Fearful of Dentist’s Judgment

[CCott]

I just had an examination with a new dentist and I’m not sure if he’s looking out for my best interest or only thinking of making money.
I need a crown with a build up and a deep cleaning (my gums aren’t in great shape).
His “sales lady” wants me to do the crown before the deep cleaning. It seems the deep cleaning should be done first to make sure I don’t need to see a periodontist. Does it matter which comes first?

 

[Gordon]

Most of the time, it's best to do the gums before the crown, but there will be exceptions. Why isn't the dentist doing the treatment planning?

 

[CCott]

The employee was in the room during the examination. He would tell her what needed to be done. About 5 minutes after the exam, the employee came back with a list of things needing to be done along with the prices. In all honesty, the plan is extremely confusing. Am I allowed to post a screenshot of the charges? As a business owner, it looks to me like they are muddying the picture so the cost looks more palatable. Thank you for replying.

 

[letsconnect]

You're allowed to post anything you want on here (well, within reason ?) - just make sure you remove any personal information that could identify you!

 

[CCott]

I’m not sure how legible this screenshot will be, but here are the charges. I know I need one crown, as it’s been bothering me.

 

[Gordon]

What is it you want to know? The screenshot is perfectly legible BTW.

 

[CCott]

I find the estimate quite confusing. I’ve seen plenty over my lifetime, but this takes the cake for being incomprehensible.

 

[letsconnect]

According to the estimate, you're getting two crowns. But you seem to be saying you were only expecting one? Either they forgot to mention the second crown (or you forgot to mention it in your initial post?) or they accidentally put it on the bill twice. The crown (or crowns) appear to have a surcharge for using zirconia (Lava or Bruxzir brand) for the white outer layer instead of whatever the cheaper variant might be. That's my reading as a layperson, anyway... The other items didn't look that confusing to me?

 

[CCott]

Thank you! It just looks like a lot of money for one of the crowns. He said I have a crown that has a fracture, but I can’t see or feel it.

 

[Gordon]

The estimate appears to be a straight print out from the practice computer system, not the most customer friendly way to do it.