Dental update

[Hector]

Ok...if you live in Oakland...and might look into Oakland Dental as a possible new dentist provider...I have one piece of advice for you...

AVOID LIKE A PLAGUE!!!

Here's the story...

As some of you might know...I was scheduled to have deep teeth cleaning.

I won't go into the technical details...because it's really not necessary.

To make a long story short...after x-rays, dental examination...and the whole nine yards...I was given a quote that almost knocked me out cold...$4800...but thanks to my dental coverage...my own personal bill was going to be $3180.

So after I reeled back a little...and ponder upon that price for a while...it occurred to me to read the reviews on Oakland Dental through the internet...places like Yelp and such.

Now...I was automatically assigned to Oakland Dental by my dental insurance provider...so I never bothered to double check...my fault.

So...what I found out...is that Oakland Dental has HORRIBLE reviews...not only about incompetence, bad service, poor customer satisfaction...but complaints about overcharging as well.

So I investigated other dentists in the Bay Area...and came upon Mission Dental in Berkeley, Ca...headed by Henry Yang D.D.S.

I read reviews on Mission Dental...and while there were not that many...they were all very positive.

So I decided to take a chance...called my dental insurance provider...and changed from Oakland Dental to Mission Dental.

The problem...is that I had to wait for an entire month for the switch to officially take place.

Well...today was D-Day.

So I went ahead...and had my first cleaning session...two more to go.

The verdict?

Instead of me paying $3180...my total entire bill is going to be only $602...yes...$602...I was beyond elated...I was on cloud nine...I couldn't believe my good luck.

Mission Dental is awesome...honest to a fault...great dentists (my assigned dentist is Sophie Taylor D.D.S.), great scenery from inside the dental offices...and best of all...amazing affordable and honest prices...the service was impeccable.

Oakland Dental on the other hand...nothing but a bunch of con artists and thieves.

[Hector]

Oakland Dental also recommended I should go for an occlusal guard for my supposed teeth grinding...the bill for that would've been $650...but with my dental insurance...they said I'd only pay $350.

Mission Dental said they were nuts...that I don't even need one.

Unbelievable...Oakland Dental should be shut down from practicing dentistry, period.

[toyman]

I'm glad you found a better office to go to and the service is great.With my dentist I have never had a minutes pain on anything he's done from surgery,a crown,or just a filling,when its like that you don't mind a visit to the dentist.

[Hector]

Thanks!

I have no cavities either...just plaque buildup...that's what I get for not visiting the dentist every six months...lol.

[toysrus]

Wow what a rollercoaster ride for you Hec. I'm really, really happy that things ended up working out. I hope my medical situation goes smoothe when my cobra insurance runs out in Mid December.

Hec- who do you use for medical insurance? Any tips/advice helps. I'm in Nevada though.

[mitchedwards]

Finding a good dentist is very important. I would not trade my dentist for the world

[starsky]

unfortunately, some dentists lose focus on treating people as patients and not a dollar sign.

[jessica]

yay! more money for your superman collection!

[Hector]

Exactly.

[Hector]

Wow what a rollercoaster ride for you Hec. I'm really, really happy that things ended up working out. I hope my medical situation goes smoothe when my cobra insurance runs out in Mid December.

Hec- who do you use for medical insurance? Any tips/advice helps. I'm in Nevada though.

Thanks!

I have Delta Dental...that's what my medical one (Kaiser) offers.

[alex]

Wow, thats quite a chop in the price, I can imagine U rubbing your hands together, after saving all that cash

[Hector]

Actually it was going to come from my IRA account (I only would use it for medical stuff)...so that chunk now stays in there...

[Hector]

yay! more money for your superman collection!

[Mawni]

Wow, you really dodged a bullet there Hector. I think as people people take better care of their teeth *some* dentists have to look for ways toscam you.

[Mikey]

In short, dentists have the biggest racket going.

Even REAL doctors don't charge 100's of dollars for something that takes them 2 minutes to do (i'm talking about what a dentist charges for pulling a tooth)

Out of all the dentists I ever went to I would say 99% of them were outright crooks