Why Your Dentist Costs So Much

One of the reasons that dentist don't take insurance is because the insurance dictates the price of the service and not the dentist. As far as medicaid, the government's insurance they severely dictate the cost of the service and pay only about 40-55% of the price that the dentist charges. How long do you think you'd stay in business working for 45-60% of your pay. Also with medicaid you run the risk of fines, loss of license or worse (jail time) if you make mistakes with the coding and the government investigates you for fraud. How many people would risk their careers for half pay?

I am a dentist. I spent an additional 4 years specializing. I have been practicing for a number of years now and have come to a few conclusions:

1) The majority of dentists out there are greedy. It's all about the bottom line, but you need to remember they are running a business. I do not agree with diagnosing stuff just for the sake of making a buck, but you also need to pay your bills. I am not the greatest business person and am far from being a "rich" dentist as my overhead is closer to 80%.

2) The majority of dentists lack skills and treatment planning. While you may be happy going to see your dentist who takes your particular dental insurance, have you ever wondered why a cleaning takes 15 minutes or you have to wait 30 minutes to be seen and the dentist is popping in and out during a procedure? To make up for the write off to insurance a dentist will need to have 3 or 4 people in chairs and run around like a chicken with head cut off. I feel that this compromises quality and time with the patient. Teeth rarely hurt unless the decay is down to the nerve or the tooth is infected so most people have no clue what is going on in their mouths. They can't tell the difference between a $60 filling or a $200 filling. You may be satisfied with the $900 you saved by going in-network, but ultimately you will end up paying it again when the work has to be redone. I would much rather find someone to do a job correctly the first time. There is a reason why insurance companies have a 5 year replacement clause on crowns and 1 year on fillings...If my work lasted that short a time I would be ashamed. The disclaimer here is that not all dentists who take insurance are good and not all who don't take are good either.

3) Most dentists say they use quality materials and labs but this is untrue. I know this from working in other offices who would make such statements. Most dentists will find the cheapest lab possible. They also will find the cheapest materials possible. While most dental labs can do a decent job on most work, that is dependent on the dentist's skill level.

4) Most dentists cannot make a proper impression and have no idea how to do certain procedures. I spent years in a dental lab ascertaining other dentists' work. 95% of crown impressions were poor to the point that you could not tell where the margins started and ended. 99.9% of general dentists have no clue how to make a denture/removable partial denture. These typically take a minimum of 5 visits to make, but most dentists can do it in 3 or less. Root canal? Forget it. Unless the general dentist has a microscope and knows how to use it, see a specialist.

5) Most dentists don't know what a periodontal probe is. Not diagnosing periodontal disease is the number one reason dentists get sued, but they don't routinely check around each tooth and make measurements of the gum tissues to diagnose periodontal disease. I think this goes back to time/money/profit as well as what the patient expects as in a quick cleaning.

6) The majority of the public can't afford larger dental procedures. The point here is that you want to avoid large things by going in regularly to an honest practitioner. It's called preventive maintenance. It's a whole lot cheaper. If you are happy with your dentist, by all means DO NOT shop around. You may save a few dollars, but is it really worth it?

The majority of these observations I have made by working in various dental offices and observing my friends who are dentists as well. The majority of consumers will always look for the path of least resistance meaning that they don't care what they get as long as it is the least pricely option available. While I can't blame people for that, sometimes you may want to rethink the walmart mentality when it comes to a health care product. I wish all of you the best.

Why is it much cheaper in other countries than in the USA to see a dentist? And in other countries only one dentist is all you have to see as he does everything, while in the USA, you have to see several dentist to have one tooth done.

Except for a few, most dentists are greedy.

i hate dentists. I am not afraid of them. It is their fees that I am afraid of.

My dentist will retreat previous Root Canal regardless of what kind of problem you have and charges $$.

I have worked for Dr's for 30 years. There are good ones and bad. As with any field. If you need dental work done call around. Go in for a consult. If the Dentist seems fair and appears to care about his work then he may be a good candidate. Again as with any surgery you have to go with what you can afford. But I would'nt want the Dr. withthe cheapest prices doing my work. You get what you pay for. And research is everything. Just paid 5000.00 for a 4 piec bridge and a veneer. Dr's prices were fair and his work was excellent. How about we all teach our children to brush and floss everyday and take care of your teeth so they don't end up like us complaining about prices of dentist. People neglect their teeth as well as their childrens when a simple annual cleaning for 100.00 will detect early problems. We all need to pactice preventative health care to prevent big medical bills in the future. Just sayin

I have a great dentist who lets you pay off your bill. He does good work too. I have dental insurance and my dentist doesn't take it.

