Over Treatment

[KHANSAHAAB]

I heard a speaker a few weeks ago say that a dentist he knows had a practice who's value continued to increase from 400k to 500k to 800k over a period of four or five years then dropped by HUGE amount because he did 'complete dentistry'. Also, one of our instructors said one should stay away from overtreatment. So I'm wondering what does 'over treatment' and 'complete dentistry' exactly mean and how do they harm a practice?

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[blankguy]

I heard a speaker a few weeks ago say that a dentist he knows had a practice who's value continued to increase from 400k to 500k to 800k over a period of four or five years then dropped by HUGE amount because he did 'complete dentistry'. Also, one of our instructors said one should stay away from overtreatment. So I'm wondering what does 'over treatment' and 'complete dentistry' exactly mean and how do they harm a practice?

'over treatment' sounds like one of those people who give you the 'works'.

 

[toofshucker]

I assume over-treatment would be giving someone 15 veneers when bleaching would work fine, crowning a tooth that would do just fine with a two-surface restoration, pulling a tooth and doing implants when a little crown tipping and enamelplasty would work just fine. Stuff like that. Unnecessary dentistry. Now, there is nothing wrong with doing crowns, implants, 15 veneers when needed. Just as long as they are needed for the physiological and mental health of patient and not needed for your bank account.

 

[diagnodent]

Over treatment is not a problem with the dental boards...over treatment is ok according to them. Under treatment is the biggest problem according to dental boads. You can get in much more trouble for under treating.

 

[Logjammin]

I heard a speaker a few weeks ago say that a dentist he knows had a practice who's value continued to increase from 400k to 500k to 800k over a period of four or five years then dropped by HUGE amount because he did 'complete dentistry'. Also, one of our instructors said one should stay away from overtreatment. So I'm wondering what does 'over treatment' and 'complete dentistry' exactly mean and how do they harm a practice?

Their is a foreign trained dentist in my neighborhood who likes to "overtreat". One of my friends went to him for a small one surface filling, and he tried to sell him on a pressed ceramic crown, and then proceeded to tell him that he required fillings in 6 other teeth (confirmed by another dentist to be completely unnecessary). Keep in mind, this was the same dentist who had pulped out on another friend of mine while doing a simple filling.....he ended up doing the root canal and pocketing the money for that as well. What a jerk.

It harms a practice when your patients are receiving $10,000 treatment plans from some dentist and they simply cannot afford it. So then they go to another local dentist, who takes a more conservative approach and informs the patient of all the unnecessary work that the previous dentist wanted to do. This is not uncommon, and it only ends up giving you a bad reputation as a dentist, and drives patients away.

 

[DrJeff]

Their is a foreign trained dentist in my neighborhood who likes to "overtreat". One of my friends went to him for a small one surface filling, and he tried to sell him on a pressed ceramic crown, and then proceeded to tell him that he required fillings in 6 other teeth (confirmed by another dentist to be completely unnecessary). Keep in mind, this was the same dentist who had pulped out on another friend of mine while doing a simple filling.....he ended up doing the root canal and pocketing the money for that as well. What a jerk.

It harms a practice when your patients are receiving $10,000 treatment plans from some dentist and they simply cannot afford it. So then they go to another local dentist, who takes a more conservative approach and informs the patient of all the unnecessary work that the previous dentist wanted to do. This is not uncommon, and it only ends up giving you a bad reputation as a dentist, and drives patients away.

Integrity is often a quailty that can't be taught

 

[Suzzy Ann]

These "overtreatment" dentists are probably just applying MacDonald's marketing strategy...

"Want some fries with that?.... Upsize to mega stuff-your-face-till-you-puke meal?"

But I guess it all boils down to how the dentist suggests these add-on procedures... whether he mentions they're OPTIONAL good-to-have treatments, or trick the patients into believing they really need to part with their money for the add-ons.

It's a business practice after all... So there's a fine line to tread. But if your patients can ill-afford "the works", dentists have to know when to stop upselling them.

cheers,
Suzzy Ann
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