[meowjinboo]

Is this something you shop around for.

I have a really good job that comes with pretty good coverage.

I checked out Ironwood Dental today, and they want me to pay upfront and get refunded though PBC. But it seemed like they had a lot of fluff (they were making patients smoothies, had a shitload of girls in the front) compared to my old dentist who was on kingsway and rupert area.

Do different dentists charge different prices?

I'm also looking to eventually do invisalign and get some teeth filed down too and have no idea if prices vary.

[Lowered_Klass]

Absolutely yes.

Just like anything else, there are very good dentists, and very bad dentists.

A lot of it depends on what you're looking at getting done, which you said was invisalign work and some cosmetic shaping. Prices definitely vary between dentists.

Since you have really good coverage, then there is no harm in going to some of the higher end, cosmetic dentists. Though having to pay up front seems like bullshit, its not always uncommon.

I worked as a Dental Technician for 13yrs before leaving to do other work. It was amazing seeing the behind the scenes of dentistry, I must say.

So don't be affraid to shop around, ask friends and family, look online, etc. For me, I could give two shits whether I got smoothies, fancy tvs, massages, etc, as long as the work I'm getting done by the dentist is good.

[subordinate]

Had great experiences with Broadway Dental Clinic. On Commercial/broadway.

Great work, always managed to be flexible with my schedule.

[meowjinboo]

Absolutely yes.

Just like anything else, there are very good dentists, and very bad dentists.

A lot of it depends on what you're looking at getting done, which you said was invisalign work and some cosmetic shaping. Prices definitely vary between dentists.

Since you have really good coverage, then there is no harm in going to some of the higher end, cosmetic dentists. Though having to pay up front seems like bullshit, its not always uncommon.

I worked as a Dental Technician for 13yrs before leaving to do other work. It was amazing seeing the behind the scenes of dentistry, I must say.

So don't be affraid to shop around, ask friends and family, look online, etc. For me, I could give two shits whether I got smoothies, fancy tvs, massages, etc, as long as the work I'm getting done by the dentist is good.

Yeah I have 2k dental coverage for basic including filings, cleaning, root canals etc and cosmetic if i get a chipped tooth (which luckily I do!)

Invisalign wont be covered but it's something I'm looking to do. My teeth arn't that bad and I've read the better your teeth are, the cheaper it can be.

[twitchyzero]

the clinic OP mentioned doesn't have very good reputation...not trying to put down any practice and their work but just from what i hear of the staff working there.

filter dentists by ratemds is usually a safe bet. The shiny new clinics that puts heavy emphasis on cosmetics and botox are more likely to upsell you other procedures you don't necessarily need. Especially the ones that will give you complimentary whitening when you do X procedure.

pricing will vary, but most will stick to the fee guide. specialists will have a higher fee guide.

you are free to shop around, but offices usually have a good idea and in my opinion those that do are usually fussy, unreliable, and hard to please :)

edit: when offices ask you to pay up front, it's a legitimate practice and not sketchy. Often times the manager will have to go on a wild goose chase just to get procedures covered or certain policies won't even give details of patient's plan over the phone, so it's easier just for the beneficiary to do it.

[CharlesInCharge]

Im interested in finding a professional to remove my amalgam filling properly if anyone knows the best place.
misc Seeking advice about amalgam filling removal - vancouver dentist resolved | Ask MetaFilter (http://ask.metafilter.com/234577/Seeking-advice-about-amalgam-filling-removal)

[flagella]

From my experiences, there are tons of crooks who are looking to do unnecessary works on you to collect additional $. Shop around definitely.

[Ball.J.Inder]

Dentists really like doing work that doesn't need to be done just for money. I take care of my teeth and the only time I ever have pains and stuff is when a dentist has done work on them. You should definitely shop around.

Btw, if you are getting invisaline you should ask what happens afterwards. I had it for 2 years and the ortho kept pressing jaw surgery and I said no and Ill think about it in the future. The result is I have a retainer wire behind my front teeth that needs to be there forever(until I get jaw surgery for underbite) and the ortho never told that. I was under the impression invisaline will straighten my teeth and my underbite can be fixed by surgery whenever.

