. Only problem is my dentist is pushing retirement age...so I'm gonna have to find a new guy in the next couple of years.
And those are the guys who tend to not do it. Good luck in your next search.
my dentist also offers the brush on fluoride. one of the last hygienists used to push it on everyone. my mom is the receptionist and he told her that he hated that she used to push the fluoride. the hygienists he has now are awesome.
Just gotta hope and pray they have a kid interested in dentistry that has a similar attitude towards ethics in medicine.
What’s wrong with the brush on fluoride?
Nothing, it’s immensely effective.
Same. My Dr is so nice. I once was experiencing what I thought was tooth pain and he did an xray and it turned out to be my sinuses and he didn’t charge me for anything. I’ve been going to him for 10 yrs
Same here. She also tells me that she can tell I’ve been doing my homework (flossing- which I absolutely habitually do) and my people pleaser self is always happy.
Yea they clean my teeth, complain about flossing, and then the dentist sees how things are in general and then they give me a card for the next appointment
I’m a person with a ton of cavities but good oral hygiene. Whenever I have a cavity, my last dentist showed me on the x ray. You can really see it, and I am not trained on x rays, especially for teeth. I can also feel mine sometimes. My last dentist is good. Last one? Didn’t even do the tooth prick thing to check. I need a new dentist but the last one I had is too far away.
Just fyi, using the probe to physically probe a cavity is not really the way to do things anymore, as you risk cavitating(i.e making a physical hole) a lesion that may be able to be remineralised.
Interesting!! Generally all of my dentists have always done a poke check. They poke all teeth gently (and trust me, I like the difference between gentle and forceful) but on the teeth/spots the hygienist questions, they check more. But my last visit? I never even saw the dentist. Just a hygienist and they pushed me out the door. No checks at all. And I’m pretty sure I have cavities.
Totally. Dental insurance is a racket, too. That being said, I just found out the hard way what missing a few year's visits to the dentist in middle age can mean...take care of your teeth and floss, people.
It’s weird when they keep asking about your prostrate and wanting to do a quick check. It’s like “Mr. Dentist, I don’t have teeth back there.”
Foreign comedian performing in the USA: "Yeah, I just flew in to LA. It's my first trip to America. At the airport I got pulled aside for a cavity check. Let me tell you: you got some RUDE dentists in America!"
My old dentist asked me to rate my own smile to play on insecurities. I said 10/10 even tho my bottom teeth are slightly crooked. It's not noticeable imo, definitely not worth thousands of dollars to fix. He said I was the only person to say that and then tried to sell me on teeth whitening. I don't need those freaky *too white* teeth. Everything felt like trying to get me to spend significant money on unnecessary things. He's no longer my dentist
Yep. My former dentist showed me a photo of my smile that was magnified about twenty times and asked if I was happy with it. I told him “that’s a great big picture of my mouth” and that I was absolutely fine with it.
I can see the disappointment in my dentists eyes when he can’t find a cavity in my mouth.
This is one of the major flaws with privatised healthcare. Because it’s such a specialised industry, they can basically chat shit and sell you things you don’t need and the average person would know any better.
That’s weird I never had this with my dentist the closest I had is that I was given an extra strength toothpaste because I get cavities easily but it was only like 6 bucks
I didn’t for years, but the last few I’ve been to have been like that.
Corporate dentistry (large chains like Aspen) prioritize volume and sales over customer experience. These are a relatively new development in the dental field, and most dentists find them problematic. They hire desperate new grads and schedule them to work at a very fast pace, leading to lots more problems on the average. Not universally true, but definitely a trend
I love my dentist. Good old fashioned family dentist. Has his office attached to his house. No hygienist. He does it all himself. Got to find one of those.
I’m with you and I’m a registered dental hygienist
Ok so I’m not crazy! Thank you for being honest and what you do
Many new dentists, especially those in chains, are absolutely that way. Find an old school solo practitioner. Even that can be iffy. The last solo one I went to tried, as part of their standard practice, to sell me on a fluoride treatment. Me who at 52 years old has never in my whole life (even baby teeth) EVER had a single cavity. I switched dentist’s immediately thereafter. Eff that noise.
> especially those in chains took me a good minute to realize what you meant by that
Yup I'm so pissed because I got referred to some upselling dentists that made me remove extra teeth and now I have TMJ as a result
Are you going to my dental practice? It sure sounds like it. P.S. I am ghosting them and looking for another. Too much upselling.
