Four years ago I suddenly had a toothache. It was an upper molar and it was very sensitive to hot and cold. I went to my dentist, who practices laser dentistry and I was told that the old filling had cracked. It would require removal of the old amalgam filling and replacement with the newer composite material. It would cost me $500. I was in the process of moving from Colorado to Wyoming and it was not in my budget at the time. After a while, the tooth ceased to bother me, but I had planned to save the money and have the tooth repaired as soon as possible. Time went on and I was never able to come up with the extra money required. I did not have dental insurance and since I have fairly healthy teeth, I figured out that monthly insurance payments would cost more than paying outright for two cleanings and an exam once a year. Insurance companies rarely pay more than a percentage of the cost of any procedures.
At long last, I decided to go to a dentist here in Wheatland. Although I much preferred the less painful methods of laser to the typical numbing agents. I did not want to make the three hour drive to my previous dentist. I had not had a regular exam or cleaning in about seven years so the new dentist required a full set of x-rays and a cleaning before he would perform any procedures.They gave me a treatment plan with price quotes for each procedure. I have the money now since I am working at the motel, so I committed to taking care of myself by having the necessary work done and I knew that I could afford one procedure with each paycheck. After the exam and cleaning, the first two appointments were for filling new cavities. The dentist had recommended that the cracked filling and two other teeth should have crowns, but he said he was willing to simply remove the amalgam fillings and replace them with composite ones. Amalgam fillings are known to cause health problems including, but not limited to mercury poisoning.
When I arrived for my appointment yesterday, they were to do the first of the three replacement fillings. I asked the assistant if they would be doing the one that had cracked first. She told me they were doing the one on the right, but I told her that one was on the left. She went to ask the doctor and he told her that it needed a crown. I said I would not pay for a crown because he had already told me that he was willing to replace the filling. I added that I am almost seventy years old and I could be dead in a year so it makes no sense for me to pay $1,430 for one tooth! The dentist acquiesced and did what we had already agreed upon.
After the procedure was done and I went to pay, I was told the charges were $60 more than what I had been quoted. This had happened with the first procedure as well. I told the receptionist that I would pay the additional amount the next time and that I was not happy about the surprise increase in price! I am convinced now that just like medical doctors, dentists are trained to always recommend the most expensive treatment. Prior to this, I had called several dentists in the area. They all told me stories about how I might need a root canal or a crown or whatever else and they refused to do anything without new x-rays and cleaning first. One even told me that I would need to have exams every six months because teeth change so quickly. Really?! Their marketing gimmicks make me sick. Patients are put between a rock and a hard place because the doctors are trained to squeeze every dollar that they possibly can from them. Medical doctors, veterinarians, dentists – the list goes on. Greed is everywhere we turn.
