Saturday, February 14, 2009

Worse than Mechanics!

I went to the dentist this morning cause I had a broken tooth that needed to be looked at. I hate going to the dentist. It is a discomfort, gag reflex issue. Now it is also becoming a rip-off issue.
As usual, at the end of the examination the financial person comes in with a long list. Arestin would appear to be the "new" thing for periodontal disease. The dentist has listed 4 teeth for deep cleaning and scaling. He has listed 11 teeth for Arrestin.......I have quite a few crowns so there are very few teeth left over. First off let me say that there a couple of teeth that show signs of the gums pulling back. None of my teeth are loose, there is no bone damage, no pain or sensitivity. Some sites say that just improved dental care can do more for you that these treatments.
Arestin is a form of Tetracycline.....I guess the dentist missed the part of my chart that says I am allergic to Tetracycline, or maybe he has failed to fully read the insert contraindication sheet that says DO NOT USE IN THOSE WITH SENSITIVITY TO TETRACYCLINE!!
Beyond that, the info for Arestin also states that the cleaning should be done first and then the medication applied.....why then is he cleaning 4 teeth but using Arestin on 11??? Oh, the Arestin here costs $110 per tooth.....other places and pharmacy reps say upto $40 per tooth.
I am not even letting them do the crown. My insurance says it should be $250 for porceline over metal.....SmileCare wants $409. I hate dentists!!

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