Dental Quotes - Is There Any Way To Check Them?

uniqualz on 28/08/2019 - 05:50

Hi All,

I'm 53, have good teeth and oral hygiene, and visit my Dentist every two years for a checkup. I've just been told by my usual guy in North Brisbane that I have cavities in 5 rear molars that need to be filled, one of which is too large a hole to easily fill, so they'd rather put a crown on it. I never get cavities, so this is all a surprise.

Anyway, two hours quoted for the crown work, and another hour for the four fillings, and their written quote/estimate for 3 hours work total comes in at approx $4,000, which seems very excessive, though I'm sure it'll be the same if I go to others..

Is there a way in Australia that I can check or cross reference dental fees using his itemised quote, does anyone know? He knows I don't have a choice, so he can charge what he wants and I'll have to like it. I'm skint atm, and can't afford this, but dental hospitals have a long waiting period. Our HCF health cover doesn't include dental - only hospital visits. Would appreciate any advice others with experience could offer, short of travelling to Thailand for a cheap fix up!

Rgds,
UniQualz

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • thatonethere on 28/08/2019 - 06:40
    +2

    Have to go another dentist and pay for a check up fee.

    Note that once cavities are up and running they just get worse. So leaving them for a While could mean you have to have the teeth removed or really expensive root canal (think $4000 per tooth).

  • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 07:18
    +4

    You could go to Thailand for a holiday for 2 weeks , much cheaper

  • EightImmortals on 28/08/2019 - 07:45
    +5

    Go to another dentist and see what they say. But say nothing about your visit to the first one.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 09:12
      +1

      They will probably charge him another fee to look at his teeth again

  • Jefflas on 28/08/2019 - 08:24
    +3

    Check out these websites to get a comparative rate for a given procedure code.
    https://www.dentacare.com.au/dental-fees/dental-fees-queensl…
    https://www.smile.com.au/dental-fees/qld

    • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 09:16

      Just had a look at the Dentacare website,

      Anybody a member of Dentacare and do you really get up to 40% discounts ???

      Apparently its $69 a year to join

      • MITM on 28/08/2019 - 15:10

        Seems so.

  • poboy on 28/08/2019 - 08:39
    +5

    Health procedures are subjective. Over the years my rule of thumb has been that older dentists (30 years+ experience) are more reasonable and less likely to recommend significant work. Relatively young dentists are more likely to over-service and therefore overcharge. I figure this is because the younger dentists have comparatively higher business costs and are more hungry for wealth.

    If your dentist has been fair in the past, that is a pretty good indicator that they are fair now.

    • futureminime on 28/08/2019 - 13:52
      +1

      Often younger dentists are trying to hit payback periods on equipment - same thing happens when existing practices get new machines in. If you get a shiny new machine that goes bing you need to justify it by bring in the $.

    • thisisadu on 28/01/2020 - 14:50

      some dentists are hired as contractors that need to meet a minimum target or for their own back pocket (i.e. the more services they provide the more money they pocket per shift)

  • Seraphin7 on 28/08/2019 - 08:59
    +2

    Just like any other service … get another quote!

  • ihbh on 28/08/2019 - 09:12
    +2

    visit my Dentist every two years

    Biannual vs biennial - you might want to shift to the former.

  • profar on 28/08/2019 - 09:19

    I think join smile the year you want to see them .

    Pay those con men twice a year lol
    Are you kidding ?

    • Tech5 on 28/08/2019 - 10:36
      +1

      Decay changes a lot in 2 years. Enough of a change to need a root canal/extraction rather than a filling

  • FareEvader on 28/08/2019 - 09:48

    Go to another dentist and get a second opinion

    • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 10:55

      Be another fee fee for him

      Dental in Australia is shockingly expensive

      • FareEvader on 28/08/2019 - 12:37

        I agree, but you can't put a price on your health

  • jdee87 on 28/08/2019 - 13:00

    Maybe find a friend of a friend who knows a dentist? It's just to verify the quote anyway.

    • HighAndDry on 28/08/2019 - 13:06

      Maybe find a friend of a friend who knows a dentist? It's just to verify the quote anyway.

      OP, please don't be this person.

  • Tech5 on 28/08/2019 - 13:26

    I would get a second opinion just so it can be explained a bit better.

    You say you see this dentist every 2 years, for a long time? And then suddenly the same dentist says you have 5 cavities, one of which needs a crown?

    Story doesn't add up. Either these areas were discussed previously and have been monitored, or there has been a misunderstanding as to what a "cavity" means.

  • MITM on 28/08/2019 - 15:09

    Maybe you could add Gold (dental)Extras to your HCF cover. Call them up and say you will do so only if there is no waiting periods or you'll walk to another fund.
    Find another* fund desperate for new members that waives the waiting periods and join up with Gold(dental) extras.
    When you're done - go back to Hospital Only cover.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/08/2019 - 15:42

      Lol…can you do this?
      Does it work?

      • MITM on 28/08/2019 - 15:51

        Everything is negotiable.

  • uniqualz on 03/02/2020 - 10:50
    +1

    Update: I ended up getting a second opinion from another dental practice. They completely dismissed his $4000 quote, called him some interesting names, and said I had no cavities anywhere, and that I only had a chipped corner off my molar, which they easily repaired for $400 rather than an unnecessary, expensive crown. Total cost including x-rays was $400 instead of $4000 - no upselling, no revisits required. This was almost 6 months ago now, and everything's still perfect. Happy as a pig in chiffon.

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