As for you people who blame Obama for everything... how sad is your life? You can't blame one person (regardless of who) for EVERYTHING.

i get disgusted by the huge amts. that are charged. we hear all our lives, that taking care of your teeth is important and how that most health issues actually begin with good oral hygiene and care of your teeth. That's nice if you can afford it. What about people who can barely afford the basics like rent andn groceries? i'm just fed up with the hypocrisy of it.

My son is a dentist, and an honorable and honest man. He truly loves his profession and has worked and studied very hard, for years to be the best at what he does. He is a perfectionist and only takes care of problems you walked in with. He has respect for his patients and their fears. He takes time to completely explain and educate his patients on the care plan he deems necessary and leaves the decision to the patient. He makes every effort to keep his costs as low as possible. His office accepts almost all insurance plans, they arrange payment plans for those who truly need it. He has highly qualified staff and the newest equipment available to provide the best pain free dental care. He sends his labwork to local American labs. P.S. He lives in an apartment and drives a Hyundai. If you want "free" dental care, join the military.

i think dentist are ripping the hadicapped off.1 they will not take medicare.2 they advertise they take medicare but only if you arte 21 and below.it is pitiful that they have to lie about who they take.they only take ones that make pay checks evry two weeks.also dental insurance is sky high.that is all they want.the dentist ask for payment right then.robert amarillo

oh, i didn't realize all those older dentists didn't have overhead. so that's the reason!
ridiculous, they've always had overhead, just as any other business has overhead. why the writer of the article takes that as legitimate without noting the obvious explains why we need writers with thinking brains. there's nothing that actually explains why the tenfold increase in costs from crown maker to crown inserter. other than the fact than the dentist can do it. and to make the argument against insurance is to really make an argument against the middle and lower classes. the wealthy can buy new smiles, the poor get their teeth yanked. dentists that are now charging $1500 for a cap fall somewhere between bankers and lawyers in my book.

I had a dentist years ago that jacked up the prices and gave awful service. The reason was because he ended up getting a lot of welfare queens and Medicaid doesn't pay the full amount.

YEAH! Dentists have overhead, unlike EVERY other business in the world? All the things mentioned apply to the majority of businesses in one way or another.

If nervous system is opened up by Bioneuroenergetics, the energy flow from brain through peripheral nervous system, body will fight off any infections. This is Heavenly Father's body. I solve all my problems for last ten years. Dr. Bright's teachings are a gift to mankind. He lived 83 years and 55 years prior to his death he never visited a doctor or taken any pill. I promised him, I will catch up with his 55 year record. When Dr. Bright passed away, police had to come and certify because he never had a personal physician to certify his death. Never used medicare.I also hope not to use the medicare. Contact me at PArjuna85210atyahoo.com
God bless USA and the mankind.
With Best Regards,
Garla Arjuna.

Garla Arjuna.. WOW.. you can sterilize and negate a bacterial infection by touch alone?.. YOU ARE AMAZING!!!
Where do I subscribe to your website? How much do I have to pay to become privy to this mystical knowledge??
Get bent.......

I love the question in that last statement: "Would you choose a cardiologist based on price?" Well, the answer is, medical insurance negates the need to "shop around" for a cardiologist, genius- a point you already pointed out in the paragraph that begins, "Insurance isn't really insurance". Dentists get a bad wrap because the system knows how important teeth are and how expensive it would be to insure the same as the rest of our "health" is- people don't have the money for dental work. Two years ago, my wife and I had a combined $3,000 dental bill for a root canal I doubted my wife even needed, but was assured by the dentist were important. And ironically, the very toothache my wife went in for, the one that didn't require a root canal, wasn't even touched- I imagine the dentist decided to perform the most expensive procedures first. I ran out of money, along with my patience. And she still gets pain from the tooth that dentist overlooked so he could bill us for a root canal and crown instead. Yeah, that's the last time I go to that dentist, or any dentist for another 10 years. The problem with dentists is, they don't think about satisfying their patients, or repeat business. They hammer us hard and it doesn't matter what we think because everyone has teeth, there will be another sucker coming around soon enough.

Reading all the comments to this article makes me so sad. I'm a general dentist and I really enjoy what I do! I get to meet so many different people each day and have the opportunity to help them in the small way that I can with a profession I studied hard for.

Going to dental school is expensive, even going to a public school is $200K. Building a dental office is even more expensive with prices determined by office construction contractors, dental supply and equipment salesmen, etc. (another $400K), plus the cost to run the office. So if these prices were lower when we first start working, cost for dental treatment would be significantly lower. If I knew the amount of money involved to be a dentist when I was 18 years old, I would have become a pastry chef instead because I really love cooking.

