rich

I thought that if the dentist can see you today or tomorrow at the
latest, he must not have a lot of patients for some reason.

Or do "good" dentists allocate some time each day for emergencies?
And what do you think about dentists who don't work on Fridays?

joel m. eichen d.d.s.

There is much untreated dental pathology ....... on kids with medical
assistance cards, people with large families and lacking the ability
to pay for dental ,,,,,, unemployed and underemployed people.

These problems remain problems until the teeth are yanked.

Other people show up (prescreened by 1-800-DENTIST) or prescreened by
the office and the office staff falls over one another to provide the
best of the best.

The monied crowd gets hot towels, back rubs, foot massages, scaling
and root planing, whitening, crowns, whatever they want ........

This is "****ing up to the people with money."

Oh yes, they also get refrigerator magnets. The poor people have to
write our phone numbers on their sleeve. Joel


SCENARIO: You park your Mercedes three blocks away to avoid detection.
Upon leaving the dental office you notice the dental hygienist wearing
a bad disguise (mustache, Groucho Marx glasses) sneaking behind you to
see what year and what model it is.

Ummmm, that is a problem. A great patient brought his friend to see
me. The friend had a cloth bag that was filled with quarters and dimes
....... he cracked open his piggy bank before visiting me. Needless to
say he did not get much care. I still think about the dude from time
to time and chuckle quietly.


Why not go for x-rays and a suggested treatment plan? Then take the
plan to three other dentists "as free consultation."

If you lack the nerve to do it, remember that many of my colleagues DO
have plenty of nerve in sending you a huge bill.

A guy had some cheezy insurance. He was SUPPOSED to pay $57 to get a
tooth yanked. The dentist injected the tooth and then informed the
patient that the next one had to go too.

By the time he was finished and meandered to the front desk, the bill
was in the $600 range. The guy freaked. Gingivectomy, gingivoplasty,
alveoplasty.......... bone squirt .....

He saw my rants on SMD and begged me to speak to him. I did. We
chatted for an hour (his dime - good cell phone plan). It was most
enlightening.

Needless to say he is now wiser.

He sent me a box of star fruit from his backyard in Florida. They were
fantastic!

--
Joel M. Eichen, .
Philadelphia PA

STANDARD DISCLAIMER applies:
<You fill it in>

carling lake

Yes, that I've learned here.

I'll do that. But could it mean that the one who can see me today or
tomorrow just isn't very busy? for a reason, maybe?

Carly

wb

It's my philosophy to make time for a patient in pain,
even if I can only place a sedative restoration and
write a prescription or two.

WB

joel m. eichen d.d.s.

Sure do and I have treated more than my share. As recently as ten
years ago here is the fee schedule:

Adult extraction .... $19.
One surface restoration (amalgam) ..... $11
Two surface restoration (amalgam) .... $16

Crown .... metal plus porcelain (limit two per calendar year ......
$170.

Okay??

Joel


Today CHIP handles much dental care for poor kids ........ (household
income up to $30K)

--
Joel M. Eichen, .
Philadelphia PA

STANDARD DISCLAIMER applies:
<You fill it in>

mark & steven bornfeld dds

I might add that the level of obligation to a patient of record is greater
than for someone calling in cold. Of course, giving priority for the new
patient is probably in our better interest, but still... Steve


--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001
http://www.dentaltwins.com