The Internet is abuzz with horror stories from injured patients. The girl tells how she came to the clinic to have her teeth cleaned, and left with an empty wallet - they prescribed extraction and treatment of teeth that had never hurt. A man writes about his difficult experience: he paid decent money to install a filling, but it fell out after three days. The clinic did not enter into an agreement; they refuse to change the filling or return the money.
When contacting private dental clinics, we expect that we will receive quality services. After all, they cost a lot of money. However, a visit to the dentist turns into a lottery - will they be deceived, will a healthy tooth be pulled out, will they ask for a price twice as high as expected? You can’t avoid doctors, teeth are important. Therefore, let's figure out how to identify deceivers and save not only your teeth, but also your wallet.
- How dentists deceive patients: the most common tricks
- How to protect yourself from fraudulent dentists: tips
They offer to take my word for it
Any treatment, including dental treatment, begins with diagnosis. At the same time, it is important that they not only tell you the problem, but also show it to you. Now technologies make it possible to demonstrate to the patient, using a video camera, areas of the oral cavity that require therapy. If the doctor does not show the diseased tooth during diagnosis, limiting himself to commenting on what he will do and why, there is a possibility of deception. There is a lot of room for fraud here. For example, “find” advanced caries and periodontitis. A pigment spot on the enamel can be passed off as caries; it does not require treatment at all. And for periodontitis, which requires expensive and complex therapy, there is tartar, which is removed using conventional ultrasonic cleaning. The dentist may also make up a diagnosis that is more serious than it actually is. For example, instead of caries, “treat” pulpitis or periodontitis. There have been cases when patients, being deceived by unscrupulous dentists, even lost completely healthy teeth in order to acquire expensive implants,
How to protect yourself
The only option to prevent yourself from being deceived is to control all the doctor’s actions, demanding convincing explanations. Try not to deal with clinics where there are no modern diagnostic tools, in particular a video camera with which a specialist can demonstrate damaged areas of the teeth.
“Material and technical base is an important factor that must be taken into account when choosing a dental clinic,” says Vladimir Shipkov, dentist, owner of the Dr. Dental Center. SHIPKOV dental clinic. “You can’t build a spaceship from car parts, especially with just a Phillips screwdriver.” X-rays, unlike dental CT scans, cannot give a complete clinical picture; implants will always be head and shoulders above clasp and bridge structures; metal-ceramic crowns in beauty, durability and functionality will never compare with highly aesthetic metal-free restorations. What can we say about a laser, with the help of which a doctor can bloodlessly, painlessly, and contactlessly dissect any tissue. Even dental hygienists today cannot do without high-tech assistants—devices with artificial intelligence remove hard and soft dental plaque from hard-to-reach places without damaging the tissue.”
However, ultra-modern technologies, materials and equipment cannot replace the experience, knowledge and talent of a specialist. They can only complement them. “Before entrusting dental treatment to a dentist, make sure that his knowledge, professional skills and practical experience are at a sufficiently high level,” our expert advises. - Today this is not difficult to do: all the necessary information will be provided in the center itself, if, of course, we are talking about a respectable institution with a good reputation. The necessary confirmations can also be found on the Internet. Specialist education, qualifications and duration of medical practice are key decision factors in this context. It is equally important (and sometimes even more) that a specialist constantly improves his qualifications, studies and improves his professional skills; without this it is impossible to become the best in his field. In general, the standard of modern dentistry is a symbiosis of technology, knowledge, skills and equipment, without which today you can’t go anywhere. Poor equipment, along with a lack of personnel and their insufficient qualifications, is almost always a guarantee that dental work will not be performed to the required level.”
What should you be wary of?
If, after the initial examination, the doctor begins to intimidate you with horror stories about a monstrous situation in your mouth, you should be wary. The doctor will usually do a thorough examination, sometimes using a camera or x-ray. Then he should justify any operations you need, offering different price options.
If you cannot afford expensive treatment, and the doctor immediately loses all interest in you, manipulating previous horror stories about health, you definitely should not return to such a specialist.
Another trick may concern the materials used to restore and treat teeth. Unscrupulous doctors can easily deceive you with promises about their quality, and it is important to be on your guard here.
Of course, you will not be able to check most materials - you are not a professional. But there are some things you can pay close attention to.
For example, if you are promised a light filling, then it should be strengthened using ultraviolet light. And if the dentist talks about installing an implant, it would not hurt to ask for a quality certificate for it, and also check the qualifications of the surgeon.
