Lies, Lies and More Lies

I am replacing the 25 year old crowns for one of my long-time patients. No one will tell you but crowns have a life expectancy that is probably in the 20-25 year range. After that, you can be pretty sure that there will be leakage and decay under the crown. I removed two crowns, removed massive tooth decay (see photos), rebuilt the teeth and had my lab fabricate two new crowns. We submitted the fees to our patient's insurance company and they sent the patient a letter stating that I was a lying, stealing, cheating and unethical dentist because they could find nothing wrong with the crowns looking at 150 year old technology called an x-ray.

What they actually said was that they could find no medical necessity to replace the crowns. Did they ask me for supporting evidence such as photographs or a narrative explaining why the crowns needed to be replaced?

NOPE? They would rather tell my patient that I am an unethical  dentist. Now if that was actually the case, why didn't the insurance company report me to the police or the FBI as they are required to do because insurance fraud is a felony?

When we received a copy of the same letter that the insurance company sent to my patient we located the photographs that I take of almost every tooth that I treat and sent it to them. You don't have to be a dentist to see the brown mush that was under the two crowns.

Soon after the insurance company received the photographs, they merely said, "NEVERMIND" and agreed to pay for the crown replacements. Did they tell my patient that they had made a mistake and that I am, indeed, honest and ethical? NO!!!!

This is  why I don't participate with insurance companies. They lie, they cheat (you) and they steal (from you).

I will always provide you with the best dentistry that I can. I also promise you that I will NEVER perform dental treatment simply to earn money or perform dentistry that does not need to be done.

Now who do you believe?