Why cheap dentistry can end up costing you more
Why pay extra for dental treatment?
Isn’t dental treatment already expensive as it is?
Looking for cheap dentistry deals?
Nowadays, there are so many discount sites (Groupon, Cudo, Living Social, Scoopon etc.) and many dentists have also joined the bandwagon. We’ve compiled a list of tips you need to know before purchasing dental deals.
What you need to know before you purchase dental deals online:
- Make sure you read all the fine print, know what the deal entitles you to, and more importantly, what it doesn’t!
- Do your research. Research the dental practice who is offering the deal to make sure they are credible. A few things to check: Google reviews, Facebook reviews, check whether they are Australian Dental Association (ADA members), and whether they are a Nationally Accredited Practice. More on Dental Practice Accreditation and why it’s important here.
- Research the dentist themselves. Did you know you can check online whether a dentist has had disciplinary action against them or complaints by other patients? Visit the AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) website, and type in the dentists’ details.
- Watch out for people who are offering a huge discount on treatment, especially treatment that involves a laboratory fee (i.e. the dentist needs to get someone else to make it, and pays them for this). Examples of this are: crowns, veneers, Invisalign. If the discount seems too good to be true, be careful! In order to do treatment this cheaply, the dentist is more likely to be sending it overseas. Outsourcing dental work has become very popular with many dentists now because things can be done much cheaper than having it made locally. Be wary of dentists that outsource their laboratory work, you don’t know what materials are being used, and often the materials and work is sub-standard. Popular countries to outsource dental work include China and Korea. We’ll be discussing this soon in a future blogpost; it’s a whole topic in itself!
- Did you know that offering these deals is actually against Australian Dental Association (ADA) policy? The dental practice that offer these deals usually get a fine, but many still continue with the practice.
If you are convinced it is a good deal, and you are comfortable to attend that practice, go ahead! But do be wary of any hidden charges. Make sure all itemised charges are explained to you, and you know if they are charging you for extra work. Be careful they are not pressuring you into having other dental treatment done in order to make up the short-fall from doing work at such a large discount.
Make sure you receive sound treatment. Unfortunately, we have seen a number of patients who have had terribly botched jobs done for Invisalign and implant dental treatment. In the end, the patients’ treatment went on for a much longer time, and included complaints to the dental board. They also had to pay extra money in order to have the botched treatment re-done. It would have saved a lot of time, money and anxiety if they had simply paid a reasonable price to have their treatment done correctly the first time around.
The nature of dentistry in Australia is that it is expensive. Dentistry involves high overhead costs. Being price competitive usually means cutting costs by using cheaper materials. This can result in dental treatment that isn’t done properly, or needs replacement more often.
Most dental treatment is irreversible, so don’t risk permanent damage to your teeth by trying to get things done cheaply.
Fixing poor treatment could end up costing more than paying to have it done properly the first time around.
DISCLAIMER:
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