The third popular scam from swindling dentists is the promise to whiten teeth by 20 shades or more. In fact, according to the popular Vita scale, it is possible to make teeth whiter by only a dozen shades maximum. Those with yellow teeth should not dream of a Hollywood smile.
They hide documentation for materials from the patient.
The clinic is obliged to provide the client with all data on the materials used in the treatment process. But, as a rule, dentists do not do this on their own initiative, and we do not require it. How many of you have at least once asked the dentist to show documentation for the implants and fillings that he is going to install and you are going to pay for? Fraudsters take advantage of the gullibility of patients - they replace expensive materials with cheaper ones. If the clinic staff is unenthusiastic, or even irritated, when a client’s request to satisfy his legitimate curiosity is met, you should know that something is fishy here. The level of service is an important condition for customer loyalty, and any serious, trustworthy institution treats such issues with understanding and scrupulousness.
How to protect yourself
Remember that the client has every right to demand to see what will be used for therapy. If this is a composition for filling, then it will be written on the packaging and on the syringe what material it is, and if it is, say, an implant, ask that it be removed from the packaging immediately before installation and before your eyes.
Check everything that is written on the receipt before you pay for it. The transparency of the dental clinic and the high level of service are a guarantee that you will receive high-quality treatment without overpaying for the services provided.
How dentists deceive patients: the most common tricks
Trap 1: “If you let it go, it will be worse”
The situation is classic: you come to the doctor for a standard examination once every six months, your teeth do not hurt or rarely hurt. The dentist briefly examines, exchanges expressive glances with the assistant, and then reports a terrible verdict: “Everything here is so neglected, it needs to be removed” or “Pulpitis on four teeth, treat it urgently!” Before you have time to come to your senses, the dentist is already painting scary pictures: if you don’t treat the tooth now and in this particular clinic, then it will be even worse, you’ll have to put in an implant, infection will begin, there will be swelling, etc. The content of the horror stories is always different, but the scenario one. Yes, if you start real dental problems, then it will definitely get worse. But first you need to make sure whether they are real?
Do not enter into a contract for medical care
Agree, it is difficult to imagine a financial, construction, transport or any other company starting to fulfill a large order before the corresponding contract has been concluded. Why should it be different in dentistry? “The agreement stipulates the rights and obligations of all participants in the process, therefore it is beneficial to both parties, unless, of course, they are initially planning anything illegal,” says our expert. “Having signed papers in hand, the patient knows exactly how much, for what and when he needs to pay, and the clinic receives guarantees of this very payment. And an agreement is also needed to receive a tax deduction, thanks to which the patient can count on cashback from the state.”
How to protect yourself
Treat your teeth in clinics operating within the legal framework. When concluding an agreement for the provision of medical services, keep in mind that it provides for a change in the treatment plan if the situation requires it. But at the same time, you must be warned about this possibility, and the need for changes must be confirmed by diagnostic results. If you have signed a treatment plan, and upon payment you see a bill that exceeds the stated amount, which is justified, for example, by “overconsumption of materials,” you have the right not to pay the difference in cost. In case of objections from the clinic, write a statement to Rospotrebnadzor or the prosecutor's office.
Teeth worth a hundred thousand: how they tried to scam me in paid dentistry
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I'm sitting in a state dentist's office in line for an appointment with a dental surgeon. I need to remove a “wise” tooth. For the first time in my life I have to have a molar removed. I'm a bit nervous. There are a lot of people in line, all for teeth extractions. The grandmother says without pausing: “This time there’s a different doctor, but then there was a different doctor!” That doctor had some kind of Baltic surname! There's such a queue for him! He is probably the best doctor!”
The girl came in first and a minute later she left. Grandma was surprised: “So fast? Ah-ah-ah, they just got the injection! And the previous doctor gave an injection and immediately removed it, so quickly and painlessly! That good doctor must have had good anesthesia! So strong that everything froze at once! But this one apparently doesn’t have the same anesthesia! Somewhat weak! And why did I go to this doctor?!” And everything like that. People start talking about their bad teeth, how painful it was to have them pulled out, how they came off later, how they suffered later. It's not very pleasant to hear this, however. I keep getting nervous. I remember my sister’s story about how she had her wisdom tooth and bottom eight removed in a paid clinic.