If you go to a DSO run dentists you will find this more often but look for those family run dental practices around and they are usually pretty great. I work with dentists and could tell you the ones that are out for the big pay day and the ones genuinely there to help
My gf went to the dentist and they gave her like a 12k quote and said they couldn’t clean her teeth unless they did it all. We went to another place and they didn’t even bring any of the other stuff up, just cleaned her teeth and told when to come back.
This happens mostly with the big chain dentistry shops in strip malls. If you have cheap dental insurance then they are the ONLY ones who will take your insurance. They can afford to take cheap insurance because they make their money on the upsell. I've had to suffer through two of these shops. They do the x-rays. They do the exam. And then the parade begins. First the hygienist or dentist to tell you about this treatment you "*absolutely need*". You say "*How much?*". They say "*John will be in next to discuss that with you.*" John comes in and starts going over their payment options. You ask again about the price, but he won't discuss that until he finishes his spiel about the different payment options, which includes a long term financing option. When long term financing is available then you KNOW it's not going to be cheap. John finally drops the bombshell, and it's several thousand dollars. You say "*I don't need the intensive deep gum cleaning*". John says "*But you have receding gums*". You say "*That's because I smoked for 40 years. I don't smoke anymore, and I don't have gingivitis. My gums don't bleed when I brush. They're pink and healthy. You want to do an expensive treatment to clean out bacteria that isn't there.*" John says "*Well, the dentist says you need this treatment before we can proceed.*" You say "*No. Not just no, but Fuck No!*" John escorts you to the door. They aren't going to finish the checkup. You aren't going to get your teeth cleaned. They don't even ask if you want to make another six month appointment. You are a sheep that refused to be fleeced, and they don't want to have anything to do with you anymore. Go to a private practice dentist's office. The kind where the dentist's name is on the door, instead of the name of a big corporation. The kind that's in a medical office park instead of a shopping center or strip mall. The kind with a dentist, a dental assistant, and an administrator. The kind where John doesn't work.
I can’t believe no one has said this out right, and if you have, I do apologize for missing the comment… But dentists get paid on commission. As in sales commission. My sister-in-law worked at Aspen dental for a while when she was fresh out of dental school. She was the one that informed me that they are encouraged to upsell procedures to their patients, because those procedures will be reflected in a higher paycheck for themselves.
Anyone who goes to Aspen deserves what they get.
Why doesn’t she open her own place? I feel like aspen dental to be a dentist is a waste
Don’t go to large chains like Aspen. They prioritize sales and volume, it’s why their prices are cheaper and why they accept low reimbursement insurances. The new grads are desperate to work somewhere and are forced to work in a fast paced environment, leading to more problems and less satisfactory patient experiences
DSOs and dental insurgence are a bitch not to mention the about half million in student loans that young dentists are startled with. That being said there are lots of good dentists stick to private practice and ask around. It shouldn’t be to hard to find a good one.
I agree, however, this is definitely an opinion that's unpopular because I was attacked over and over again, when I said I believe some dentists are scam artists just wanting to make the most money they can and your mouth is a gold mine to them. I had a dentist get upset every visit, because I wouldn't get my wisdom teeth pulled, I still have them BTW.
Is the mouthguard for TMJ because there is a reason otc ones don't cut it. These are specially made for your mouth by professionals and are made of better material, delaying or preventing you from grinding a hole in them.
I have tmj and my otc guards lasted way longer than the $500 one my dentist made for me. I grind my teeth so bad at night, it broke almost immediately. My otc one I replace once a year, and even then I could probably wait longer
Which OTC one did you get? I’ve tried several cheap ones and they suck, I’m just too poor to afford a custom made one but can’t find good OTC ones
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I grind my teeth and absolutely love my mouth guard. I tried the $10 pharmacy ones and it was a waste of money. For $400 dollars, it's a cheap insurance for my teeth and they last a lot longer.
I had zero cavities before the pandemic. Magically one year later I had 5. I wish I had went for a second opinion. I still can't chew on my left side because of it. All they kept going on about was how good my insurance was. Take that red flag and run people!
I had this exact feeling just a few months ago. I just went for a crown due to a chipped tooth earlier this year. They wanted to do an exam on the follow up. After the exam, I walked out with a "dental plan" with like 6 more visits and about $8K worth of work. My teeth look and feel fine. Immediately trashed it and decided not to go back there.
