Search Results for: philosophy – Page 2

Choosing a Dentist: An Updated Perspective

Many patients find themselves in a situation of choosing a dentist. They may have moved into a new community. Perhaps these patients changed their insurance plan or employer. Having to choose a dentist is not a unique situation these days. This is indeed an important decision. Most all patients have only one set of adult teeth. It makes sense to choose a dentist who can be trusted with your teeth. So, why is there a need for an updated perspective on choosing a dentist? There is a need for an updated perspective on choosing a dentist because of the changes

Insurance Plan Dentists: Choosing a Dentist

Many patients look for a dentist on their insurance plan. Patients are looking to decrease their out-of-pocket expenses. This makes sense. However, when you are choosing a dental office with a “cute” name, are you truly choosing a dentist, or are you choosing a retail or corporate entity? What does it matter? The delivery of dental care has changed immensely over the past 30 years in which I have practiced dentistry. There used to be a time when a dentist would put his/her name on a “shingle,” an old-school saying, and hang it over or near their door. There was

Need a Dentist in the North Dallas, Plano, Carrollton Area?

  Choosing a dentist now is so much different than it used to be. Understandably, many things have changed over the past thirty years. Some of the changes are good, some of the changes are bad, and some of the changes are confusing. I intend to diminish some of the confusion with choosing a dentist. First of all, many people select their dentist based upon a list of “preferred providers” from their employer. These dentists and dental offices accept a lower fee for their services in exchange for having their practices marketed by employers. This may sound great, but there

About Your In-Network Providers: the Rest of the Story

Many patients have dental insurance with in-network benefits. I realize patients want to save money and take advantage of their in-network benefits. However, there are some things patients may not know when seeking in-network providers. These things may be important for you to know. As the list of providers may seem adequately long, take a look at your list to see about how many providers there are. Does the number of dentists compare to say over 1500 dentists? There are considerably more than 1500 dentists in the Dallas area. So, if your list of providers is less than 100 dentists,

30 Anaheim Children Sent to Hospital from Dental Office

In a report from CNN today, 30 Anaheim children were sent to southern California hospitals for evaluation and treatment for possible tooth infections caused from contaminated water lines in a children’s dental office. All of these children had a kind of root canal procedure performed on them during the months of March through July 2016. This dental office was part of a group of children’s dental offices which are operated by a single company. Only this Anaheim location had this issue with apparently contaminated water lines. This is only the second reported time this kind of issue has occurred within

Selecting a Dentist

Many patients feel compelled to find a dentist within their dental plan. That seems to make sense, certainly. Many patients have a dental plan, and they want to take advantage of a “benefit” offered to them through an employer. I get that. However, what does this mean? For those of you choosing a dentist from a dental plan, the list is very limited to those dentists and dental entities who are willing to limit their fees within a fee schedule. In exchange for providing services for less, these dentists and dental entities are getting their office marketed to a group

Quality Dentistry is Affordable!

Yes, I understand many see dental care as expensive. I understand that, unlike medical visits, there is not a fixed $45 co-payment that represents your total financial investment on the dental visit. I also understand that dental expenses are not generally anticipated or planned. Moreover, with medical insurance, patients generally have an 80-20 plan, whereby more major expenses are paid by your insurance carrier at 80% following your payment of a deductible. However, in this example, dental insurance pays benefits for more major expenses generally at 50% of the carrier’s allowable fee, following your payment of a deductible. Differently than

Root Canal Dentists in Dallas

Yes, there are many root canal dentists in Dallas. They can be in the form of an endodontist or in the form of a general dentist. So, how do you go about selecting one? In the past, asking friends and neighbors was the primary way patients would find their dentist. However, with the Worldwide Web, patients can research root canal dentists. Patients can find certified patient reviews of dentists, they can find information on the dentist’s websites, and they can find ratings of dentists as well. I myself would utilize the Internet to find a dentist as well. There is

Managed Dental Care

Many patients and prospective patients ask about managed dental care. They feel “forced” to select a listed dental provider or “preferred” provider. They may feel comfort in that the plan is “managed”. Well, there a certain things going on with these managed dental care plans that patients often do not realize. Yes, the plan is perhaps “managed”. However, the management is to limit the expenses of the insurance company. That is what is managed. The insurance companies enter into contracts with these dentists who are listed as providers. The dentists are thus “in network”. In doing this, these dentists lose