They tore it out for about an hour, tearing the gum and then putting three stitches on this poor gum. The fact is that the roots of her teeth are somehow “curly”, so they tormented her right up to the point of losing consciousness, although she is far from a sissy. I saw her after that. I couldn’t open my mouth, my jaw almost curled up. For three days I drank kefir and water through a straw. And now I’m in free dentistry for the first time since school, I’m starting to get very nervous, even afraid. It would seem, what is there to be afraid of? Childbirth is over, the nasal septum has been practically “repaired” alive with the participation of a chisel and a hammer, a bunch of various injuries (thanks to a reckless childhood) and, in general, a life a little over 30 long. And I’m afraid! Someone else is being drilled in the next office! Brrrrr!
I go in, sign unknown papers (probably saying that I have no complaints, if anything), lie down on the couch, and the doctor asks me: “So! Which tooth are we going to remove?” - “The eight is the bottom one, which is on the left. Don’t you know which one?” - “Just kidding!” - “Yes, very funny!” They give me an injection and send me to the corridor to “freeze.” There are still a few more like me. They go into the corridor. A man tells how he read somewhere on the Internet that in one hospital they amputated the wrong arm! My God, what passions!
I come back, they still pester me. I remain lying on the couch. At this time, as many as three people take turns in the next bed, and their teeth are pulled out like seeds! This is a conveyor belt! And then again I am the main character. The doctor takes a “screwdriver”, puts a smelly cotton wool in his mouth and says: “Don’t squeeze it! Tolerate! So here, there! Here! Wow, so big! Look how big the root is!” I listen to the recommendations and, with my frozen left side stuffed with cotton wool, go home. Not scary or painful at all! Why did everyone scare me so much? What evil people! When leaving, the men and grandmothers: “Are you alive? Well, thank God!" Made friends!
Since I was a student and until recently, I had my teeth treated in paid dentistry. Moreover, it had a discount, which seemed to me like a kind of bonus. It’s hard to calculate how much money is left there! Why paid? Because it was somehow difficult to get into the free one, I don’t have a local registration, the numbers are given for the time when you are either studying or working. Therefore, paid dentistry is a way out of the situation. Whether in the evening or on a weekend, you are always a welcome guest! Here you have magazines, and an aquarium with fish, and a music channel (if you want, there will be cartoons!), and by name and patronymic, and there is no queue discussing all your sores, and a very pleasant atmosphere. Just pay the money, dear friend. Yes, not a little money, but a tidy one!
My dental treatment at school is like a horror movie. Arrogant and intolerant women, always screaming and grumbling, drilling without anesthesia. There was always a feeling that their children were distracting them from something more important. “Well, what else is there? Ah-ah-ah, it's you. Oh, come here already. Do you have a handkerchief? Why not? Then we’ll wipe with whatever we have!” For me, this was the most terrible memory of my childhood. I don't think it has ever hurt so much. And this smell! It was impossible to immediately turn away from him! When there were school dental checks, some classmates hid during the check and ran away from school. My stupid honesty (still there at that time) haunted me. What will I tell my parents when they ask how my dental check went? Lying? I was ashamed. Therefore, I walked as if to Golgotha, knowing that now they would find something for me there, and this hell would begin again. In my small town at that time there were only school or state dentists, which are basically the same thing.
During my student days, I again had to go to get my teeth done, and I decided to go to paid dentistry. My parents paid for all my treatment. When I first visited the doctor, I was so afraid that I was simply horrified, remembering this terrible pain, tears, nausea! But, to my surprise, everything went just fine! Nothing hurt, no smelly cotton wool, no complaints! Class! Yes, everything can be cured this way! That's what I did! My parents were glad that I was finally not afraid to go to the dentist.
The child was born, and I am again a dental visitor. Now a large amount has been allocated from my family’s budget for my treatment. It's noticeable, though. The joy was present, but not the same as in my student years.
And now 2016 has finally arrived. After the New Year holidays, my tooth began to ache. I got ready to see the doctor. At that time I had no idea how much the prices for these services had increased. The doctor, a very emotional woman, predicted the horror of losing three teeth! Either we urgently treat one of the teeth, or literally tomorrow you will be left without a chewing surface! Oh my God, what passions! It must be so! The doctor knows best! They treated my tooth and told me to come back in a week to get a permanent filling. At the reception they presented a bill of 6,000 rubles! And this is just the beginning of the fun treatment! The last time, for that kind of money, I did one tooth completely and still had enough to drill something nearby. It's good to always have a good old credit card with you! I returned not a week later, but later.
