garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,773 
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Mar 16, 2021 16:18:11 GMT
My long time dentist had to sell his practice (nasty divorce). I absolutely loved that dentist and I'm not loving the new guy. With the previous guy, 95% of the time, when I left the office, all I had to do was make my next appointment. Now, I feel like they are constantly trying to 'upsell' me. I can't just make my next appointment, I have to sit with the finance gal, see what coverage I have, and let's go through the list of recommended services (gum grafts, invisalign, new mouth guard), and then we can make the appointment.
It gives me the same feeling as taking my car to get an oil change - where they are constantly trying to sell, and it's a yucky feeling when it involves a body part.
I know I probably just need to find a new dentist, because honestly, the trust is gone.
But I was wondering if this is a new thing - maybe a lot of dentists do this?
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Post by femalebusiness on Mar 16, 2021 16:20:09 GMT
I hate when that happens. I have left services when they start that upsell crap.
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,785
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Mar 16, 2021 16:28:08 GMT
I've been going to my dentist for 35 years, since HS. I travel 40min for my appointments. At one point there was another dentist in the practice that would try to upsell. I told her to stop. I will get what "needs" to be done and that is it. I wasn't bothered again. But they've never sat me down to go thru insurance before I can make an appointment. If that were the case I would have been gone long ago.
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paget
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,109
Jun 25, 2014 21:16:39 GMT
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Post by paget on Mar 16, 2021 16:28:56 GMT
I went to a dentist once that did something similar and it was the last time! I’ve been going to my current dentist for years and I completely trust them. The creepy place actually handed me a mirror when I was sitting in the chair and said what would you change about your smile? Wtf?! I said “nothing.” And they kept pressing and I handed them the mirror and said I just wanted the service schedule (teeth cleaning) and never went back.
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tracylynn
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,903
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Post by tracylynn on Mar 16, 2021 16:29:27 GMT
I would not stand for that. I will not have dental procedures simply so they can milk my insurance. And I would tell them that. And if it was a problem, I'd find a new dentist.
I left a dentist I'd been to for a long time because he kept hounding me about "gaps" in some of my back teeth. He wanted to put fillings in.
I went back to my hometown dentist and didn't say anything. At the end I asked him about the gaps in the back of my mouth and weren't they problem? He said they were conducive to food getting stuck in them for sure but he didn't see any issues, and asked me why I brought it up. I told him, and I also told him I didn't like that kind of pressure. Of course food gets stuck, but I floss, and voila, fixes the problem He said as long as my gums didn't deteriorate, the gaps didn't become bigger and I continued to have good mouth health, they weren't a problem.
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Post by busy on Mar 16, 2021 16:29:31 GMT
I wouldn't look at gum grafts as an upsell... that sounds like something that needs to be done.
The others sound like reasonable recommendations but if you've declined them once, they probably don't need to offer them to you again.
I wouldn't love the process you're describing either, but I don't leave a medical provider I like over their office staff/business practices without providing feedback first. If you don't like the dentist, move on. If you do, then give the dentist specific feedback about what you don't like, why, and what would be better.
Sometimes medical providers implement things and don't fully realize the impact on their patients. Most doctors, dentists, etc. aren't natural business people and don't always make the best choices in those areas. Input can help them.
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,730
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Mar 16, 2021 16:31:01 GMT
Not a new thing. I went to several of these types of dentists before I found one I could trust.
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Post by 16joy on Mar 16, 2021 16:34:24 GMT
My daughter had a dentist who tried to get her to have preventative fillings. She had no cavities of any stage. The first and last time for that guy.
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Post by Fidget on Mar 16, 2021 16:34:48 GMT
This just started happening to me. I may switch dentists. They try to get me to get fluoride treatments every time I go in. My insurance doesn't cover it and I haven't had a cavity in years. They also try to sell me an electric toothbrush to the tune of 300.00.
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Post by scrapmaven on Mar 16, 2021 16:37:35 GMT
Never. I would stop going if they did. I have identical twin dentists.
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Mar 16, 2021 16:42:00 GMT
nope. I wouldn't go to my dentist if they tried to do that to me. Sure, my dentist might suggest "hey, this crown is getting older and sometimes they fail; you might want to think about getting it redone" but to have you sit with their finance person to discuss potential future services and your insurance coverage? That's a big NO.
Unless it's a procedure YOU want done, and you need to figure out how much your insurance will pay for it... THAT is the only situation I could ever see myself in where I would talk to a finance person about my dental coverage. Otherwise, it's not just 'upselling' but isn't it potentially insurance fraud? Coercing patients into having procedures that aren't medically necessary just to get $$ from the insurance company sounds kind of fraudulent to me.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,940
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Mar 16, 2021 16:50:58 GMT
Mine hates that I have a stain on one of my front teeth and tries to convince me to let him bleach it. 1. it's not that bad (no one has ever commented and I never noticed it until I started seeing him) 2. my insurance won't cover it. It annoys me and I would like to switch dentists but I'm lazy.