[Recon604]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixo0V6rNqi0

[Gunsmokez]

I go to a dentist that used to work at Yaletown dentistry. The dentist I go to is really good she doesn't work there no more. She is sharing a practice with her husband who is a dental surgeon. All I know is that she gets booked up months in advance.

Anyways, if you are interested I can give you the name and number . PM me

[v_tec]

I checked out Ironwood Dental today, and they want me to pay upfront and get refunded though PBC. But it seemed like they had a lot of fluff (they were making patients smoothies, had a shitload of girls in the front) compared to my old dentist who was on kingsway and rupert area.

:accepted:

[gars]

As long as you're not being pushed into doing treatments you shouldn't need to do, I don't feel like fluff is a bad thing for a Dentist office. I want the office I visit to have newer equipment, more comfortable chairs, and if they have hot girls there - it's a plus.

My dentist has tv's mounted on the ceiling, with an Apple TV loaded with Netflix. I don't really get to watch a full movie, but it's something to kill the time while you're getting your teeth cleaned.

Smiles Unlimited in Coquitlam, btw. It's close'ish to my work - so it's easier to just take an hour out of my work day to get my teeth cleaned.

[The_AK]

Hey man heres a pretty good one

Unlicensed dentist Valentyn Uvarov's patients warned by Fraser Health - British Columbia - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/unlicensed-dentist-valentyn-uvarov-s-patients-warned-by-fraser-health-1.3060444)

[multicartual]

If anyone needs invisalign I got the cheapest hookup in the lower mainland

[Hondaracer]

used to have our families dentist in Fraser Heights. She was a pretty great dentist to start, all brand new equipment, very up to date procedures, great office setup etc. and even her fillings and dental work were done with a tonne of care and rarely ever pain even from needles etc.

Then when she started seeing i had unlimited coverage at 90% i started getting $900 bills when i went in for 1 filling because she decided "we will switch over the old silver to white fillings while we're in there" no problem, i'd prefer that but it was basically a bait and switch at the time of me arriving for the single filling.

Then one day i showed up and she told me to go see the "gum specialist" who was in only for the two days that week. Similar last name, dont know if they were related or in cahoots but w/e i agree. Basically tells me the exact same thing dentists have been telling me for the last 18+ years every 6 months, need to floss more, gum disease potential, etc. bla bla bla i get it.

Have my cleaning done and walk up to the counter and the receptionist says "that will be a $60 fee for the gum specialist that isnt covered under extended benefits"

I basically stop her in her tracks and say no no no.. i'm not paying some bogus fee for a guy to tell me exactly what THIS DENTIST tells me every single time, let alone my previous densits.

receptionist then replies "ok, well how about $25?"

i went to one more cleaning and havent been back, my family had similar feelings going to her before and had all left before i finally had enough with her trying to push the boundaries of my coverage. Even at 90% i would still be paying 65-80 sometimes out of pocket.

I'm now also looking for a dentist around lougheed mall/burnaby area

[meowjinboo]

If anyone needs invisalign I got the cheapest hookup in the lower mainland

>asks for invisalign

>brags about knowing someone for cheap

>doesn't produce

#typical

[Eff-1]

don't think about just the dentist. also consider the hygienist. ultimately it's the hygienist you'll see most and will do most of the work. the dentist just pokes around to see if you need extra work. you might have a great dentist, but a lousy hygienist is no good. just something else to consider.

[meowjinboo]

Buddy considered his dentist

Richmond Dentist | Clear Dental Dentists (http://cleardental.ca/)

Pretty close to my home.

I do eventually want to get some cosmetic done in the near future. It seems most dentists do invisalign now.

[Hondaracer]

Invisalign takes a longggg time if you have any decent movement required

Even if all your teeth are in place and you just need to close gaps you're looking at 8 months +

[meowjinboo]

No gaps, just 1 tooth thats a bit back. It's not even noticible but it makes me feel a lil insecure.

