Dentistry Costs So Much Now

Someone put the 1958 Cost of Living Chart on Facebook today and this is what it said:

New Home: $12,000
New Car: $2200
Average Rent: $95
Harvard tuition one year: $1,000
Movie ticket: $1,00
Postage stamp: .04

People always say that dentistry has become much to expensive  and that is why they don't go to the dentist. I emphatically disagree and this chart will support my claim. 

The average home  went from $12,000 to $350,000 is 29 times more expensive.

A Harvard education went from $1,000 a year to $65,000 a year is 65 times more expensive.

The average car was $2,200 and now $40,000 is 18 times more expensive.

Rent was $95 and is now $2,000 is 21 times more expensive

A stamp was 4 cents and now .48 is 12 times more expensive

A crown was $150 and the average crown is about $1500 or a 10 times increase.

Sorry but dentistry is more reasonable than almost everything else on the list.

Why Other Dentists Refer to Our Office

Many dentists do not have an interest in one or two particular areas of dentistry and they are happy when they can refer one of their patients to our office so that they don't have to do treatment modalities that do not interest them.

We received a call from another office to see a young man who ran into a glass door and fractured his front tooth. Young children will make superb patients because they do not want to look different and have their friends make fun of them. When I met this young man in my waiting room, I asked him if he WANTED me to fix his front tooth and make it look like it has never been broken. The young man smiled and said "YES." Too often parents have to persuade, cajole, threaten or promise in order to have their child sit in the dental chair...But not these kids...They WANT me to make them look normal.

Why Metal Fillings are Not Good For Teeth

For the last 20 years, I have tried to educate my patients that having metal fillings in their teeth is not good for their teeth. We were all taught in our high school physics class that all metals expand a large amount when heated while non metal materials expand but only a little.If you have metal fillings in your teeth and you have hot coffee, hot tea, a hot potato or hot pizza, the metal filling is going to get larger in your tooth. Teeth ,on the other hand ,are made of glass. Glass will expand when heated by hot coffee but not nearly as much as the metal filling.  So what happens?  The tooth structure next to the metal filling develops micro cracks and eventually,  a wall of the tooth will fracture off just like in 

the picture below.

Now why would you want to cut down healthy tooth structure for a crown and pay me $1750 when instead, I could have simply removed the metal filling and replaced it with a bonded resin filling at about $375.

I not only want to save your tooth structure but also save you money...On the other hand, I can make more money if you don't take my recommendations. (Just kidding)

Aetna Admits Stealing From Dental Insurance Patients in California

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/11/health/aetna-california-investigation/index.html

Why is health care in the US so expensive?

Ryan: Obamacare a threat to Medicare 

Medicaid patient: 'If I could work, I would'

Gov. Kasich defends Medicaid expansion

Aetna investigated after stunning admission

Denied teen has strong words for Aetna

Strike Force nets largest take down of Medicare fraud

Aetna envelopes reveal customers' HIV status

Why is health care in the US so expensive?

Ryan: Obamacare a threat to Medicare 

Medicaid patient: 'If I could work, I would'

Gov. Kasich defends Medicaid expansion

Aetna investigated after stunning admission

Denied teen has strong words for Aetna

Strike Force nets largest take down of Medicare fraud

Aetna envelopes reveal customers' HIV status

(CNN)California's insurance commissioner has launched an investigation into Aetna after learning a former medical director for the insurer admitted under oath he never looked at patients' records when deciding whether to approve or deny care.

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones expressed outrage after CNN showed him a ....... You can go to the link to read the entire article from CNN.

I told you that Dental Insurers were lying stealing thieves and now a former Medical Director for Aetna admits that he would reject medical claims without even looking at the patient's records.

This is why I gave up participating with Dental Insurance 26 years ago.