Here ya go... $95.99 per quadrant
OT. Dental charges for deep gum cleaning and scaling. Seem to be very high.
- Thread starter dailybuck777
- Start date
Here ya go... $95.99 per quadrant
Thanks, extremely helpful. Just curious how you're finding these things. If you want to let me know.
I know that and also Medicaid underpays doctors and other Medical professionals. I wouldn't think of actually going by what they pay. However, if you multiply it by something like two times, it is way less than what the dentist is charging. Useful bargaining tool
As an assist for others dealing with similar issues, I will relate what my health insurance agent told me. First , he discourages people from getting dental insurance because few dentists accept it and generally it doesn't turn out to be a good financial deal. As one example, he said one of his clients had a painful gum condition and needed a root canal. There was only 1 professional who would accept the patient and the patient would have had to wait 6 months to get the treatment.
Got teeth cleaned , temporary crown AND crown and small filling thrown in as my bro deal discount for $1K...... I like my dentist .
About 9 days ago, wrote short note to Dentist explaining that the National Dental Advisory Service was merely a profit making entity selling its list, which apparently has no quality controls. (Dentists can submit their purported rates without leaving their name -- Only have to give their zip code.) Told dentist, I would pay $350 an hour and if that wasn't good enough would pay her full charge if in return she gave me her records. And, with those records, I would find a new dentist. Wanted to show her up that I am not too cheap to pay fair price, but will not accept grossly inflated charges which I think are unprofessional.
Next day or 2, I will stop by and see whether she wants to keep me and my family as patients or whether I will pay the full exorbitant charge this time and move on.
Next day or 2, I will stop by and see whether she wants to keep me and my family as patients or whether I will pay the full exorbitant charge this time and move on.
Had my teeth cleaned by hygienists in training through a major university program. Asked the teacher about scaling and he said I was already getting it. (for about $20 per visit) I have gone to this place off and on many times over ten years, but I never heard of scaling until about a year ago. There seems to be a problem of communication both by the dentists and the dental hygienists school. My main reaction is wtf. Obviously, I am happy.
Also, I went to pay off the dentist the $1,200 and quit the practice and her receptionist was rude and refused to take my check, saying I needed a certified check. (Like I would commit a felony and write a bad check) This kerfuffle got to the dentist and she, apparently feeling she wanted to take the high ground, told me she would write it off, which I never asked for. So, ultimately I never paid.
Also, I went to pay off the dentist the $1,200 and quit the practice and her receptionist was rude and refused to take my check, saying I needed a certified check. (Like I would commit a felony and write a bad check) This kerfuffle got to the dentist and she, apparently feeling she wanted to take the high ground, told me she would write it off, which I never asked for. So, ultimately I never paid.
Dentists are some of the biggest shysters out there. Insurance is also a waste as most dental insurances only pay out what you put into it, so its breakeven at best. What I did when I moved to a new town was get on the Nextdoor app and asked for recommendations and then also read Yelp reviews on the recommended dentists. You want to find a dentist that is skilled and most importantly, has the reputation for being honest. I found a good dentist this way and she doesn't order unnecessary procedures. I can tell after having been ripped off by dentists so many times over the years.
I had it done a couple months ago. My wife set me up with this hack dentist in a bard part of town. I took an hour and a half on each side, cost $125 wirh insurance, and even with novacane it hurt like a mofo. Like the scene from Dumb and Dumber.
Seems like a fair price. I had it done probably 10 years ago and it was around $800 then. Nationaly they say prices run from $800-1800.
How Much Is A Deep Cleaning At The Dentist?
Depending on what part of the country you live in, it averages about $300 per quadrant if you still have all of your teeth. $800-1800 for a full mouth.
www.teethtalkgirl.com
My dentist, should I say, former dentist told me I needed scaling. Went for the first of two sessions and was told my insurance would not cover it and I had to pay $362 for each of the two sessions. This seemed pretty high but I went ahead with it. Before session two I was told insurance would not cover it and I owed another $300 for session #1. I was told that the dentist's contract with the insurance company allowed the company to tell them how much to charge me. I refused and told them to finish the job and I would pay $362 for that and no more. They are still sending bills and this will go to collections I guess. Gotta add that the work they did seemed like no more than previous dentists did as part of a regular cleaning. Total time for the work done was less than 2 hours and was done by a hygienist, not the doctor.
