Know an honest Dentist? (Glendale, Scottsdale: to buy, luxury, income)

[sorcia1]

Dr. Fletcher, Tempe, 480-839-4550

Another dentist tried to get me to spend thousands on stuff I didn't think I needed; I went to Dr. Fletcher and they said I was fine and just needed a basic cleaning.

[azgirl85220]

LOLOL! Great post..

Originally Posted by nitram

Wisdom teeth are like appendix, they're useless. Except for the dentists and doctors pocketbooks.
One dentist told me I needed a bridge installed. When I saw the price I asked if I was buying the Brooklyn or the San Francisco bridge.
Then when they said I had to have 2 cavities filled, and I saw that price, I asked how far down in the into the gold mine did they have to go to fill er up.
Anyone out there with young kids ready for college, get them into the dental trade. They'll be able to support you and their family for life.

[bkdmd]

Originally Posted by azgirl85220

LOL OKay I thought I was the only one with this dentist problem in the Valley. I went to a dentist in Gold Canyon who wanted to charge me for a deep cleaning where they actually numb your entire gum area and clean your teeth for some outrageous price!! NO WAY!! They refused to fill my cavity that I did have if I didn't receive this "Deep Cleaning" treatment.. I had just had my teeth cleaned the regular old fashion way in Virginia where I grew up about one year prior to going into this "ROBBING,THEIVING, PLEASE PAY FOR MY PORCHE" dentist!!...got out of there quickly!!

As a dentist, here's my advice. If you're having difficulty finding a dentist, get a referral from someone you trust. See what their experiences have been so far. Each dentist has a different style of practice and it's important to find one that suits you. One patient may be extremely content with teeth that are natural looking with general gum maintenance, others like to only come in on emergencies and otherwise be left alone, and others like to know every possible cosmetic dental procedures under the sun. They actually are offended if you don't know the latest and greatest whitening procedure. Many of them want the "Hollywood smile." It all depends on what the patient wants.

I prefer to offer patients options. This is a wonderful style of practice I learned over the years. If your tooth is hurting there really are multiple different options other than a root canal. Any doctor that says that a root canal is the ONLY option is doing a disservice to the patient.

For example,

option #1 $100-175- take out the tooth. OMG, yes, you actually can take it out, that is a viable option. You will not die if you take out one tooth.

option #2-$175-250 open and medicate- take out the infected nerve, temporary solution but it will buy you some time

option #3 -$500-700 root canal with temporary filling

option #4 - $700-900 root canal with more permenant filling, you still need a crown later, but it will buy you even more time

option #5- $1200-1700 root canal and crown, complete treatment

This is what i always do for my patients. I give THEM the options and they can choose whatever they want. I NEVER try to pigeonhole a patient into any decision. I could go on and on about each dental procedure and the different options. Crowns, Bridges, Implants, Gum treatment, etc. There are ALWAYS alternative treatments available. Don't ever let a dentist tell you that there is only ONE option. Another example of this if you give a set of xrays to 100 different dentists, you will get 100 different treatment plans. Look for a dentist that you feel comfortable with and that you TRUST. A dishonest dentist can take you to the CLEANERS, and an honest one will care for you like the greatest caregiver in the world! Keep looking good dentists are out there.

FWIW I charge about $425-475 for a molar root canal and $460 for a standard crown in Ventura County, CA. I charge fair prices for hard working people and I'm damn proud of it! I KNOW I can charge more but that's not why I got into this profession. I'm sorry for so many of you who've had such bad experiences with dentists, but we aren't ALL bad, at least not as bad as lawyers.

I know Howard Farran in Phoenix practices this way. I learned this style from him! Although, I can't speak on what he charges.