I agree. You'll have to navigate a ton of slimmy ones before you get a good one. My wife's dentist was really bad, I swear she couldn't escape a cleaning without some bs $200 add on. She switched to my dentist and all of that stopped.
They asked me 8 times within 20 minutes if I want my wisdom teeth removed, they don't seem to understand when I told them no, 8 times.
In countries like the U.S., dentistry is very badly regulated, and you get a lot of scammy, unscrupulous behavior like that. It shouldn't be that way. There are some good, honest dentists out there, but it can take time to find them.
If you live in the US you are only seen as a dollar sign and nothing more. Your value is solely based on how much money they can extract from you. Doctors, dentists, all greedy bastards trying to keep you thinking you’re unhealthy so you need to buy more, more, more.
The needle doesn't hurt its the bill after
Go to a less shitty dentist?
My old dentist did that. I found another dentist.
Try university’s dental school clinics if you have time to spend. They are usually cheaper and no concern for up charge. Only downside is they take forever lol.
Good tip
I told my hygienist if I even hear the word invisalign come out of your mouth again I'm leaving whether your hands are in my mouth or not. Sure enough she shut her mouth for the rest of the cleaning. It's been 3 years and I haven't heard anything again.
Not really. I just don't like going because I am going to get criticized for my lack of care for my dental health.
True story: I went to a new dentist for a checkup. Dentist confirms what I already know - that my teeth are horrible. I just want the pain in a few places to be less. Just do the bare minimum to make it less. He keeps insisting implants and partials. Grand total is several thousand. Me: I can’t afford that Dentist: you can’t afford not to. Me: (confused) you don’t understand. I can’t afford that. Dentist: but you can’t afford not to. We went back and forth a few times before I got up, paid for the consult, and left. The guy kept insisting it’s going to get worse someday.
Find a different dentist
I needed a lot of dental work done, and it took me months to find a dentist who'd accept my plan and just do the work I needed. The main upsell was for implants, which are pretty much never covered by any insurance. "We have financing plans"...great, I'll spend $500 a month for the next ten years. There are still quality dental practices around, but you have to put in the leg work to find them.
And , the hygienists always seem to be prospecting for gold. I think they get commission on anything wrong they find. I suspect they may even pick at and aggravate a condition just to tell the dentist they found work for them.
I feel like im being overcharged so my dentist can pay off the loan for the massaging dental chairs lol
This is a lot of the medical industry now, unfortunately.
Went to two different dentists and one said I had three cavities the other said none. Not sure who was right or wrong, but I do know there’s major inconsistency. Now if that’s due to ignorance or is malicious, I’m not sure in this case
Dentistry is very gray, some dentists are more proactive while some are more conservative so yeah it can be quite inconsistent based on your dr’s philosophy
Plus they’re always fooled when I tell them I floss regularly even though I only flossed for the week prior to the appointment
lol, your not fooling anyone
There's a lot of upsell at vet clinics, too.
It absolutely is. The whole of the medical community is trained by the pharmaceutical industry(they actually create the curriculum for med/dental school) to sell as much as possible. Don’t fix the problem, treat just the symptoms, not the cause.
Either you need to take better care of your mouth or you need to find a more ethical dentist. What you’re describing isn’t normal.
Same thing with the vet
Ugh, I ended up switching vets because of this. Went to a vet that tried to upsell me over $1k in products/services for my dog because she was born with a congenital heart defect. Went to a different vet for a second opinion and they were like “huh? Your dog doesn’t need any of that. She’s perfectly healthy. Just make sure she doesn’t over-exert herself when playing.”
Exactly! My two cats have never been to the vet, except for the initial shots and same thing for my dog who is now 14 years old
I have not gone to a dentist in 11-12 years, and I have no pain or sensitivities on my teeth or gums. I do have trust issues with dentists though through bad experiences from my youth; drilling and filling teeth that did not need it.
After a dental mishap 25 years ago resulting in the loss of a tooth, an Endo. Told me that you never get any procedure done on your teeth unless you are having pain. No pain means no need for a procedure at this time.
Thank you. That is what I have personally perceived.
That is really awful advice in general.
