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anti microbial rinse a scam?

J

jlgibson79

Junior member
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
3
I'm getting phase 3 scaling done and the biller at my dentist just kinda threw the microbial rinse in there.My insurance does not cover it and its almost doubling the cost of my visits.I had gotten deep cleaning before and never had a anti microbial rinse.Is this just their way of trying to squeeze extra money out of me? Thanks in advance...
 
If it's doubling the bill...then probably.
 
The rinse kills off the bugs that would get back into the healing pockets after your deep scaling- so it is worth using it. I assume it is a bottle you use at home after brushing that they have asked you to buy? It really shouldn't be too expensive, and is worth it in the long run. (Usually dental practices make very little profit on the products they sell. This is why it is cheaper to buy brushes and toothpaste at the dentist. We would prefer it if more people bought the products and made our jobs easier!)
How much did they charge for the rinse?
 
It really shouldn't be too expensive, and is worth it in the long run. (Usually dental practices make very little profit on the products they sell.
How much did they charge for the rinse?

Fair comment. But do you know whether this ethical practice holds true for the USA where I suspect the poster is based?
If it doubles the bill, it reminds me a bit of buying shampoo at the hairdresser's - they are definitely not doing that in the customer's interest - a massive mark-up is charged.
 
You're right- I don't know what the situation is in the states. There is alot I don't know! (About this and things generally!) I also don't know what this particular rinse is- and how much of it the poster has had to buy. There are really expensives antimicrobial treatments which can be expensive (eg PerioChip), but these tend to be carried out by the dentist at the time of treatment. I would be interested to know how much the person has been charged per bottle (assuming it is a rinse they have to use at home) and what this rinse actually is.
It is also difficult for me professionally to make comments about what other professionals are charging. I have to be careful not to say the wrong thing and upset my colleagues! All I can really say is that for the rinses we sell here at our dental practice in the UK, we charge about £5 to £7 ($10-15) per bottle, depending on the type. You can also buy most of these rinses at the drug store/chemist- it would be interesting if the poster was able to compare the dentist's price for the same product with the price at a drug store. I think that would be the only way for sure to know if the price was fair.
 
After insurance the scaling comes to $40.00 per quadrant.They have me down for "1 antimicrobial Q" per quadrant of scaling,which costs $35.00 each.So thats $35.00 on top of the $40.00 for each quadrant of scaling.Ive already had one quadrant done at a different dentist and he didnt charge me for anything like this.Also i havent gone to these appointments yet,Im just looking at the billing sheet they printed out for me.
 
How much did insurance pay toward the scaling per quadrant?
 
I reckon such products are a waste of money and time. The mouth quickly fills back up with bacteria and it's probably not too good for your body to ingest the dodgy chemicals. From a financial point of view why not just rinse with diluted tcp or super salt water...
 
But then I am not a dentist and I'm sure there is a sound clinical reason for using these swishing solutions :)
 
the swishing solutions taste vile too. They add artificial sweeteners to some and some take off the top layer of skin inside your mouth if you use too much for too long.
 
well fair enough..... i dont know which i would rather have....... TCP is gross tho, i would probably choose salf water outta all three
 
How much did insurance pay toward the scaling per quadrant?


Dentist charged $175 per quadrant,insurance covered $130.00.Since theyre charging $35 dollars per quadrant for the anti microbial rinse and im not getting them all done the same day,im assuming its something their going to do in the office,not some kind of take home rinse.
 
Dentist charged $175 per quadrant,insurance covered $130.00.Since theyre charging $35 dollars per quadrant for the anti microbial rinse and im not getting them all done the same day,im assuming its something their going to do in the office,not some kind of take home rinse.

I would say it's not particularly out of line then....it is nowhere near half of the true cost of the treatment.
 
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