[Hondaracer]

Might be shorter then, my two front teeth are slightly crossed at the bottom (wear your retainer people with braces!) after 2 years of braces and dental surgery kinda wasted my parents money in not wearing my retainer lol :okay:

Anyways to uncross my front teeth with Invisalign it was going to take 13+ months and like 15 moulds, I can live with it for the hassle

[jnesss]

No gaps, just 1 tooth thats a bit back. It's not even noticible but it makes me feel a lil insecure.

i had an overlapping tooth. 4 years later, best investment ever.

[meowjinboo]

Thanks guys. Going to go to the dentist I linked and see how it is.

Also can you file down teeth? I have two slightly big chompers and hoping to get that filed down.

[jtrinh]

Thanks guys. Going to go to the dentist I linked and see how it is.

Also can you file down teeth? I have two slightly big chompers and hoping to get that filed down.

Sure you can. Ive had an angle grinder taken to my teeth before. Do you have Rabbit teeth or are they just wide?

[meowjinboo]

Rabbit teeth.

In all honesty my teeth are actually pretty good. Just chasing that perfect smile.

[westopher]

Chipping my tooth and not wearing my retainer was the best thing I ever did. A slightly fucked up smile is a good thing. Perfect teeth can make you look like a pussy.
I like my dentist. Dr. Christensen at 4th ave dental near burrard. He's a nice guy. Hippy as fuck, has his awesome dog in the waiting room. He will offer to sell you stuff you don't need (like fixing my awesome chipped tooth), but once you say you don't care about it he's not pushy. The hygienist girl there was super nice too. I hadn't been to the dentist in 5 years and it still managed to be a stress free experience.

[CRS]

If anyone needs invisalign I got the cheapest hookup in the lower mainland

Waiting for Jason to deliver.

[heleu]

Stay away from Ironwood dental. I told them specifically that I didn't want any work done that wasn't covered under my dental plan.

Sure enough, they went ahead and did some work that wasn't covered and refused to refund me the cost. They're also very good at milking the system for what is covered (3D xrays, etc).

I know they are a business, but it would be good if the bottom line didn't mean everything to them.

Regardless, I moved on after 2 visits.

[jnesss]

they filed mine down slightly cause my lowers were hitting the permanent retainer on the top.

[jnesss]

Chipping my tooth and not wearing my retainer was the best thing I ever did. A slightly fucked up smile is a good thing. Perfect teeth can make you look like a pussy.


:pokerface:

[multicartual]

Thanks guys. Going to go to the dentist I linked and see how it is.

Also can you file down teeth? I have two slightly big chompers and hoping to get that filed down.


If you weren't such a bitch to me I might be more forthcoming

[multicartual]

If anyone needs dentistry PM me, I don't want to share the name of my Doc publicly

[toehook]

Stay away from Ironwood dental. I told them specifically that I didn't want any work done that wasn't covered under my dental plan.

They gave me an estimated price to fix all my teeth. $30k :heckno: no thanks, even though all my teeth are fucked. They were pushing for that loan thing, nope.

[meowjinboo]

If you weren't such a bitch to me I might be more forthcoming

well maybe if you werent so egocentric with every fucking post, I wouldnt be a fucking dick.

[subordinate]

If anyone needs dentistry PM me, I don't want to share the name of my Doc publicly

Why not publicly?

Unless he's an underground doc....

[CharlesInCharge]

Natural Tooth Cure for Curing Cavities and Preventing Root Canals
Natural Tooth Cure for Curing Cavities and Preventing Root Canals - NaturalNews.com (http://www.naturalnews.com/022564_cavities_root_canals.html)


Through blood tests, Dentist Melvin Page pinpointed the cause of tooth decay in modern people. When our blood chemistry is out of balance, primarily from the consumption of processed foods (especially sugars), the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood deviates from normal. When this happens, minerals are pulled from the bones causing tooth and other bone loss.

So, sugar causes tooth decay because it depletes nutrients from the body, not because bacteria eat it and produce acid. In order to restore the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in our blood, and to enable minerals to bond unto our teeth, it is usually not sufficient just to avoid eating too much sweet or processed foods. One must also eat health building foods, containing potent amounts of minerals and vitamins to create a chain reaction that will build glassy hard tooth structure in place of decayed tooth structure.