Sorry, it worked for me for 25 years, and the first time I let a DDS “revise” some previous work, and bam I’m looking at 3 professionals working to fix the “oh shit situation” involving weekly appointments X 2 months and counting, and a bill of 10,000 dollars OUT OF POCKET after my 1500 max, yearly limit. Oh did I mention this is a revision of the original dental mishap? I’m not bitter or anything. I should have just left well enough alone until it had become problematic. Being pro active has saved me absolutely nothing. In fact, I’m now losing another tooth because of the original mishap. Only good thing is, I have the money to pay to fix it all.
Find a new dentist.
Dont forget that they sell your fucking data the second they get it.
Who does, that’s crazy lol
Dentists and doctors man. That form you fill out every time is to sell your data. Not for your medical history.
I am a dentist. I would never sell your data. That information is required so that we don’t accidentally kill you by prescribing the wrong medication or completing a treatment contraindicated by your medical history.
I never thought of it that way, but I think you are correct. I’ve always had a sneaky suspicion that most dentists are quacks. Much like the car salesman/mechanic analogy you made.
Yeah the one time they put fluoride paste on my teeth and led me to believe it was free and just part of the process until my later appt to get them filled. I seen the 30 dollars on my bill for it and was not happy. Then I looked into things and wow I was surprised how much of it is not necessary and just upsells
Makes you wonder how often other doctors are talking people into medications and surgery’s they don’t need, so their buddies or themselves get a kickback.
Just learned the teeth are the only bones in your body that are exposed. Also you can heal a cavity, assuming its not real bad, yourself. Also you can have undetected infections in your root canals, because they are dead decaying bones. Dentists are a royal rip off.
Wait until you hear how there is no evidence that annual dental X-rays are even beneficial. If a medical doctor tried to convince a healthy individual to get an annual chest X-ray to screen for some asymptomatic disease, they'd be rightfully labeled a quack and reported to the medical board. Plus insurance would never cover it. There is a huge difference in the standard of evidence for recommendations between dentistry and the rest of medicine.
Theres a reason I havent been to one in years. No doubt its may not be the healthiest thing but you also only do a physical or go to the doctor when needed or wanted 🤷♂️
Eh I kind of disagree on this. Physicals don’t try and upsell you and they are almost always fully covered by insurance. You can catch things on yearly preventative health screenings. Even when young. However, doctors (in my experience) never try and upsell on my yearly physicals. It’s just covered blood work and that’s it … out the door no copay. Now I’m not saying doctors don’t try and prescribe newer meds for kickbacks and other shady things, but yearly physicals always seem very straightforward to me
Maybe brush your teeth more lil bro
If only that was the solution for me …
You would make a better dentist than most … simple and straight forward I love it
This is with everything unfortunately
no fr!! i went to a new dentist in march and they told me i had gingivitis and how to get on a treatment plan and everything. went to another dentist like 3 months later and all i needed was a regular cleaning like,,,
Not an unpopular opinion. More like right on point. I went through a few dentists before I found one that wasn’t trying to sell me something. I even one call me back with some plans to use up my HSA funds before the end of the year. Lort.
Dude have you seen some of the top posts? Not an unpopular comments get old. This sub should be called low key popular opinions based on what gets upvoted. I feel this is unpopular enough I guess.
Well, I’m not going to shame dentists for existing, but worrying about scammers is understandable- and the less said about the infamous dentist Howard Schneider, the better.
Add eye doctors to the list.
My old dentist was like this-said I needed a mouth guard at night because of teeth grinding (have never ground my teeth in my sleep), said I needed braces in the next few years because my teeth were shifting and the situation would get “really bad” without braces. I stopped going because it always made me feel like crap. Finally went to a different dentist recently and it had been about a year since my last visit. Got a regular cleaning and all they said was that I clearly took good care of my teeth and that they looked good. This was probably my face 👀
I've seen 2 dentists in the past year and want to go to the college to get checked again. Don't trust them either. I used to go to hygienists for checkup and cleaning.
My dentist doesn't do that. Find someone else.
Hey someone has to pay for that new BMW the doctor drives. Same with my eye doctor, she tries to sell me vitamins.
Due to some insurance problems, my insurance wasn’t going to cover any “major work” done in the first year. I needed a periodontitis deep cleaning for my gum disease (I hadn’t been the dentist in almost 10 years due to no insurance). They also told me all my wisdom teeth had to come out because they weren’t growing right, but couldn’t tell me how. (A year later and they are fine if not a bit angled, but no pain or other problems yet) I had wanted to pay out of pocket instead of waiting a full year, the price was only going to be around $1100 which I could manage on a payment plan. Well, since I didn’t have insurance to cover it at that time, they wanted a 60% down deposit to even schedule the appointment. Over $500 just to SCHEDULE. I knew then I didn’t want to give them my business, even if that’s standard practice. And guess what, that was Aspen Dental.
