Posting Dental Prices

narddog

Would the dental professionals on the forum prefer to have a clear and transparent listing of their prices and services, which people could see, prior to setting foot in the surgery?

georgieporgy

Interesting question. There are so many items of treatment that it would be a very long list with many variables for some items. But perhaps you mean the most commonly understood items from a patient's point of view like fillings and extractions? How should they be displayed? On a large attractive billboard outside the building or individual pamphlets or menus that could be handed to each person. Ha! I can see it now - buy 2 fillings get 1 extraction free!

"Quick fillings 50euro each. Slow fillings 100. Please indicate preference to receptionist when scheduling appointment"

Anyway my question would be who pays for the list? printing leaflets, cleaning billboard etc. does not come free. Dentist overheads would inch upwards leaving us no option but to increase our fees even more.

davo10

I would like to be able to advertise services provided at my clinic and a guide price along with monthly "offers" eg tooth whitening.

We cannot provide an exact price for "a filling" as there is too many variables. Should I charge based on time, surfaces filled, material, how many local aneasthetics required, whether it is emergency or prebooked treatment etc ?. If i did then a nervous patient with a gag reflex who has to stop every couple of seconds and requires lots of LA and takes 30mins may have to pay twice as much as someone who has the same filling done without LA in a couple of minutes. If you charge by surfaces then someone who has 4 surfaces filled may have to pay twice as much as someone who has two even though it may take the same amount of time. etc etc.

My standard fee is €70 per amalgam filling regardless of size and number of LA's, if it is very deep and takes considerably longer time than average filling, I charge more. For white fillings I start at €80 and charge more for large posterior fillings. My surgery expenses work out at approx €33 per appointment (monthly outgoings eg mortgage, equipment leases, rates etc devided by number of appointments per month), so if I have to spend the equivalent of two appointments placing a single filling because of its size, material etc, I feel i have a right to charge the appropriately increased fee.

if some one rings up and asks "how much is a root filling", this is difficult to answer and I am concerned about root canals done in the North because of this. An upper first molar can have multiple canals (rep isa you can give more info on this) and take a considerable amount of time to clean, shape, sterilize and root fill. If you get a quote over the phone, chances are you will be alloted a certain amount of clinical time in which to have this completed and the cheaper it is, the less time you are going to be given. Result is usually a poorly filled tooth.

A definitive itemized price list for every treatment could resemble log tables, you would need a slide rule to work out exactly what each filling costs.

Just ask your dentist what the costs of treatment are before you start of better still ask for a written treatment plan with the costs of each appointment.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

A lot of dentist do have a basic list of prices in the waiting room. However as the others have said, each tooth is different and depending on the complexity and time needed for a proceedure you will pay differently.

My advice is to agree a treatment plan beforehand and the full costings. Now sometimes things change if they are worse than expected, but in general a dentist will stick to and agreed treatment plan.

Dentistry is bespoke to your mouth and teeth, its not the same for everyone.

Davo10 you are pretty cheap

res ipsa

As Warren Buffet says: Price is what you pay, value is what you get.

We were replying to e-mails on reva asking how much is rct, etc, and getting no patients in as a result so now we invite them in for a consultation.

When youre buying a service rather than a product, price comparisons are more difficult.

I hope I provide added value that justifies my fee, and that I will get recommendations and referrals from people who are willing to pay for that added value.

I think you have to explain to people what they are buying before you give them a figure,that said, I do have a fixed price list which I rarely move from.

Big_G

In both the practices I work in we charge per surface per filling. We find that that generally corresponds to the amount of time taken to finish a restoration. Time is the variable that most greatly controls cost to the practice.

I used to do the one price for all fillings model, but found it extraordinarily frustrating, particularly in the case of pinned/bonded restorations replacing multiple cusps, etc on teeth that really need a crown. I find the per surface model is the simplest, most effective pricing model.

With regard to more complex treatments, dentistry definitely is a bespoke service, and therefore requires a bespoke costing estimate.

narddog

"How should they be displayed? On a large attractive billboard outside the building or individual pamphlets or menus that could be handed to each person. Ha! I can see it now - buy 2 fillings get 1 extraction free!

"Quick fillings 50euro each. Slow fillings 100. Please indicate preference to receptionist when scheduling appointment"




Jeez, I hope you're better at dentistry than comedy.

Big_G

Careful now.

narddog

Relax,lighten up a bit:D