Tag Archives: affordable versus cheap dentistry

Affordable Dentist

Can’t AFford This Affordable Dentist

I needed a dental crown. It was my first one and I don’t have much money. I decided to look for someone who was affordable. I did the scientific process of asking Uncle Google to find me one. Most affordable dentists were close to the same price, but I found one that was several hundred dollars cheaper than the rest of them. I thought I’d found the holy grail of dentists. But, in the five years since I’ve gotten this crown, it has needed to be replaced three times. Is that normal for a dental crown? Online it says they should last five years, but maybe that is just dentists trying to get people hopeful?

Penny

Dear Penny,

As you are unfortunately learning, not all affordable dentists are created equally. I call it the difference between an affordable dentist and a cheap dentist.

Some dentists lower their prices a great deal more than other dentists in order to draw patients in. This is usually because they are either new dentists who have not built up their patient list yet or they are a dentist that has trouble keeping patients and use their low prices to get new ones.

The problem is the cheaper the prices, the harder time they will have making ends meet. Some, less scrupulous dentists, will use substandard materials in order to make up the profits.

As for how long a dental crown should last, five years should be the minimum. Some crowns, when well taken care of, can last around fifteen years.

With the number of times you have had to replace this dental crown already, you have already paid what you would have with one of the other dentists who cost more. My guess is this affordable crown has cost you even more than that. Then, factor in all the time you’ve spent getting a new crown and I think this has been a bit of a disaster.

At this point, my recommendation is you bite the bullet and go to a different dentist to prepare your new crown. Make sure you check their reviews to see if patients have had a good experience with them or not.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Affordable Dentist

I think I was conned by an “affordable dentist”

I needed a couple of teeth replaced. The quote my dentist gave me for implants was higher than I could afford, especially because he said I’d need some bone grafting done first.  I called around to several dentists and they all said the same thing.  I was about to give up and settle on a removable partial denture, which was heart-rending for me.  Right before I scheduled the procedure, a friend recommended her dentist who didn’t require bone grafting.  I talked with him and he said he could do the procedure without the grafting and at half the price the other dentists quoted. I was so excited!!  Now, here I am many thousands of dollars later and both my implants have fallen out!! The whole thing, right out of my mouth.  Was I taken in? Are there no affordable dental implants and he was just trying to get my money?

Bella B. – Cincinnati

Bella,

The problem isn’t looking for an affordable dentist. There are affordable dentists out there who do great, quality work. Then, there are those who do just about anything to draw in business, yet keep their profits up. Those aren’t affordable dentists as much as cheap. 

 It sounds to me like the one you chose, said what you wanted to hear in order to get your business.  Mind you, I say that without having examined you, which may be unfair.

However, if both implants just fell out of your mouth, that hints to me one of two things.  1. You DID need bone grafting surgery.  Your teeth are held in your jaw by the bone that surrounds the root.  Without enough jawbone, your implant procedure was doomed to fail. 2. If you did have enough jawbone to begin with, then it is likely your dentist didn’t leave enough time for osseointegration (Time for the bone to form around your implant).

If I were in your place, I would go to a skilled implant dentist and have them look at your case.  They can likely tell you what is going on.  If your dentist was negligent, you may be able to get some money back in order to have the procedure done correctly.

This blog is brought to you by Phoenix Dentist Dr. Hillary Peck.

Affordable Dentist

Affordable Neighborhood Dentist? Where?

Why does where you live seem to determine how much you have to pay for the dentist? We stretched ourselves financially in order to live in a better neighborhood, but the dentist here is almost double what our old neighborhood dentist cost. I don’t want to have to drive across town into the heart of an area we felt was unsafe in order to get affordable dental care.

Nora

Dear Nora,

Dollar sign hatched from an egg

It would be nice if the quality of all dentists were reliably equal, but that isn’t the case. The cost of a dentist varies based on several factors, though it is possible to find highly skilled dentists which are affordable, even in better neighborhoods. First, I’ll go over some factors which affect cost.

Building Costs can Affect the Cost of Dentistry

You’ve heard the expression, “Location, location, location…” Often offices in better neighborhoods have to pay exorbitant rental costs on their building. It’s hard for them to stay afloat, so their prices are higher so they can stay in business in that area.

This is one of the reasons Dr. Peck chose a location just outside a more expensive area. This enabled him to keep his costs reasonable for people in more than one type of neighborhood.

Skill Can Affect the Affordability of Dentistry

While some dentists do not raise their prices simply because they have exceptional skills, some do. They’ve spent a great deal of money and time furthering both their education and their skills. They need to make up the cost of that education.

Affordable Dentistry versus Cheap Dentistry

On the other end of the spectrum, there are dentists who lower their prices significantly just to draw patients in, but the quality of their work isn’t up to snuff. They keep their profits up by purchasing lower quality materials.

Think of it this way. What’s more affordable, a crown that lasts fifteen years and costs $900.00 or a crown that lasts four years and costs $500.00? Obviously, the cheaper crown ends up costing you significantly more in the long run.

Ideally, you want to find a dentist who does quality work at a reasonable price. Most dentists will offer some type of payment plan option for work that has a higher cost because of the nature of the procedure.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.