I think it's Today's Dental in Phoenix, AZ. Look on my old post on page 3

Sincerely,
Bernie

American Dental Office
Oxnard, CA

[blisterpeanuts]

Originally Posted by bkdmd

As a dentist, here's my advice. If you're having difficulty finding a dentist, get a referral from someone you trust. See what their experiences have been so far. Each dentist has a different style of practice and it's important to find one that suits you. One patient may be extremely content with teeth that are natural looking with general gum maintenance, others like to only come in on emergencies and otherwise be left alone, and others like to know every possible cosmetic dental procedures under the sun. They actually are offended if you don't know the latest and greatest whitening procedure. Many of them want the "Hollywood smile." It all depends on what the patient wants.

Thanks for the interesting perspective. I guess it can be hard to be an old fashioned dentist these days!

I just went to a dentist in north Glendale and his sage advice was that because of many 4mm pockets, I need to get a cleaning every 4 months "to monitor the situation". I had a dentist in the past who suggested this, and I naively followed his orders, not stopping to wonder whether he says this to every single patient. Now I realize that this is why he was able to move into a gleaming new facility; he was making money hand over fist.

Why do dentists have hygienists? I would rather the dentist spend 20 minutes combing over my teeth than this system where the hygienist does 90% of the work and the dentist comes in and spends 3 whole minutes with me, mostly just looking at the x-rays and trusting the hygienist to have found everything. Dentists have a lot more training in diagnosis than hygienists do, or so I thought. Just wondering, not trying to put down all the wonderful hygienists out there.

Anyway, I don't see how they can monitor the situation significantly better every 4 months than every 6 months, although I can see very clearly how this increases their revenue stream. Does gum disease progress that fast? I'm tempted to switch to another dentist. I'm self-paying (with a discount plan provided by my health insurance). Any perspective on this would be appreciated.

[adam85226]

Originally Posted by pynkpanther

i swear by southwest dental in ahwatukee...actually, they all are pretty damn good.

they are horrible , everytime i go there they try to sell stuff all the horror stories people talking about on this site happening there . they are a big money making chain. they have over 7-8 locations I been to 2 of them , never been to ahwatukee location. Never go to southwest dental !!!!!!!

[amatrine]

Dr George Simpson in Mesa on Dobson is great. He owns his own practice. I seen him when I was a kid, and now he sees my kid. I have lived in other states, and no other dentist I have had has compared to his quality of work. I have my caps from when I was 11 years old, and Im about 40 now, and they have never fallen out or damaged. He is fair in his pricing and does not try to sell you something you do not need.

Ama

[adam85226]

Originally Posted by PhxBarb

I moved from N. Phoenix to Chandler and went to SW Dental and hated them. All about money. Had their 'financial advisor" in my face before any other work would be done. Told me I needed 5 crowns, deep scraping, read off all the "numbers" on my teeth that were bad, etc etc. I got out of there right away. I went back to my old dentist in Scottsdale at Hayden and Via De Ventura. His name is Dr. Steven Wilson, and he told me there was nothing wrong with my teeth. I love him and my daughter does too. I take the 101 up there even though its a long ride. SW Dental is not a good place.

I share your feelings completely. Worse than car dealership. This is health , should be different than car sales. What happened to their hippocratic oath ???

[adam85226]

Is this him , I was not sure since you said he was in mesa ? He is right on the border may be that is why ??
Simpson George A Dr Dmd
3008 North Dobson Road
Chandler, AZ 85224
Phone: (480) 345-0505

[maggiekate]

I think both date line and readers digest did a great story on fining a good dentist.
they had a person who had all his teeth taken care of then send this person out
to visit dififerent dentists in N.Y. and boy what a range of work needed! you might research this article on line. I guess buyer beware like shopping for a diamond and the scames there also. i know if you have major work and dental insurance the dentist needs
to sent in the xrays etc. so the insurance can take alook at what and why.

[topwesselton]

Brent Curtis, DDS
(480) 820-1237
2050 S Alma School
Mesa, AZ
Can't say enough wonderful things about him. Honest to a fault! He showed me how a filling I got when I was 8 was falling out and said it needed to be refilled. I suggested re-do all my fillings at the same time (got 1 cavity at 8, 2 at 10) since eventually the others will fall out as well. He refused and said we should wait till they actually have the same problem.