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If you've had the work done you're kind of stuck..
But for future work, it makes sense to shop around. There are lots of qualified dentists and this is not exactly neurosurgery. This is like buying tires for your car -- you would shop around before you make a decision.
Definitely ask the dentist for a "cash" price. Sometimes that will be a lower price than what they charge insurance, but sometimes it will be higher. Just depends on the practice and how they do business.
Sometimes it's worth having dental insurance (even though it doesn't pay for much) just so you get the negotiated price beforehand. We have a Delta Dental policy that costs $35 a month that gets us cleanings and checkups and at least a discount on dental work.
The one thing that's not smart is to schedule any kind of non-emergency medical procedure without any discussion of costs beforehand. That is a recipe for trouble.
But for future work, it makes sense to shop around. There are lots of qualified dentists and this is not exactly neurosurgery. This is like buying tires for your car -- you would shop around before you make a decision.
Definitely ask the dentist for a "cash" price. Sometimes that will be a lower price than what they charge insurance, but sometimes it will be higher. Just depends on the practice and how they do business.
Sometimes it's worth having dental insurance (even though it doesn't pay for much) just so you get the negotiated price beforehand. We have a Delta Dental policy that costs $35 a month that gets us cleanings and checkups and at least a discount on dental work.
The one thing that's not smart is to schedule any kind of non-emergency medical procedure without any discussion of costs beforehand. That is a recipe for trouble.
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I had a regular cleaning by new dentist which went quickly. However, the scaling that the dentist tried to charge me $1200 for was simply a more thorough cleaning that went under the gums which the students have been doing on me for a long time. Dentist doesn't deserve $600 an hour for work done by dental hygienist.
Dentists are 99% scum in my opinion. Haven't found one other than my kids dentist, that doesnt scam and lie. Moved to Severna Park, MD 20+ years ago and started going to a dentist who some people had told me was great but after the initial year it was a big scam. Told me I needed all sorts of things done to about half the teeth in my mouth. I asked about paying cash upfront etc, and got a bit of a deal, but he wanted me to give him the insurance checks that were mailed to me too. He did shoddy work and was always trying to sell crowns and root canals. After leaving him I continued so hear from people similar stories and eventually he was sued by dozens of customers and eventually lost his license.
My old dentist didn't use power tools except a powered brush. There was no deep cleaning nonsense and no novacaine. He took what insurance paid.
He used a manual scrape and rinse. Your teeth were clean when he was done, and white.
All this quadrant and novacaine and other crap is a scam. I still have all my teeth.
Don't be a sucker, unless you neglected your teeth, and have major problems.
He used a manual scrape and rinse. Your teeth were clean when he was done, and white.
All this quadrant and novacaine and other crap is a scam. I still have all my teeth.
Don't be a sucker, unless you neglected your teeth, and have major problems.
Not sure if scaling is a real thing or just a scam. But my pocket depths have been slowly increasing from 3/4 to a 6 in the corner wisdom teeth areas over a few years. Thus, if it’s a scam, they have been conspiring for years.
October 2023 was when the dentist first recommended getting the deep cleaning and I was quoted around $850 total for two sessions without insurance. Therefore, during open season, I opted for the supplemental BSBS dental on top of my BCBS medical. With insurance, they quoted an out of pocket total of around $340 so I guess insurance is paying about 60%. That amount is more than the cost of my supplemental dental premium annually so I have the cleanings scheduled for April.
October 2023 was when the dentist first recommended getting the deep cleaning and I was quoted around $850 total for two sessions without insurance. Therefore, during open season, I opted for the supplemental BSBS dental on top of my BCBS medical. With insurance, they quoted an out of pocket total of around $340 so I guess insurance is paying about 60%. That amount is more than the cost of my supplemental dental premium annually so I have the cleanings scheduled for April.
