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A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

arstechnica.com

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Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#71

Post by burnte »

hansonkd wrote: post #31

This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…

> This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office.

I have a similar rule about all healthcare providers. If your office looks like a West Elm catalog, I can't afford you. I want you to spend money on people and equipment, not a $5000 coffee table.

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#72

Post by knowitnone »

wing-_-nuts wrote: post #2

I went to a new dentist when I was 18 because my other dentist was unavailable. He declares that I have two cavities and fills one, but doesn't use enough anesthetic. Given my bad exp with him I went back to my other dentist who's flabbergasted that there was supposedly a cavity on the other tooth. No sign of any decay. These kind of experiences are why I try to vet a new dentist very hard before trusting them, even…

you must have loads of money to be going around getting multiple opinions

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#73

Post by knowitnone »

ahoy wrote: post #22
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #2

I went to a new dentist when I was 18 because my other dentist was unavailable. He declares that I have two cavities and fills one, but doesn't use enough anesthetic. Given my bad exp with him I went back to my other dentist who's flabbergasted that there was supposedly a cavity on the other tooth. No sign of any decay. These kind of experiences are why I try to vet a new dentist very hard before trusting them, even…

I had this experience a couple years ago. I hate dentists man

but you don't hate dentists woman? /jk

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#74

Post by burnte »

dazc wrote: post #46
hansonkd wrote: post #31

This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…

It doesn't cost that much to have a nice office. A better way of judging is how much stuff your dentist places on 'watch' rather than recommending expensive treatments. As we get older our teeth become less perfect and there will always be some work that needs to be done. Most of it isn't urgent, has no effect on your health and can take years to deteriorate to a state where it does. If your dentist isn't telling you…

> It doesn't cost that much to have a nice office. A better way of judging is how much stuff your dentist places on 'watch' rather than recommending expensive treatments.

At my company we have been building out a lot of clinics in our expansion, and I assure you it's VERY expensive.

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#75

Post by ryandrake »

bugbuddy wrote: post #51
yardie wrote: post #33

My wife, who is a recent immigrant to the US, when she goes to get her teeth cleaned here is what happens: dental hygeniest does there thing, X-rays are taken that weren't asked for, dentist come in to review the photos, sure enough her mouth is falling apart and she has loads of cavities, then they want to discuss a treatment plan. When she gets home we discuss it and agree $8000 in Invisalign is a bit excessive. Th…

Run away when you hear “treatment plan” because you are about to be robbed.

And "financing". We walked into a new dentist's office when moving to a new town, and their (immaculate and luxurious) front desk had racks of glossy literature talking about their various no-interest and low-interest financing plans and we just turned around and walked out. These are not dental offices. They are banks that have a small dentistry operation on the side.

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#76

Post by gadders »

We have the phenomena in the UK of "Turkey Teeth" - people with unfeasibly bright and white teeth after flying off to Turkey to get them done for less money than the UK.

This is mostly caps, not implants.

I generally trust dentists about as much as I trust auto mechanics. i.e. not much unless I know them well.

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#77

Post by AnotherGoodName »

yardie wrote: post #33

My wife, who is a recent immigrant to the US, when she goes to get her teeth cleaned here is what happens: dental hygeniest does there thing, X-rays are taken that weren't asked for, dentist come in to review the photos, sure enough her mouth is falling apart and she has loads of cavities, then they want to discuss a treatment plan. When she gets home we discuss it and agree $8000 in Invisalign is a bit excessive. Th…

I’ve had that happen and gone back for a later booking for the next step. The dentist took the day off and the assistant said well you can just cancel that it wasn’t needed anyway. Well WTF was I even booked in for?!

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#78

Post by lolinder »

Dentists function similarly to mechanics for most people: they're the expert who knows everything and you know basically nothing. They tell you something is wrong and they need to do a $X00 procedure to fix it, but you have no way to validate in the moment that this is true.

The funny thing is that with mechanics I think this has long been widely understood. People realize how important it is to find a trustworthy mechanic and to get second opinions. But it's only recently that I'm starting to see people talk about dentists in the same terms.

The lab coat and the expensive degree seem to be more reassuring than the coveralls.

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#79

Post by radlad »

hansonkd wrote: post #31

This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…

A service my partner and I found that has been helpful for validating dentist's suggestions: https://www.xrayupload.com/about

Totally agree with you by the way - have had the exact same experience.

Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

#80

Post by highcountess »

tcbawo wrote: post #52
hansonkd wrote: post #31

This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…

This also applies to several other competitive industries with asymmetric information — auto repair, plumbing, and HVAC come to mind. Consumers have to place their trust in someone. It always pays to be an informed consumer. Sometimes, I guess you have to pick and choose your battles.

This is why the consequences of dishonesty in such asymmetric dynamics need to be not just major, but stunningly, shockingly severe; e.g., seizure of all assets, including homes and anything that would otherwise be protected to totally impoverish them and bar them from any professional position for life. These types of relationships are the bullseye for deterrence through sever punishment; they are deliberative offenses against society, they has severe and compounding impacts, and they are a severe abuse of trust and asymmetric information.

That should also be backed up by a bounty program that allows whistleblowers to get some significant portion of the seized assets.

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