"My Insurance Company Will Pay for the Treatment"

My leg experinced significant swelling last Wednesday so I made a trip to the local hospital to rule out a clot or infection. Fortunately, the swelling is a normal post surgical event in total knee replacement surgery and I was released from the hospital.

One of the young ladies who took my blood for a CBC knew that I was a dentist and told me that she was having her peg lateral, the most common dental change from the normal treated by a local dentist. She told me that she was going to have some gum surgery and then have a crown made for the tiny tooth. I informed her that IN MY OPINION  that would not be THE BEST treatment for her problem and stongly suggested that she have the tooth bonded with some tooth colored resin which would remove no tooth structure for this already tiny tooth.

She told me that 'Well my insurance will pay $1,000 for her treatment and I am going to have it done.

My response was, "Just so that you know, I would not be your dentist  but  that the treatment that I would recommend would be better and cost less ($600)."

Like most young people, she stopped listening when I told her what she did not want to hear.

When will patients understand that  YOUR insurance company is NOT your friend and does not give a damn about obtaining an excellent outcome. They only care whether the treatment is a covered  treatment or not. PERIOD

There are some patients who will not be able to afford dental treatment unless their dental insurance pays for the treatment. That is NOT the normal dental patient and it certainly is not true of my patients. We have gotten into a thinking mode to let our insurance companies decide what treatment  we will or will not have instead of finding out what the best treatment option is.

Do the right thing and have the best dental care that you deserve.