[RiceIntegraRS]

Don't go to the dentist at Surrey Central. I chipped my 2 front teeth playing hockey so I went to them to get it fixed cause I went to them for my cleanings. Anyways I got them capped and Everything was good. I had to pay $80 cause my coverage only covered 80%. About a year later they were chipping off and eventually 1 fell off, so I went Back to get them fixed again. The new dentist told me if I ever had a problem with my teeth he said to come back and he would take care of it, but they also charged me for that awell. less than a year later they started chipping off again and I called them up to see if they would take care of it. They said no and that I would have to pay for it to get it fixed. I gave them shit and Have never gone back to them since.

[multicartual]

Why not publicly?

Unless he's an underground doc....


He was into fixing teeth before it was cool

[twitchyzero]

CIC this is for you: The DIY Dentists of YouTube | Motherboard (http://motherboard.vice.com/read/youtubes-diy-dentistry)

BTW, that marketplace piece puts the entire profession under a negative light and for the wrong reasons.

it doesn't account into the variations of treatment modalities. There're many school of thoughts and nothing is black or white; a traditional dentist might nip a cavity in its early form while others take the wait and see approach. Does that mean the former is a scum lining his/her pockets?

the public needs to understand that a health plan is there to assist them, but it should not be there to dictate treatment. Obviously, finances are a concern but this is an important message to keep in mind. The professionals are treating you as an individual, not your plan. When your family physician prescribes you something but your plan doesn't cover it, do you just decline/ignore it and hope the condition will resolve itself?



just because there's no pain doesn't mean there's no problem. it's cheaper in the long run to have preventative and regular care then to only seek help when you're already in pain and you find out a teeth needs to be pulled...now you have to factor in the cost of a bridge/implant/crown.

a dentist has every reason to do a good job the first time around and make sure their work lasts; if he/she doesn't, it's gonna cost subsequent visits which means money, time and maybe their reputation.

as with any professions, there will certainly be bad apples. So many of the complaints I see are unfortunately commonly directed at lawyers as well. it just seems to be so poorly misunderstood because our government doesn't see oral health as a part of the human body and our society has become apathetic about it.

[falcon]

They gave me an estimated price to fix all my teeth. $30k :heckno: no thanks, even though all my teeth are fucked. They were pushing for that loan thing, nope.

Buddy of mine went to Mexico to that "Dentist city" where all the American doctors practise. Had his teeth filed and a full set of crowns put on for like $150/tooth. Same quality you would get up here. Consider that...

[ceeteezy]

Recently switched over to a new dentist for basic cleaning. Is it normal for the hygenist to be handling you for most of the time and the actual dentist to come in for the last 5 min and check your teeth and let you go?

[subordinate]

Recently switched over to a new dentist for basic cleaning. Is it normal for the hygenist to be handling you for most of the time and the actual dentist to come in for the last 5 min and check your teeth and let you go?

That's what happens in my dental cleaning.

[toehook]

Buddy of mine went to Mexico to that "Dentist city" where all the American doctors practise. Had his teeth filed and a full set of crowns put on for like $150/tooth. Same quality you would get up here. Consider that...

brb going to mexico to get some tacos and my teeth fixed :considered:

[falcon]

brb going to mexico to get some tacos and my teeth fixed :considered:

Seriously consider it. You could go on Vacation for a few weeks to Arizona. Take a day trip down to Mexico and get them filed and a mold made. Temps get put on and a few weeks of sitting in the sun and drinking beers you head back to get your new teeth fitted. I tied to find some before photos but looks like he deleted most of them or old photos he just never smiled with teeth. Now it looks great... Some people say "well why didn't he just get braces"... well if you saw his teeth before you'd understand. No way to make them look good.

[falcon]

Canadian snowbirds flock to Mexico?s ?Molar City? for cheap dentists - Canada - MarketWatch (http://blogs.marketwatch.com/canada/2011/01/17/canadian-snowbirds-flock-to-mexicos-molar-city-for-cheap-dentristry/)