My tooth fairy started swearing at me! “Yes, now you have to do everything all over again! Plus you can also make a dental prosthesis! Yes, it’s expensive, but, my dear, how could it be otherwise?” - “Expensive, how much is this?” “Now the prosthesis costs around 15-16 thousand.” 15 thousand rubles for one prosthesis of one tooth! How can this even be? This is some kind of dental mafia, or what? Or will my tooth be made of platinum? Or will they pour kilograms of their super-expensive foreign drugs into me? I started counting, that is, I needed to pay 15-16 thousand for the prosthesis, then she had to treat the canals again - 6 thousand, plus they’ll come up with something else. As a result, at least 21-22 thousand rubles will be spent on just one tooth! This is the amount of my salary for a month when I work hard! Make one tooth and put the others on a shelf?
I am terribly outraged by these crazy price tags! Where do they get them from? From what heaven? A close friend of mine worked in this field and saw with her own eyes the price at which these materials were purchased. And this price is so many times less than what is offered to us that you involuntarily think that the owners of dentistry must be nothing but Koreans or Abramovichs.
I left the dentist in shock. One tooth is 22 thousand, the other tooth must be no less, the third is generally scary to think about! I know some people who took out loans to treat their mouth!
I began to think hard about what to do. The village in which I live belongs to the Pryazha district, while Ptz is 10 kilometers away, and Pryazha is 50 kilometers away! You don’t get to treat your teeth or anything else for free. Fortunately, while I was thinking about the fate of my teeth, just a couple of months ago our clinic was attached to the city dentistry. I don't know if anyone can imagine my joy and tears of joy when I saw this announcement!
I called, made an appointment, and went to the appointment. Normal doctors, normal equipment, normal attitude! Everything is free! And the doctor told me: “You don’t need to get prosthetics. Everything is fine, the walls are there, the canals are sealed, calm down. Eight on the picture, and then we’ll decide what to do with it. Maybe remove it, still treat it and it’s extremely inconvenient for you to clean it.” I wanted to kiss her for such words! Well, there is some good news!
Returning to my turn. While I was waiting for my call, people were chatting nearby. One man was talking on the phone, apparently to a friend. He spoke loudly, and so did his interlocutor. He also turned out to be from the same village as me. “Yes, in dentistry. They brought grandma. So thank God that we are now at least assigned here. Otherwise, it’s a long way to carry it to this Yarn. And she herself doesn’t like to travel far. And in paid dentistry (he named the dentistry where I had been treated before), 22 thousand for just one tooth! So put 13 crowns!” On the other line, the man was very surprised: “Well, damn it!” So much for you! I smiled. I thought about the same thing.
My niece needed to remove a loose baby tooth - 600 rubles, treat superficial caries of a temporary tooth - 1950 rubles, professional hygiene (1 tooth) - 150 rubles (what is this?), application anesthesia - 100 rubles. But this was not enough for the doctor, and he decided to do something else. He said that it is necessary to seal the fissures! Fissure sealing! This is when “sealant” is poured into the folds on the surface of the teeth. And on dairy products! A piece of paper accompanying this procedure is attached and signed. It describes the importance of this procedure, but! It is important for parents to understand that this very seal can break off. And everything can start again! This procedure for three teeth cost 3,000 rubles, plus fluoride varnish application - 400 rubles. The total with a 10% discount, which is distributed to everyone, is 5980 rubles! Voila! Here are the fissures for you! At 7 years old! What will happen next?
After such terrible prices, I will still go to the public clinic as long as it accepts me. It would be better if the insurance company paid them for me. I don’t want to pay astronomical sums for tiny pieces of materials. Let us chat in line about various terrible diseases. Let there be more than one patient in the doctor's office. Let me not watch goldfish calm my fear. For that kind of money I can survive everything myself. Well, I don’t think that the work of a dentist should be paid better than the work of a builder, teacher, industrial worker or agrarian. Everyone creates. Everyone is working. Everyone pays taxes.
They offer a loan for treatment
If, after an examination, they announce a serious diagnosis to you and insist on immediate and expensive treatment, most likely they are trying to cynically scam you. Especially when they offer to apply for a loan right there in the clinic for this therapeutic event. Keep in mind that if a dental center constantly employs a specialist in issuing loans, this is an obvious signal that you are in an organization whose goal is primarily to pump money out of patients, and not to treat them.
How to protect yourself
Just stay away from this establishment.
How are dentists scamming us? What you need to know so as not to be left without money
They say that if you don’t insert teeth, there will be nothing, and if you insert them, then there will be nothing. After all, not only do dental services cost a pretty penny, but unscrupulous doctors often resort to cunning tricks to make them cost us even more. And it would be fine if it was only about money. After all, you often have to pay with your own health.
