How to cure your teeth and not go broke on the services of a dentist

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

These seven tips will help you avoid unnecessary dental waste.

1. Compare price lists of several clinics

Dentistry can be divided into three segments: economy, business and premium. The difference between them is not in the price, but in what services they offer and how all the work will be done.

At the same time, in some "elite" dentistry, the price is overpriced for completely ordinary services, for example, for the installation of a light filling, tooth extraction or an injection of an anesthetic. The high price is acceptable only when using premium materials and modern equipment.

By comparing the names of services and prices in the price lists of different clinics, you will immediately understand whether you are being bribed for money or the cost of services is really adequate to their level.

2. Check if you really went to premium dentistry

Do you want to be treated in premium segment dentistry? Then be sure to check if the clinic really has every reason to position itself as a premium institution. It:

• The use of high-tech equipment and innovative treatment methods: a microscope, a 3D scanner, the use of 3D templates in implantology.
• The use of high-quality materials: implants from the best manufacturers such as Nobel Biocare, veneers from E-Max material from the German company Ivoclar Vivadent, porcelain fillings.
• Exceptional qualification of a doctor, which allows him to develop author's methods of treatment, confirmed by international certificates. Particular attention should be paid to whether the doctor has certificates from manufacturers, for example, from the same Nobel Biocare company.

This information should be posted on the clinic's website. If it is not there, be alert. You may not be dealing with premium dentistry.

3. Ask your doctor for a rationale for the diagnosis and treatment

Everyone has heard stories about unscrupulous specialists who are ready to treat even healthy teeth for profit. To avoid such a situation, be sure to ask your doctor on what basis he gives you this or that diagnosis and prescribes treatment.

A real professional will always familiarize you with all the data and show you both X-ray images and examination results using an intraoral video camera. If the doctor assures you that "everything is clear without any diagnostics", you should not trust him with dental treatment.

4. Ask about a budget alternative to expensive methods

One of the income items of unscrupulous clinics is the appointment of too expensive treatment. Sometimes even in cases where it is not required. However, it is unacceptable to impose services on the patient. Only you decide whether you will be treated with expensive and modern methods or not.

An honest doctor will always offer you an alternative and less expensive solution to the problem. If he refuses to do this, it is better to look for another clinic. Probably, in this one of you they are simply trying to draw out money.

5. Be interested in your treatment plan

The treatment plan should contain a list of all the procedures you need with a rationale. Of course, no one is immune from unpleasant surprises during treatment, for example, when a nerve in a tooth has to be removed, although initially the doctor expected to do without it. In this case, the dentist will also provide you with all the diagnostic data on the basis of which he made a decision.

If force majeure did not happen, then having a treatment plan will save you from imposing unnecessary procedures. For example, many people spend money on teeth whitening before installing braces, which is completely pointless.

6. Do not give up the warranty for services

In the heap of papers that are given to you before starting treatment, there may be a refusal of warranty for the work performed. Never sign such a document! If the work was carried out poorly, and you signed a waiver of the guarantee, then the clinic will again take money from you for what it has to fix for free.

The warranty period differs depending on the services and materials: for seals - at least 2 years; when using premium materials - at least 6 years. But for implants, some manufacturers give a lifetime warranty.

7. Check the diagnosis with another specialist

If you doubt the words of the doctor, it is better to contact another specialist, because you risk not only money, but also your health. Unscrupulous doctors sometimes give out ordinary tooth pigmentation as caries, and the periodontist "finds" periodontitis in healthy gums. The dentist may declare that you have multiple cavities, in the expectation that, out of fear, you will immediately begin large-scale treatment.

In this case, it is important to check the diagnosis with a third-party doctor from another clinic. It is likely that multiple caries and periodontitis will turn into two small cavities in your teeth, and you will save nerves, money and time.