Do You Shop For your Dentist?

Almost every day my dental office gets a call from a potential patient shopping for a dentist. They ask for fees for certain procedures and often that is the end of the conversation. 

             I should note that my fees fall within the usual and customary range considered reasonable but for some persistent shoppers are too high. It seems that the internet has become the new Yellow Pages and potential patients are letting their fingers do the walking. It's not that hard calling a number of dentists and get a sense of the fees for the procedures that they will need. 

          Unfortunately, no information on the quality of the dental work can be gotten from these phone calls and shopping for dental work for some may be similar to shopping for furniture or other consumer goods. However teeth are not disposable and even implant replacements will not last forever.

         When I buy a piece of furniture, if I go to Ikea or any Local store, I expect to get a good price for what I buy, but I do not have the expectation that my purchases will last a lifetime or even ten years. It is asumed that there is a trade off involved with the inexpensive price paid but most of the time shoppers are  happy with their purchases . Many people like buying new furniture and actually like buying new pieces when they either tire of, or have to, replace them as they age.

            Teeth shouldn't be compared to furniture and restorations that are durable and preserve teeth for long periods of time are not always easily accomplished by dentists whose fees are the most reasonable. Although a higher price does not guarantee quality, it does tend to allow a dentist to to spend the time needed to create a thoughtful treatment plan and also the time to execute excellent restorative dentistry.
            I would like to quote a few examples here.. 

People dont mind paying 300 for Rs 30 popcorn in a theatre, but have reservations paying Rs. 300 consultation to a Dentist..

Also people dont mind paying 4000 bucks for a pair of jeans which shall last for 4-5 yrs and being worn for probably 100 times. While a crown of approximately the same value which you wear everyday and use it thrice daily lasts much longer than that..
             I guess the point of this post is to explain that price of services should not  be the primary method in choosing a dentist. Other attributes are quite important including but not limited to  recommendations from their patients, their skill level and their character.

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