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Post by karinec on Mar 16, 2021 16:52:22 GMT
I left a really great dentist because of this. It made me really uncomfortable. But, I did find a dentist I liked even better, so there was a silver lining.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 16, 2021 16:53:25 GMT
My dentist doesn't, but I just had to fill out paperwork for a periodontist and some of the questions made me wonder if they will try to upsell. I hope not because I am already nervous about the procedures and cost.
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Post by katlady on Mar 16, 2021 16:56:39 GMT
I had something similar. My dentist sold his practice. The new dentist who took over told me I needed all these procedures done. I went to another dentist, who said my teeth were fine. I kept him and stopped going to the one who took over the other practice.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 16, 2021 17:07:53 GMT
This just started happening to me. I may switch dentists. They try to get me to get fluoride treatments every time I go in. My insurance doesn't cover it and I haven't had a cavity in years. They also try to sell me an electric toothbrush to the tune of 300.00. That’s insanity! We bought ours from our dentist a few years ago and I think for the more deluxe adult model it was about $80. We recently bought second basic models for our lake cabin and they were the $25 kid’s version at the dentist. We couldn’t even get them that cheap at Costco! Our dentist doesn’t try to sell us services we don’t need because we dropped our dental insurance years ago. It never covered much of anything anyway and was costing us about $1500 a year. The three of us go in for cleanings twice a year and we never spend that much even on self pay, plus we get an extra cash discount for paying on the day of service. We’re all pretty low maintenance, I haven’t had any new cavities since I was probably 10-12 years old. We figure the amount we’ve saved over the last ten years by not paying for the insurance will more than cover what we wind up spending if DD ends up needing braces. |
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Post by quinlove on Mar 16, 2021 17:10:11 GMT
I can totally relate. My long time dentist, who could fix any dental issue without costing a small fortune, retired too. So far, they have changed new dentists 3 times. One was alright, but they all had the finance person come in to me, in the chair, with different costly options.
Searching for a new dentist as soon as I am comfortable going into a setting where I have to unmask.
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Post by freecharlie on Mar 16, 2021 17:17:40 GMT
Mine does not. We've only gone to him for a year and I'd recommend the guy to anyone.
I would not feel comfortable in the situation you described and I certainly wouldn't want to do that each time.
Now, there may be some issues that need to be taken care of, but I would expect my dentist to talk to me about them, nit a finance person
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mimix3
Full Member
Posts: 100
Jun 15, 2020 0:56:27 GMT
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Post by mimix3 on Mar 16, 2021 17:18:40 GMT
I recently chipped my front tooth and called my dentist to get it fixed. He can't see me until Mid april....called one of the nationwide chains, got in quick and they tried to sell me 12k dollars worth of upsell.
Said I needed invisalign, some kind of root scaling (not happening) and three implants. and BTW I still dont have my tooth fixed. FFS
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 16, 2021 17:20:59 GMT
I will add, however, that the dentists we have gone to here require you to pay for the service up front. So, they do have you talk to the front desk person about what the cost will be to you based on your coverage. That way you are prepared to pay for it either then or when the service is provided. I read through the OP again and those seem like services/devices that you should have talked about during your appt. Is that the case? Or did they just bring those recommendations up when you were ready to leave? I think that is the part I would be concerned about, not talking about the cost itself.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 16, 2021 17:23:09 GMT
I will add, however, that the dentists we have gone to here require you to pay for the service up front. So, they do have you talk to the front desk person about what the cost will be to you based on your coverage. That way you are prepared to pay for it either then or when the service is provided. I read through the OP again and those seem like services/devices that you should have talked about during your appt. Is that the case? Or did they just bring those recommendations up when you were ready to leave? I think that is the part I would be concerned about, not talking about the cost itself.
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,773
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Mar 16, 2021 17:26:38 GMT
I wouldn't look at gum grafts as an upsell... that sounds like something that needs to be done. The others sound like reasonable recommendations but if you've declined them once, they probably don't need to offer them to you again. I wouldn't love the process you're describing either, but I don't leave a medical provider I like over their office staff/business practices without providing feedback first. If you don't like the dentist, move on. If you do, then give the dentist specific feedback about what you don't like, why, and what would be better. Sometimes medical providers implement things and don't fully realize the impact on their patients. Most doctors, dentists, etc. aren't natural business people and don't always make the best choices in those areas. Input can help them. I normally wouldn't have noticed the gum grafts as an upsell before - I've had a couple of rounds of gum surgery and there is definitely recession. I noticed because one appointment, they recommended the gum grafts, and in the very next appointment, they said I needed a crown, as I had a cavity that ran along the gumline - in the same space as the graft. That's when I started really noticing the upsell. And my son's next appointment after that (he's 17), he all of a sudden was recommended a graft. They had previously never mentioned this about him. I have mentioned my dislike of the upsell (to the finance gal, my hygienist, and the office admin - but not the actual dentist, i think because I just don't care for him), but they said they'll keep doing it, as they have an obligation to tell me what I need. So yep, I'm going to leave. Pandemic made it hard, as there was a huge chunk of time where offices were closed entirely. I also got a recommendation from a trusted person for a new dentist, and that new dentist wasn't taking new people for a while. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Mar 16, 2021 17:27:37 GMT
She just tried to sell me a $1000 root canal and I said eff that and went to an endodentist and he said you are fine. I was really pissed at her for that. I need to find a new dentist.
