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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

#271

Post by mmooss »

nosianu wrote: post #268
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…

That reminds me of this 2020 study of dentists in Switzerland, previously discussed on HN in January 2023: HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34322194 Study: "Health Services as Credence Goods: a Field Experiment" -- https://academic.oup.com/ej/article-abstract/130/629/1346/57... (full study available on SciHub) [Note: Credence goods are goods whose qualities cannot be ascertained by consumers even after purcha…

> we find significantly fewer overtreatment recommendations for patients with higher socio-economic status compared with lower socio-economic status for standard visits

Very interesting: You'd think they'd go for the deeper pockets, but something overrides that.

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

#272

Post by digging »

Eisenstein wrote: post #179
burnte wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

This doesn't count for dermatologists though. The fancy office is paid for by botox and ridiculously overpriced moisturizers, but they are still capable of treating skin conditions.

I have to second this, uncomfortably. Last dermatologist I saw, when I walked in, I thought I was in the wrong place. It looked like a "skincare" store full of branded junk. Nope, that's the office - it's just also a store. The whole place felt weird and so obviously catered to rich people overpaying for things they didn't need... but ultimately, the dermatologist was chill and didn't recommend any treatment at all.

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

#273

Post by sirspacey »

mmooss wrote: post #271
nosianu wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That reminds me of this 2020 study of dentists in Switzerland, previously discussed on HN in January 2023: HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34322194 Study: "Health Services as Credence Goods: a Field Experiment" -- https://academic.oup.com/ej/article-abstract/130/629/1346/57... (full study available on SciHub) [Note: Credence goods are goods whose qualities cannot be ascertained by consumers even after purcha…

> we find significantly fewer overtreatment recommendations for patients with higher socio-economic status compared with lower socio-economic status for standard visits Very interesting: You'd think they'd go for the deeper pockets, but something overrides that.

This risk of being found out

Higher socio-economic status = smaller local community

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

#274

Post by bluescrn »

koala_man wrote: post #157
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…

> doesn't use enough anesthetic My school dentist always botched the anesthesia, and afterwards I had to grind my teeth for three days to make them fit together again. I never told anyone because adults kept saying dentistry hurts so I assumed it was normal. I didn't realize how fucked up this was until I went to college and experienced a competent dentist for the first time.

Not sure if the anesthetics have got better or if it's just a skill issue, injecting it in precisely the right place?

I had problems way back in the 90s with them not working too well on me. But my current dentist gets it perfect every time - properly numb very fast, but remaining fairly localised.

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

#275

Post by nextworddev »

azinman2 wrote: post #210
daft_pink wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My education was expensive and our industry hasn’t turned into that.

Did you have to pay for grad school on top of undergrad?

Newsflash: getting an expensive grad degree was your choice and doesn’t justify committing healthcare fraud

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

#276

Post by directevolve »

ryandrake wrote: post #235
EasyMark wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Left a dentist over this "you need root planing!" whaaaaatt?? I brush my teeth 2 times a day with an electric tooth brush and they are squeaky clean. I said to schedule me for it "we can get you in today!" me: "i gotta see a man about a dog" . I go to a new dentist and say nothing, he takes me in, does the xray, etc for new patient. Says my teeth and gums look great, no cavities. Guess who I cancelled on the next day…

The real question here is: How did you manage to get a new patient appointment with the second dentist so quickly? New Patient appointments where I live (rural CA) are at least a 3 month wait.

Rural dentists are in particularly short supply.

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

#277

Post by azinman2 »

nextworddev wrote: post #275
azinman2 wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you have to pay for grad school on top of undergrad?

Newsflash: getting an expensive grad degree was your choice and doesn’t justify committing healthcare fraud

Again, never said it was justified.

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

#278

Post by bachmeier »

I don't see anything in the article that's new, in spite of the title. I had a dentist in 2005 tell me I needed two root canals, replacement of a bunch of teeth, and other things I don't remember.

As I was leaving, the lady at the desk was trying to intimidate me into getting the root canals scheduled before I left the office. It was absolutely imperative that I get the work done. I knew he was a crook, so I ignored everything he said and went to a different dentist for my next regular appointment. That dentist only found a few minor things to keep an eye on in case they got worse.

To my knowledge, there are no checks on these scam artists. At least for gasoline stations they'll check the accuracy every so often.

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

#279

Post by dredmorbius »

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…

Dx and Rx should be disaggregated in medical practice generally, not just dentistry, especially for procedures.

Referrals should not be to a specific practitioner, but to a pool. And not within a captive monopoly healthcare system.

One cuts, one chooses.

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

#280

Post by jerlam »

causal wrote: post #101
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…

Do dentists make a lot from Invisalign? Wife and I both were being pushed Invisalign at a new dentist office and I'm pretty sure neither of us need it.

$8000 for Invisalign sounds insane. I spent around $3k in 2017 for Invisalign by an orthodontist, not a dentist, and I'm in a very HCOL area.

80% of what your dentist does for Invisalign is just handing you the trays which are made by Invisalign.

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