If there's anything more satisfying than being relieved of pain caused by an aching tooth - it's when you can afford the cost of that dental procedure. Quality dental care is assured by most dentists, but there are dentists who - in their endeavors to accommodate more patients waiting every day - deliberately perform procedures faster than they normally should when the clinic is not filled with patients. It is the moral undertaking and the sworn Hippocratic Oath of the dentist to never compromise a patient's health and recovery, more so if the latter is under financial hardships.
But in reality, bad dentists (or dentists who rush their procedures without bearing in mind the implications of neglect) are frequent, especially crowded towns/cities. And, these dentists often share the same qualities of blatant local & online advertising for their services, but having no proven technical expertise in those areas. Newly practicing dentists often claim that they can perform "life changing" cosmetic dental procedures (e.g. veneers, braces, dentures, implants, full mouth reconstruction) for a fraction of what veteran dentists charge. But be warned: These dentists are in it for the initial inflow of money. When the time comes that you need seek recourse for a cosmetic procedure gone awry, they'll charge you extra and waive any liabilities you may have against them.
Quality dental procedures often bear an expensive bill, and it's no joking matter that people have lost a lot of money by going to a cheap-but-inept dentists, but wound up being purged of their hard-earned money for reconstructive surgery to correct what should have been a 100% success rate procedure if done by an expensive dentist. I'm not assuming that all dentists who charge cheap for their services are bad dentists - all I'm saying is that there have been awful cases of discount dental procedures that have borne life-threatening risks.
There are a number of reasons why professional, seasoned dentists charge expensive fees for their services:
1. State-of-the art dental equipment
2. Highly trained dental assistants
3. Accolades & key positions in the dental community and dental associations
4. Location of the clinic
5. Dental school they've graduated from
6. Competition
7. State-regulated fees
8. Social profile of clients
Some of the factors above, like the social profile of their patients, may sound ridiculous, but practically speaking - if a dentist has done a major procedure on a well-known person, they can raise their fees to substantiate for their equally popular status as a dentist to celebrities. Being a dentist to famous people means the former has a reputation to live up to, and high dental fees can attest to their experience in treating highly publicized people - who, by the way, demand utmost skillfulness to be done on their teeth.
So there you go. There's a pretty good reason why some dentists charge higher than their colleagues - it may be due to the fact that they have a spick-and-span record on successful procedures or a widely revered cult status.
Follow these three simple rules before you decide on a dentist.
1. Ask - Seek the advice of people who have been treated by that dentist. As much as possible, consult those who have experienced the same condition as yours.
2. Research - Use the internet to find reviews about the dentist. There are a lot of online directory websites dedicated to collecting customer reviews for businesses in every industry.
3. Compare - There should be plenty of dentists in your locality. Collate customer reviews and ask for a quotation of each dentist's dental services. Don't jump the gun - you may regret impulsive decisions.
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