No one ever gets a deal with HMO dental insurance.  Every dental office I
have ever encountered that participates with HMO schemes utilizes
bait-and-switch methods.

You mean you have no idea what your average monthly expenses are for
anything besides salaries?  Hmmm.  Well, I certainly hope your office
manager does.

Limit everybody's spending powers to what they absolutely need for
business purposes, make them all get approval for every expense over a
certain amount, and make your office manager keep detailed records of
EVERY expense (not just the ones you have to approve).

Let me get my hanky...<sniff sniff>

--
Cliff

You seem to be penny wise and dollar foolish.  Why on earth would you not
want another opinion after you were upset about the first one?  If you think
you are going to find the answer to your question from people who haven't
examined your mouth or seen your radiographs, etc., well, you will get what
you pay for!  If you really are serious about this, you should do what I
suggested in my prior email.  You said this is "not like shopping for shoes"
and yet I'll bet you don't buy shoes without seeing the salesman and trying
them on.  How can you expect to get any sort of meaningful answer to your
question via the newsgrouop???  You need to see your dentist, or another,
and have him/her answer all your questions about the fee.  ANY reputable
dentist would be happy to discuss the fee with you.  What, exactly, are you
expecting people to say?  Anyone who gives you a reply about fees without
seeing you is really a fool.  And anyone who accepts someone's advice
without having been examined also is a fool.  Don't you understand this?  It
seems pretty basic/obvious to me.

$900 for a Captek crown is certainly within a reasonable range in most
areas of the US.

However, determining 'value' of dental treatment isn't that easy.

Is a Captek crown the best for your particular situation?  Are there
better choices for materials?  Are the rest of the teeth going to last
long enough to make this whole treatment money well spent?  Were
alternative treatments discussed with advantages and disadvantages of
each discussed?  Will the treatment deliver a comfortable, long lasting
solution to your dental problems?

As most people have stated, 'we' can't tell you the best treatment
for your case.  This sounds like a significant decision.  I shop around
a little just to buy a washing machine (and not just for the lowest PRICE).

Sometimes you get what you pay for and sometimes you get less.  Even if
you do get what you pay for, is that what you want or need?

JMO,
Fawks

Doesn't bother me a bit.

Depends largely on your geographical location.
--

W_B
Take out the G'RBAGE
wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com

You already paid?

As I understand "bait & switch" in this context is exactly what was
attempted on me after I relocated to another area of the country &
sought a new dentist when a tooth broke. I had been going to a dentist
in NJ for years with regular cleanings and maybe a replacement filling
every 2 years or so. As soon as I sat in the chair of the new dentist, I
was immediately informed that I was not a candidate for a routine
cleaning(free under my dental plan), but would need a once in a lifetime
debridement followed by deep cleanings done by quadrants under local
anesthetic in four separate appointments. Naturally, these treatments
were not covered fully under my insurance as routine dental care & would
cost me hundreds of dollars. The "bait" was the free cleaning covered
under my plan. The "switch" was the debridement & deep cleaning not
fully covered. Back in NJ I had many free cleanings which were very
thorough. I am 51 years so I can understand where I might need this if I
never had my teeth cleaned or it was done superficially. The irony is
that a colleague of mine at work, who had relocated like I did, went to
a different dentist under our insurance & was told the exact same thing.
When he asked to have have a regular cleaning none the less, the
hygienist told him she could not for ethical reasons. A dentist in the
office was then called in for back up when he asked for his x-rays and
laid on the heavy sell. My friend ultimately relented & was debrided &
deep cleaned. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, he is 27 years old & also
was a regular visitor to his dentist back home.
I did not get the debridement & deep cleaning. My dentist lost me & my
other 3 family members as patients when she looked into my mouth and
determined that I needed 7 crowns immediately which, under my insurance
plan, allowed her to add $125 to the cost of the 1 crown I wanted &
needed urgently. I knew it was unethical but I do not believe in arguing
money with a health professional, so I paid for the one crown(already
started)and never went back after it was completed. Ironically, her
office called my home the other day asking when I would be scheduling my
additional work. I had already switched my family & myself to a new
dentist. I hope he is forthright.
Rich

Do you need us to explain what is meant by bait-and-switch??