Affordable Dentist Archives - West Seneca Dentist

Feeling Treatment is Being Pushed on Me

Posted on April 15, 2021 by writeradmin.

My dentist recently retired and the new guy and his staff are so different. I am retired and on a very tight budget. Plus, I have always had good oral health. I’ve never even had a cavity in my life even though I’m 79 years old. At my last appointment the really pushed me into a vizilite treatment that was $65.00. Now they want to do a deep cleaning at my next appointment but I found out my dental insurance only covers regular cleanings. What should I do?

Lynette

Dear Lynette,

I can understand your concerns. Let’s start with the ViziLite. While it is an awesome cancer screening tool. There are other ways to screen for oral cancer that are not so expensive. Feel free to pass on that one. Without examining you, I couldn’t tell you whether the deep cleaning in necessary, but there are some red flags for me here.

You’ve always had excellent oral health and have never even had a cavity. If your previous dentist screened for gum disease, as he should have, and he never indicated you had any signs, then this tells me it is likely not necessary unless something has drastically changed.

As a patient, you are in a vulnerable position and really don’t have a way to gauge whether or not a treatment is absolutely necessary or not. Trust between dental and patient is imperative. while most dentists go into their field in order to help someone, there are some unethical ones out their who push profits over patients. You mentioned they were pushing these treatments on you. That is another red flag. A good dentist will just tell you what they think is going on, give you all your options and then leave the decision to you. There should be no pressure.

I would start looking for another dentist. Check their reviews to get an idea of what their patients like and don’t like about them. If you haven’t found one by the time of your next appointment, insist they only do the regular cleaning that your insurance covers. There are affordable dentists out there who will consider your budget and not pressure you to go beyond what you can.

This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Warren Krutchick.

Help, Traveling Abroad for Affordable Dental Treatment

Posted on August 31, 2014 by niceteeth.

I need some help!

According to my dentist, I’ll need to have some extensive dental work done. She mentioned me needing a root canal, a crown put on, and a dental implant. The estimate she gave me is way more than I expected this all to cost, and since I have no dental insurance there’s no way I can afford it. But after doing some research, I’ve found a place in India that can perform all of my services for much, much less. My plan is to take a nice vacation and get the dental work I need done at the same time. So, I’m in need of some advice on how to proceed. I need to know some idea of what to expect.

Thanks,

Maureen T., San Diego, CA

Hi Maureen,

We see this question a lot. It’s very tempting to want to travel overseas in order to take advantage of lower prices, especially since the prices are normally a fraction of what they are here in the US for the same dental procedures. But less expensive doesn’t always translate to great deals. Many times you’re taking a gamble on what you’re getting because other countries don’t have to adhere to the same regulations as dentists must in the US. Sterilization of instruments and the cleanliness of the exam rooms are paramount to avoiding infections. And if something goes wrong over there, you cannot force an American dentist to correct the work if you decide that’s now what you want to do.

Try, instead, to see if you can get a local dentist to work with you. Many times payment plans are an option for patients, meaning that you won’t have to pay all the costs up front. You don’t want to risk possibly receiving substandard care that will just end up costing you more money. Think about how much it will cost you if you have to repeat getting a root canal, crown and/or dental implants done.

Hope this helps!

This blog is sponsored by Buffalo dentist Warren M. Krutchick, DDS.

Rolling the dice in El Salvador

Posted on June 30, 2014 by niceteeth.

Hello,

I’ve been putting off some dental work that I need to have done because of the costs. Right now, the dentist told me that I need two crowns put in, plus I need a root canal. As you can imagine, this is pretty expensive and I have very little dental insurance. A friend of mine suggested that have it done in El Salvador. In El Salvador, for instance, she said I can get all of my dental work done for only half of the costs! I’m a little nervous going to a foreign country to get my procedures done, but my friend lives there and swears it’s OK. Do you think this is a good idea? Should I roll the dice in El Salvador?

Thanks,

Florence J., Atlanta, GA

Hi Florence,

There’s at least one positive I see with your situation versus some other situations I get asked about here–you actually know someone who lives in the foreign country you’re attempting to go. Because of this, your friend can give you a semblance of what it’ll be like when you go. So many times people romanticize what the conditions will be like, assuming that a dental office in the US will be the same in another country. I’m sure there are plenty of dental offices that exceed expectations, so I’m not saying it’s going to necessarily be “rough goings.” But let’s face it no matter what your friend tells you, you have no idea what your experience will be like.

It’s understandable why you’d want to seek out affordable dental treatment. And if El Salvador’s currently offering the best deal, it’s very tempting to take it. But here’s the problem. Treatments in foreign countries may be way less expensive because they don’t have to abide by the same regulations that dentists in the US do. The US puts systems in place to ensure that dentists keep clean, sterilized environments and that dentists use FDA regulated materials. Also, dentists in the US must have malpractice insurance. If something goes wrong, you can file a complaint through the US government for help. Does El Salvador have all of these systems in place? If something goes wrong with your procedure, can you have that dentist correct his or her work? Or, at the very least, refund some of your money so that you can get it fixed elsewhere? And do you know what sort of materials are actually being placed in your mouth? For this reason alone, you’ll have a hard time getting a dentist in the US to take you on as a client because of the liability you might be opening he/she up to.

So “less expensive” could turn out to be “more harmful,” and thus, “more expensive” rather quickly. Try to make your dental treatments more affordable by finding dentists who may be able to work with you. Many dentists offer discounts for patients paying in cash, some may have financing available, and some can help you set up a payment plan. Do a little research first and see what you can come up with before you roll the dice.

Hope this helps!

This blog is sponsored by Buffalo dentist Warren M. Krutchick, DDS.