Have you ever wondered why do dentists cost so much? Just a routine dental checkup and you might end up paying a heavy amount when leaving. Why is this so? This article will explain that dentists are worth the fee they charge from their patients and why dental work is so expensive.
Dental care is not a commodity
Dental care is an art as well as science. It is not some laundry detergent or food ingredient or mobile service, but is a professional service on its own. And like many other professional services, dental care consists of a few good dentists and a few not so good dentists. Which one do you come across depends on the amount you spend on this service, the more amount you spend on it the better will be result.
Overhead costs are enormous
Around 60% to 80% of an individual’s payment goes into running a modern dental home. A dental home expenses include rent or mortgage of office area, payroll for working staff (that includes hygienist, managers and receptionist), health insurance, business insurance, taxes, dental home supplies, and much more.
Different labs
The differentiating factor in labs is the quality of the products they are using. Everyone wants their dentists to use high-quality labs for procedures like crowns and dentures. We need to trust the dentist we are visiting about the quality of the labs in their dental home.
Dental insurance is not insurance in actual
Dental insurance is not like car insurance or health insurance. It only covers minor dental procedures like cleaning and dental x-rays, which are not even half the price of the crown. So basically dental insurance is of no use if a patient needs a lot of work done. Many patients expect a lot of discount in their dental fee but on the contrary there is a huge gap between the patients’ expectation vs reality.
Dental insurance calculation is hectic for dentists
The long procedure of going over to the receptionist, waiting there for the receptionist to get free, confirming whether the patient has dental insurance covered and then calculating the copay is tedious and drives most dentist nuts.
Dentists wish people take care of their oral health more
Oral health is important for a pretty smile as well as a healthy lifestyle. Gum disease for example if left untreated can lead to cardiovascular complications. Thus dentists wish and advice their patients to spend a part of their income on their oral health as it is worth it in the longer run. Using a good toothbrush and a toothpaste, and visiting the dentist regularly are a few things to spend on.
Now as you are convinced dentists charge what they are worth of, the question then arises how do you find a good one? Here a few tips on finding a good dentist:
- Ask the dentist whether they employ specialists at their dental home. Inquire who is responsible for cleaning, root canal, dental x-rays, etc. If there are separate people for every procedure who have specialized in that particular domain, then one must surely opt for that dentist.
- Ask different professionals around you which dentist do they go to. Talk to your boss or your family doctor on which person do they trust with their mouth.
- Ask a dental specialist, for example an endodontist. They see patients on a referral basis and thus will know who is good and who isn’t.
- Interview every dentist you visit and look for more if you aren’t satisfied with any because your teeth are your lifetime investment.
