General Discussion

jmowreader

(50,559 posts) Thu Jul 30, 2015, 05:51 PM Jul 2015

Thinking about Cecil and the dentist who shot him

Am I the only person who's noticed that for many Americans the only hope they have of dental care is an occasional "get your teeth yanked out free" day in a church parking lot somewhere (and even then it's a crapshoot whether you'll get any yanking done thanks to the sheer number of people who need it) because the price of dental care is so outrageous, but a dentist can afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a hobby?

12 replies

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Thinking about Cecil and the dentist who shot him (Original Post) jmowreader Jul 2015 OP

Well, I know I've had a giant gaping hole in one molar for a couple years now. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jul 2015 #1

Going through a bit of dental care right now, the thought has crossed my mind arcane1 Jul 2015 #2

Unfortunately, Medicare doesn't support day to day dental work. Cleita Jul 2015 #4

Agreed! arcane1 Jul 2015 #5

Here's an article you might be interested in. Cleita Jul 2015 #3

DDSs US average - $69.60 per hour. Many auto & motorcycle mechanics make a higher wage. Mika Jul 2015 #10

It's still appalling that people have to go without dental care who can't pay for it. Cleita Jul 2015 #11

Oh, I agree 100% w/you. Just countering the meme that all DDSs are banking it. Mika Jul 2015 #12

My husband had to take out a loan to pay for his four tooth anterior bridge..... a kennedy Jul 2015 #6

That is a very reasonable fee. Mika Jul 2015 #9

Not all dentists have that amount of disposable income Auggie Jul 2015 #7

I'm a dentist. I can't afford such a trip (not that I would do so). Mika Jul 2015 #8

Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)

1. Well, I know I've had a giant gaping hole in one molar for a couple years now.

Reply to jmowreader (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 05:55 PM

Jul 2015

No way I can afford the obscene amount they wanted for a crown, couldn't even afford to refill the hole after the last filling crumbled away.

arcane1

(38,613 posts)

2. Going through a bit of dental care right now, the thought has crossed my mind

Reply to jmowreader (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 05:56 PM

Jul 2015

All the more reason to support Medicare for All.

Cleita

(75,480 posts)

4. Unfortunately, Medicare doesn't support day to day dental work.

Reply to arcane1 (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:00 PM

Jul 2015

I hope if we go to Medicare for All that it gets revamped to include dental.

arcane1

(38,613 posts)

5. Agreed!

Reply to Cleita (Reply #4)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:02 PM

Jul 2015

I know of one presidential candidate who has been pushing for that

Cleita

(75,480 posts)

3. Here's an article you might be interested in.

Reply to jmowreader (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 05:58 PM

Jul 2015

http://readingeagle.com/ap/article/why-dentists-are-so-darn-rich

I find it appalling that only the well off can afford dental care.

Mika

(17,751 posts)

10. DDSs US average - $69.60 per hour. Many auto & motorcycle mechanics make a higher wage.

Reply to Cleita (Reply #3)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:24 PM

Jul 2015

From your link ...

According to a 2012 report by the Journal of the American Medical Association, the average hourly wage of a dentist in America is $69.60 versus $67.30 for a physician

Cleita

(75,480 posts)

11. It's still appalling that people have to go without dental care who can't pay for it.

Reply to Mika (Reply #10)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:35 PM

Jul 2015

I realize that you do pro-bono work and thank you for it, but charity only helps so far. Thousands of years of charity has proved it doesn't work because it leaves out too many needy people and frankly it's not fair to the dentist to have to work for free. We need dental care to be included in health care if we ever actually get some national health care that isn't insurance based in this damn country.

Mika

(17,751 posts)

12. Oh, I agree 100% w/you. Just countering the meme that all DDSs are banking it.

Reply to Cleita (Reply #11)

Fri Jul 31, 2015, 12:26 PM

Jul 2015

US average around $70 an hour isn't much considering the stress and responsibility involved.
Very high suicide rates ...
http://www.newhealthguide.org/Highest-Suicide-Rate-By-Profession.html

a kennedy

(29,672 posts)

6. My husband had to take out a loan to pay for his four tooth anterior bridge.....

Reply to jmowreader (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:02 PM

Jul 2015

$4300.00 for the d*mn thing.

Mika

(17,751 posts)

9. That is a very reasonable fee.

Reply to a kennedy (Reply #6)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:22 PM

Jul 2015

The average dental practice in the USA costs about $500-$700 an hour to keep the lights on and staff paid. For those that pay a fair wage to the ancillaries, its even more.

Auggie

(31,173 posts)

7. Not all dentists have that amount of disposable income

Reply to jmowreader (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:16 PM

Jul 2015

Palmer must have been good at running that business.

I agree that many procedures are over-priced, but then some of these practices have tremendous overhead and/or are still paying for medical school.

If we had single payer we'd pay less, of course, even for dental procedures. Practices that accept PPOs and HMOs take a beating in reduced fees.

I don't mind that the doctors I visit are paid well. They studied and worked hard to get that license, and the good ones are worth it (up to a degree). Just cut us some slack when all the debts are paid off, including that vacation condo.

BTW, not all dental offices are owned by dentists either. Any one person or group can own and run a practice.

I am not a dentist.

Mika

(17,751 posts)

8. I'm a dentist. I can't afford such a trip (not that I would do so).

Reply to jmowreader (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:19 PM

Jul 2015

I do plenty of pro bono work too. I know plenty of decent dentists who do not make 6 figure incomes.
Yes, there's plenty of rapacious dental practitioners out there making oodles from Chinese outsourced prosthetics for pennies on the dollar. I'm not one of them... one of the reasons I'm not rolling on dough is that I pay a fair wage to my employees, as well as a fair price for my US made prosthetics to local labs that hire local workers.

Just wanted to disabuse you of the broad brushing sentiment.

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