According to the press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for St. Petersburg, a criminal investigation was recently completed against a 41-year-old dentist and general director of one of the commercial clinics in the Frunzensky district of the city. The woman was accused of committing fraud and providing services that do not meet safety requirements, as well as intentionally causing moderate harm to health. The volume of the criminal case amounted to 18 volumes, during the investigation 14 forensic medical examinations were carried out, several dozen witnesses were questioned. Five patients were recognized as victims.
Intimidating women that the lack of treatment will lead to disability, and also assuring that she is the only dentist in St. Petersburg who can relieve them of temporomandibular joint dysfunction, the doctor forced the patients to agree to expensive and crippling treatment - total jaw prosthetics . To install dentures, the dentist removed nerves from healthy teeth for one of the victims, prepared them and covered them with bridges. In addition, several healthy teeth were removed. As the investigation was convinced, there was no urgent need for such manipulations. In this unseemly way, the doctor extracted more than 3 million 318 thousand rubles from the victims, causing moderate harm to their health. The investigation has now been completed and will soon be sent to the prosecutor's office.
6 deception schemes
Among the many different schemes used by dental fraudsters, here are the most common types of deception.
No. 1. The doctor treats non-existent diseases
“They find” multiple caries and periodontitis. A common pigment spot on tooth enamel can be mistaken for caries, which does not require treatment at all. And for periodontitis, which requires expensive, long and complex therapy, there is tartar, which can be removed in one session of professional ultrasonic cleaning. Often in such cases, doctors resort to intimidation of patients, because in a state of panic it is easier to deceive them.
How to prevent. Ask the doctor to show the affected tooth at least in a dental mirror. But it is better if the clinic has an intraoral video camera, which provides a magnification of 56 times. In this case, you can easily see the smallest details of your carious cavity or the depressurization of an old filling. To examine hidden problems, you need X-ray or 3D tomography data.
If the doctor, without prescribing any tests, begins to intimidate and insist on immediate treatment, it is better to change him or go to another for an independent consultation.
No. 2. The dentist comes up with a more serious diagnosis instead of a mild one.
For example, instead of caries, the doctor diagnoses pulpitis or periodontitis. How to prevent. There is only one way out - to improve your medical literacy. At least just read about the symptoms of the most common dental diseases. For example, acute but short-term pain in response to eating sweet food or an equally short-lived reaction to cold air are signs of deep caries. In this case, it is not always necessary to remove the nerve. But if the tooth aches a lot, prevents you from sleeping, it hurts to press on it, and the reaction to sweets and cold lasts a very long time, then most likely it is pulpitis and the nerve will have to be removed.
No. 3. Changes old fillings for no reason or removes a tooth just for implantation
How to prevent. Old fillings need to be changed only if they have lost their tightness or are severely worn down in height. Implantation is indicated only if a tooth is missing, and while it can still be cured, it must be preserved by all means. A good doctor will try to restore a tooth, even if only one wall remains. Today there are all the possibilities for this - for example, indirect tabs.
What to do if you are the victim of a medical error?
No. 4. The doctor imposes unnecessary procedures and expensive materials.
How to prevent. Question all the information your doctor gives you and ask clarifying questions. Better yet, learn to understand the basics of dentistry yourself. Then it will be clear to you that to treat pulpitis it is not necessary to take a panoramic photograph, which is only needed for prosthetics, or an expensive 3D computed tomography, which is only necessary for implantation. And that whitening teeth before covering them with braces is a waste of money, but remineralization (strengthening enamel), on the contrary, will help protect teeth from caries.
No. 5. At the end of treatment, the price turns out to be much higher than initially agreed upon
How to prevent. Demand an explanation from the doctor. Perhaps the treatment actually required more costs than originally planned. But then the dentist must explain what caused it. Let him justify his answer with research data and other objective information. Otherwise, pay as much as you were originally charged.
No. 6. The doctor makes additions and forgery
For example, a doctor writes procedures that he did not perform into a check, or exaggerates his labor costs. For example, there is a known case when a doctor took money from a patient for cleaning 6 tooth canals, although there are never more than 4. Also, fraudulent doctors can install implants that are not those that were indicated in the price list, more economical fillings and inlays, well and generally use cheaper materials than what the patient paid for.
How to prevent. Just check everything like an auditor. Examine x-rays, contracts and receipts, request packaging for implants and check whether the serial numbers indicated on the box match those included in the contract and card, and also count the number of fillings and implants installed in the mouth. If you cannot cope with this task yourself, consult another dentist. Take photos of your mouth before and after any procedure. Record the doctor's words on a voice recorder. If something goes wrong, these pictures and recordings will serve as evidence of medical error (or malice).
