Pain of dental fees mounts for Albertans

[Hanni]

Sounds like you're all just a bunch of rabid anti-dentites, pretty soon you'll be saying they should have their own schools!

[Fuzz]

Mine is fairly good and doesn't upsell. Probably overpriced though. And for some reason the last couple years they charge just more than insurance covers. By, like, $1-2. I'm not sure what their game is here, but it is annoying to have to get my credit card out for it. The first time it happened I threw a toonie down and she says, oh, we don't accept cash. Ugh.

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by MillerTime GFG

My family and I go to Sierra Dental in Westhills. Every time I go, I just get an uneasy feeling. They're all super nice, don't get me wrong, but that is kind of part of the issue. I feel like I am being up-sold on absolutely everything. Checkups every 3 months, preventative this, preventative that. I "must grind my teeth in my sleep", I need a retainer. (I don't grind my teeth in my sleep).

I get it's a business just like anything, but it seems completely over the top. Anyone else have similar experiences?

I'm not really surprised, when I was looking for a new dentist in that area a few years back their ads and webpage seemed to raise a few red flags to me about their practice. I ended up going to Signal Hill dentist pretty much across the road from them, while not perfect they don't seem to be as pushy as you guys are saying Sierra is.

[oilyfan]

Sounds like we need to start a new thread with dentist recommendations. Specifically, ones that:

- charge what insurance companies are willing to pay
- don't "upsell", well not excessively. Let's not get too unrealistic
- don't bug you to make appointments every three months because you have bad dental hygiene. Hold on that might just be me!

But I am only half joking here...

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Hey Dentist and Hygenists; your "trick" of putting personal notes about my life in your system is completely transparent and off-putting.

At my last appointment the hygienist was getting my personal details all wrong - number of kids, what I did for a living, wife's name. Turned out there was another guy with my first name booked at the same time and there was a mix-up. Yeah, real personal touch.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Lisa needs braces.

[ricosuave]

dental plan!

[Northendzone]

Lisa needs braces?!?!

[Bill Bumface]

Dental plan!

[Mr.Coffee]

Does it really need to be every 6 months? Every 3 seems downright paranoid, but even every 6 months seems aggressive.

Once a year should be ok unless you experience pain or have issues. You people brush your teeth at night, right?

[Cuz]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

Lisa needs braces.

Originally Posted by ricosuave

dental plan!

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Lisa needs braces?!?!

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

Dental plan!

[Incogneto]

Dentists are the biggest legalized crooks around.

[scotty2hotty]

I have a vested interest in this topic as I am currently developing patient education software to assist dentists.

I have spoken to over 100 general dentists across North America and they all say the same thing: How do I educate patients as to the treatment options available to them without sounding 'salesy'

Fact of the matter is, we could probably all benefit from more frequent cleanings, multiple crowns, restorative work, cosmetic work, orthodontics, etc. But where do we draw the line between 'could benefit from' and 'absolutely need'?

'Preventative care' is such a nebulous term. No one can predict the future.

However, if a dentist doesn't tell you EVERYTHING they could do for you, and then let you make an informed decision, are they negligent? I don't know the answer to that.

Genuine question:

How can a dentist outline ALL of the procedures he/show could offer you in such a way that they do not come across as pushy/salesy? Is it even possible?

I may ask a few of you to PM me at a later time so that I can show you some of the education pieces we are working on. Perhaps give me some feedback.

Cheers

[harmony]

Originally Posted by lorenavedon

According to government, apparently your teeth have nothing to do with your health, it's just cosmetic.

Makes no logical sense why it isn't covered as part of general healthcare like going to your GP or walk-in clinic. I'd pay increased taxes to have everything taken care of if required.

makes no logical sense. makes sense in a financial/corruption way.

didn't Pierre Trudeau try to include dental care into health care coverage? with the Dentists association causing hell and stopping it?

Oh, and the Alberta college of dentists is the worst. they heavily strong arm dentists into price gouging. they're not allowed to advertise pricing, sales, etc. we're stuck with the highest prices due to crap like that.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by harmony

makes no logical sense. makes sense in a financial/corruption way.

didn't Pierre Trudeau try to include dental care into health care coverage? with the Dentists association causing hell and stopping it?

Oh, and the Alberta college of dentists is the worst. they heavily strong arm dentists into price gouging. they're not allowed to advertise pricing, sales, etc. we're stuck with the highest prices due to crap like that.

Sounds like the dental industry in Alberta needs less regulation in order to deliver lower prices to the consumer.