AlwaysWrite
Addicted Member
A few days ago, I went to my dentist's office for a regular teeth-cleaning, and what happened was truly unbelievable. My regular hygienist had left to take a job elsewhere, so obviously, I was assigned a replacement.
She seemed pleasant enough, and after introductions and some friendly banter, she looked into my mouth and started checking my teeth and gums. After checking only two or three teeth, she started talking about how I was a logical candidate for a "deep cleaning" procedure, and after checking about 2 or 3 teeth in each quadrant of my mouth, she did indeed suggest that I be scheduled for a "deep cleaning."
But here's what really got me … She recommended that she NOT do a regular teeth-cleaning now, instead waiting until returning later for a "deep cleaning." And further ...
The reason she provided for NOT cleaning my teeth now was that my teeth and gums were probably not bad enough to ensure that insurance would pay for part of the procedure, and if she cleaned the teeth now, the situation wouldn't be bad enough to warrant insurance coverage. In essence, she was saying that we needed to wait and let the condition worsen to make sure that insurance coverage would apply. Now, how ridiculous is that?
It would be like a cardiologist recommending letting the heart get weaker before undergoing certain heart tests, or a urologist recommending waiting until a patient's high PSA reading got even higher before proceeding further.
I'm already in the process of looking for another dentist, even though I've seen my current one for nearly two decades.
She seemed pleasant enough, and after introductions and some friendly banter, she looked into my mouth and started checking my teeth and gums. After checking only two or three teeth, she started talking about how I was a logical candidate for a "deep cleaning" procedure, and after checking about 2 or 3 teeth in each quadrant of my mouth, she did indeed suggest that I be scheduled for a "deep cleaning."
But here's what really got me … She recommended that she NOT do a regular teeth-cleaning now, instead waiting until returning later for a "deep cleaning." And further ...
The reason she provided for NOT cleaning my teeth now was that my teeth and gums were probably not bad enough to ensure that insurance would pay for part of the procedure, and if she cleaned the teeth now, the situation wouldn't be bad enough to warrant insurance coverage. In essence, she was saying that we needed to wait and let the condition worsen to make sure that insurance coverage would apply. Now, how ridiculous is that?
It would be like a cardiologist recommending letting the heart get weaker before undergoing certain heart tests, or a urologist recommending waiting until a patient's high PSA reading got even higher before proceeding further.
I'm already in the process of looking for another dentist, even though I've seen my current one for nearly two decades.