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Post by peano on Mar 16, 2021 17:28:24 GMT
I’ve been going to my current dentist for 20+ years and that’s never happened. I don’t think of fluoride treatments as an up sell.
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Post by Restless Spirit on Mar 16, 2021 17:28:35 GMT
Not my dentist, but my previous dental hygienist. She was very good, but very pushy that I needed special toothpaste ($11 a tube!), a sealant for my teeth and fluoride treatment. She also makes recommendations to the dentist on which teeth I need to replace old fillings, treatment for my gums, replacing my crowns. She tells him and he says there's no need to do anything.
I was glad when they switched me to a new hygienist. I have one old filling they are watching and that's it.
My DH sees the old hygienist. The other week he came home with an expensive Water Pik she talked him into - for ME! It's still in the box because I'm irritated she did an upsell on him. She must get a crap ton of bonus money for everything she sells. GRRRR
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,773
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Mar 16, 2021 17:28:54 GMT
This just started happening to me. I may switch dentists. They try to get me to get fluoride treatments every time I go in. My insurance doesn't cover it and I haven't had a cavity in years. They also try to sell me an electric toothbrush to the tune of 300.00. I'm also not covered, but I let them do this once every two years. Mostly, because I can't drink coffee after the appointment when I get the treatment. And I really need the coffee after the appointment. |
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,584
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Mar 16, 2021 17:30:32 GMT
I'm in a business (HVAC) where there are multiple accessories/add-ons for indoor air quality, for example. I'd feel like we are doing a disservice if we didn't let clients know about the items, so we have a brochure for that purpose that we leave with them to peruse at their convenience.
I *DO* want to know what additional services are available from most of my service providers. But they can hand me a brochure. I don't want to sit in a special room and talk to a sales person masquerading as a 'finance' person.
I loved the bleach trays I got from my dentist when they were on sale years ago for $100. MaxTheBeagle got hold of them a couple of weeks ago, and of course, now to replace them, it's $250. (BTW, the trays were on my bathroom counter. Max jumped up onto my garden tub deck, and then onto the countertop to grab them. That's why his legal name is MaxYouFucker...)
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Post by workingclassdog on Mar 16, 2021 17:30:51 GMT
My dentist who I love love love... she will occasionally say they have something new but she doesn't push it at all. For instance, my dd had a couple of cavities and she suggested to start using an electric toothbrush. She stated they had some if I wanted to buy there or I could find one on my own (which I did). It was no big deal. I got their price and compared it to ones on Amazon. Amazon won.
So yes she might suggest something, but in no way she would push it. I feel if she does push something I might want to listen and see what she says.
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Mar 16, 2021 17:34:08 GMT
Not my dentist, but my previous dental hygienist. She was very good, but very pushy that I needed special toothpaste ($11 a tube!), a sealant for my teeth and fluoride treatment. She also makes recommendations to the dentist on which teeth I need to replace old fillings, treatment for my gums, replacing my crowns. She tells him and he says there's no need to do anything. I was glad when they switched me to a new hygienist. I have one old filling they are watching and that's it. My DH sees the old hygienist. The other week he came home with an expensive Water Pik she talked him into - for ME! It's still in the box because I'm irritated she did an upsell on him. She must get a crap ton of bonus money for everything she sells. GRRRR I’d be taking that back stat. I’d be pushed if I turned something down and they talked my hubby into it saying that I really needed it. |
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,773
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Mar 16, 2021 17:35:15 GMT
nope. I wouldn't go to my dentist if they tried to do that to me. Sure, my dentist might suggest "hey, this crown is getting older and sometimes they fail; you might want to think about getting it redone" but to have you sit with their finance person to discuss potential future services and your insurance coverage? That's a big NO. Unless it's a procedure YOU want done, and you need to figure out how much your insurance will pay for it... THAT is the only situation I could ever see myself in where I would talk to a finance person about my dental coverage. Otherwise, it's not just 'upselling' but isn't it potentially insurance fraud? Coercing patients into having procedures that aren't medically necessary just to get $$ from the insurance company sounds kind of fraudulent to me. I think because it's things I may 'vaguely' need, and procedures that he actually would perform - it's not fraud. My SIL found a dentist who does ACTUAL fraud. Her son got his braces, they all got veneers, and didn't have to pay for any of it, because their dentist claimed services he didn't perform. And she is A-OK with it. I told her - just wait until you need a real procedure on a tooth where he said he already claimed a particular service - she's going to be screwed. |
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