Important fact: if you have PPO dental insurance, fees are set by your insurance company, not your dentist. So if you have dental insurance, no point to call different dentists to compare prices because all fees are the same no matter which office. At this point, look for a nicer office that is a participating provider.

As a dentist I've seen a wide range of work done by many dentists. Some work is excellent, majority are acceptable, and some poor quality work. It really depends on the dentist and how much they value their profession...which determines other factors like technique, quality of dental materials used and dental labs, and time spent with each patient, the list goes on. I believe patients have the right to know exactly what is being used. If you're paying a lot for a crown, ask what material is being used. YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT, YOU SHOULD KNOW! Every dentist should get a report from their lab of the materials used. If your crown is expensive, say $1000, then your dentist should be using high noble metal (mix of metal with GOLD) under porcelain crowns or be using all porcelain for crowns. If your crowns are less expensive $600, the metal they are using for their crowns may be made from base metal ie, not high quality, less accurate fit. So just ask for the report of dental materials. Not to mention other factors such as tooth filling materials, tooth preparation accuracy, amount of time your dentist is willing to spend with you, AND sterilization methods! some offices only clean their instruments with clorox to cut down on overhead...that does not kill anything and is completely unacceptable.

The most I can say is to do your research on the dentist you choose before you go to see them. Where did they graduate from, did they go for more training after dental school such as continuing eduction, do they see multiple patients at one time or will they just focus on you? Ask to tour the office before your first appointment, ask to see the back office where instruments are cleaned and sterilized (in an AUTOCLAVE, NOT A BOWL OF BLEACH) Ask for referrals from close friends who may have a family dentist they really trust.

For people looking for cheap dentistry that still has good quality, I would recommend going to a dental school but be prepared to sit a dental chair for about 3 hours.

● To earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree, the dentist must first complete four years of college. He/she must graduate with excellent grades and meet other high standards to be accepted into dental school. Dental School is a full four years with no summer break as with some other degrees.

● The new dental school graduate typically faces $300,000-$400,000 in student loans.

● Many believe it is more difficult to get into dental school than it is to get into medical school. There are 159 medical schools in the United States but only 61 dental schools. 44% of all medical school applicants are accepted (Medical School - 17500 acceptances out of 40000 applications) while only 34% of all dental school applicants are accepted (Dental School - 4000 admitted out of 11600 applicants).

● Dental school is more expensive than medical school or veterinary school. Dental school is the most expensive of all the medical schools because of all the materials and equipment necessary to provide dental treatment and care for all the patients seen by students while they are attending school. In addition to the exorbitant cost of dental school, one must consider that the 8 years it takes for a person to become a dentist is time lost for earned income. Once out of dental school, the new dentist not only faces $300,000 - $400,000 worth of debt, but they are also 8 years behind in terms of income that could have been earned.

● In dentistry, the patient is not only paying for use of equipment and materials, but more importantly for time, skill, judgment and care.

● The cost of overhead for the average dental office is roughly 75% compared to 53% for physician's offices.

● Physicians may see between 50-60 patients per day while dentists see only 10.

● As with medicine, dental "insurance" has been a big factor in driving up the cost of care.

● DENTISTY is Health Care that WORKS! What other branch of medicine is as "prevention" oriented as dentistry?

● Government subsidized dentistry is not the solution. Just take a look at other government-run programs. The answer is to be accountable for your own oral health, educate yourself about homecare practices, find a great dentist and stick with him/her.

● The stress involved with being a dentist takes an ENORMOUS toll on your body and mind. Despite all that, most dentists love what they do, cherish their wonderful patients, and aim to deliver exceptional care.

● The United States continues to provide the world's best dental care. Would you consider going to Mexico or China for dental care, not knowing if the equipment being used has been sterilized (risking Hepatitis or AIDS) or what's in the dental materials being placed in your mouth? To increase profit, China added toxic melamine to dog food and baby formulas to give the appearance of added protein. They produced children's toys for sale in the US which contained lead. Enough said.

Here Here Stina! You seem like a great girlfriend!
Thanks for standing up for your boy and the rest of us DMDs.

The one thing I think you forgot to mention was the ENORMOUS amount of taxes we pay into the system per year. People here complaining about dentists driving a BMW... when most of us pay the government enough to buy two cars a year. How many of the complainers put $100K into the system every year? Who do you all think pays for our welfare state? Yep, the one's who are penalized for success. By the way, I had a great day at work , HELPING MY PATIENTS who were all gracious and thankful for the service I provided them, as I was to them for the business.