Mindless Mindsets. They're everywhere.
I just read a blog post by a guy, Fred Joyal. Yes, I’ve mentioned Fred before. He had some inclination to create a post, “Why is dentistry so expensive?”
Here are some of the comments from his post…then, MY comments to the people that posted comments:
Yes, dentistry is so expensive that some middle income and the wealthy can afford to keep their teeth healthy these days. I live in America and at 57 years old, I can’t afford to get my teeth crowned or root canals done to the point that I’ve lost 5 teeth in 3 years. These are front and back teeth and am about to lose the 6th and 7th teeth in the back and won’t be able to chew my food on either side. I’m being told that dentures are my best bet because they’re cheaper then crowns and root canals, however, this only covers my upper jaw (approx. $800.00+) – what about the lower jaw? And how do we complain about the shoddy work that dentists do, which is true in my situation and how do I come up with more money to fix those mistakes? I didn’t set how much money it cost to be a dentist, why should people on disability, social security or who can’t get any more credit all have to suffer without teeth? Where are the dentists that have been in practice for over 15 years, isn’t that enough time to pay back all loans? When will more of them be ready to take Medicaid or give 30% or more in discounts? And people can not regulate what the insurance companies pay for. As Americans, we take pride in stepping forward to help other Americans who have less, so what’s it going to take to have more dentists and specialists such as endodontics, step forward and help out?
January 19, 2009 7:24 PM
Blogger Jerry said…
I understand about the cost of school
and the cost of equipment and running a dental office.Insurance is part of the problem. They have forced the rates up and do not want to pay the increase.
Some dentists will not pull teeth and will farm out the patients.
Some dentists will not take payments.Some dentists are selective on the insurance they will accept.
There needs to be some laws to make dentistry more cost worthy
to all patients who need it.
I am forced to get dentures because of the failure or unwilling attitude of dentistry
to change so all can get good care.
January 20, 2009 2:55 PM
Blogger different kids said…
Both my boyfriend and I are 2 years short of Medicare and don’t qualify for Medicaid and neither has dental insurance anyway. We’re in the same boat as the woman from 1/19 except that he hasn’t lost teeth yet. I have an upper denture. Why isn’t there someplace with a sliding scale or something like that, like NYU School of Dentistry but with a sliding scale of fees instead of fixed fees?
January 23, 2009 11:06 AM
Blogger Fred Joyal said…
It is difficult to find high quality dentistry at a low cost. The reality is that dentistry is not regarded as normal health care (which is why health insurance doesn’t cover it), so it’s much more like a commodity in that you get what you pay for.
Dental schools are one way to go, but obviously the dentists are still learning and the institution does not exist primarily to offer low cost dental care, but to educate. They treat patients, usually at a fixed low cost, because they need to have the students practice on real teeth.
Getting dentists to donate their time is really a personal issue. I know many dentists who do discount their work in extreme cases, but they don’t make a regular thing out of it or people would assume that their dentistry is free, just like a county hospital. No one is giving the dentist any money to treat the underprivileged, so it’s up to him what level of generosity he’s willing to go to. Just like the rest of Americans, some are generous, and some are not. But it’s not likely that anyone is ever going to require dentists to do a lot of “pro bono” dentistry.
There are clinics in most areas that offer low cost dentistry. But many times it is still not that cheap. But for businesses to exist, they have to make money. The support from states varies widely also, and so some people are more fortunate to live in states like California, where state dental aid is pretty good.
No matter how you approach it, cheap dentistry is never going to be top quality dentistry. And socializing it would only decrease the average quality, not increase it.
Back to me, Jerry Jones…I have a suggestion for some of these folks: Go get a part-time job to pay for your dental care. Wal-Mart and McDonalds are hiring. Don’t expect the taxpayer to cover it for you. And, don’t expect a dentist or practice owner to give you a hand-out. What about opting out of TV for a few months (or internet service since you obviously have a computer since you posted to Fred’s site) and canceling your cable bill, re-direct the money and get some dental work done. If it’s a high enough priority, you’ll find a way to get it…That’s why satellite dishes sell in low income areas – it’s a priority for some to watch mindless TV – beats working or getting a job.
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