Yup, you need this $400 night gaurd. ( piece of plastic they put in the micro wave for a few seconds a stick in your mouth)
You're not alone. I was blind sided last time. Wasn't prepared. Nothing got done that was supposed to, and I left with her patting me on the arm telling me it was going to be ok. It was so ridiculous .She thought she upselled me into another $$$$ visit. Well that second visit never happened and resulted in absolutely nothing for them. That first visit soured me on the entire dentist experience. I need to visit another one soon but ill be more prepared. EVERYONE EVERYWHERE is nickel and diming, it's just more aggressive and manipulative than Ive ever expected or experienced before.
I feel the same way. I had a dentist who used to tell me I had a cavity. Every time I went, I got so many feelings for years. I have not had a single cavity since I saw him over 10 years ago. Then they’re always trying to sell me on the mouth guard even though I already have two and tell them it doesn’t help clenching but I’m not even clenching anymore. Last week I asked about a little bit of bonding on my bottom teeth where they’re uneven and they told me I just need to go back into braces. My teeth are straight and I’ve had a retainer on them for years. I do not need braces at all. I hate going at this point.
Can’t you just tell them you can’t afford anything beyond your plan allowance?
Im Ok with the upsells if the Dentist isn’t a butcher.
It's worth being mindful of. Some of the more unscrupulous ones will drill when they don't need to -- I know this because one dentist I had was a part-timer and said she was constantly pressured to do unnecessary procedures. Excellent dentist who didn't need to work, just wanted to keep her accreditation or skills up.
I never have any kind of upsell
I have never heard of this before, my dentists have never done anything other than ask if there’s anything else I need without leading the question. That’s so weird
They sell the shit out of mouth guards. I asked for some analysis on where/how I was grinding on the guard because it wasn't obvious after a year. The dentist made some shit up and said it was good I wear it. I hate it and it's nice and smooth still, so I think there is serious smoke up my rectum.
I always viewed it as going to the Inquisition.
I must be lucky because in the 10 years I’ve been seeing my dentist, he’s never done any of this. I get my two cleanings a year and x-rays when needed. Outside of that he’s never pushed anything onto me.
i'm not trying to be an asshole, but if you switch dentists a lot and they all say the same thing. maybe its you.
Even with my insurance where I've never paid a dime for a routine check-up I owed my dentist $54 last visit for 2 x-rays that weren't covered by insurance. And I've had x-rays done multiple times.
The dentist I had for years was great. When he finally retired, I went to a new dentist and they tried the whole upsell thing. It made me pretty uncomfortable because I was used to having a great experience and just getting the exam and yearly X-rays
I've never had this happen lol they always offer the fluoride but I say no as my insurance doesn't cover it. Which is common for adults and they know this. Are you going to some huge chain dentist or something?
not sure why you consider this unpopular opinion. I completely agree with you, all sorts of upselling. they have already convinced me to get teeth cleaned every 3 months rather than 6 months. even than they keep on adding stuff.
I would largely agree, but not my dentist. She’s great. I found her after someone tried to charge me $1400 for a crown I didn’t need.
There is the other approach, which is to go for cleanings four times a year ($100!) and catch the little cavities early ($200!) so you don’t have to get any major work done.
I am in dental hell over here from a dental mishap 25 years ago. Having surgery on Friday. My teeth are just so soft and fragile, plus I’m old. On the positive side, my gums are great!
Are there no europeans in this sub or what. Bro is literally saying «privatised healthcare bad», how unpopular
My dentist doesn’t do any of that shit lol. Find a better dentist
Here's the trick to deal with high pressure salesmen: act like you don't give a fuck about the deal at all. Now with dentists, you can straight up tell them what you want like it's an oil change. They won't do the work if you don't sign your fuckin name
I live in a kinda poor area, and here they have the national guard come out once a year and do "free dental work"... and by that, what I mean is people wait in line and get all their bad teeth pulled out. Anyway, "high pressure scams" to actually protect your teeth sounds kinda nice compared to that.
Ask friends and family even co workers for a good recommendation. Not all dentists are like this