Question:
I've asked for recommendations from friends and most people go to the
dentist so seldom, no one can really recommend their dentist. Or else
they recommend one but he's an hour or two away where they used to
live...
It seems to me that finding a good dentist is much harder than finding
a good doctor, and believe me, that also is no piece of cake. Add to
that fact, that 3 of the 4 last dentists my wife and/or I went to here
in West L.A. (before this one we are going to now) gave us reason to
believe they are lousy dentists, one with a bad root canal leading to
an apicoectomy and one with a bad root canal leading to the loss of a
tooth, and one with bad bridge work that had to be re-done by another
dentist who also did bad bridge work (okay, so that's 4 out of 5).
(My wife and I both brush after every meal and floss daily, and don't
eat/drink a lot of sugar, so I think our part in these problems is
minimal.)
Two other dentists we have been to, pulled the bait and switch scam on
us so obviously that we quit going to them after one visit because we
could see we were being sold procedures (deep cleaning) we did not
need (and that was confirmed by the next dentist, who seemed honest,
even though he obviously does not know how to do root canals).
So here we are back to looking for a good general practitioner dentist
again.
Answer:
The short answer is that you find a good dentist in exactly the same
fashion that you find a good plumber.
A longer answer is: If you can find a friend, or a friend-of-a-friend who
works in the dental lab biz and is willing to give you an honest answer, you
will have a good chance of finding the dentist you are looking for. My dentist
is only fee-for-service and I am convinced that is the cheapest and best route
over the long haul. If you can't find that person, then try anyone else who has
been in the dental biz in your local area for at least a few years. Catch them
away from their job; such as church, supermarket, PTA meeting, somewhere where
they can talk freely. Everybody has a reputation, you just need to find the
friendly person who is in a position to know them.
The majority of dentists, but not all, accept fee-for-service dental
insurance. So it's not hard to find a dentist who takes most dental
insurance.
The majority of dentists do NOT accept capitation dental plans, because
such plans do not pay the dentist for the actual work he performs. Most
people want to be paid for their work and dentists are no different.
These capitation plans pay a dentist a small amount each month for a
predetermined 'list" of captive patients. The dentist accepts this
small fee, which is ENTIRELY INADEQUATE for the treatment he agrees to
provide these captive patients.
So, you may ask, if the fee is inadequate, WHY do dentist sign up for
these "plans?"
