Hi everyone,

This is my first time posting in this newsgroup and I am hoping to
gather some opinions regarding my experience with a dentist. I will
start at the beginning and please forgive me if this is a bit long. I
am under UnitedHealtcare Medicaid and I have not been to a dentist in
almost 3 years (kind of phobic). Anyway, I finally worked up the
courage to go and be examined. This morning, I went to my appointment
in what looked like a basically normal dental office. After waiting
approximately 15 minutes, I was taken into the exam room as usual. The
dentist came in and asked me to open my mouth. He pulled my cheek to
the side and used an instument with a small mirror to look at my
teeth. He did this for approximately 1 minute. Then he left.

Next, the hygienist came in and began polishing my teeth with a small
whirling brush. When she was finished, to my surprise she removed my
smock and said that we were finished. I asked her how it could
possibly be over and she told me to speak with the dentist. I went to
the reception desk and he told me that his "examination" revealed
nothing wrong with my teeth and that they were fine. When I mentioned
how long it had been since I had last seen a dentist (i.e. why wasn't
I getting xrays) he said they weren't necessary and that his
examination was sufficient.

Every time I have ever gone to a dentist in my life, I have had a
cleaning done with what looked like a small instrument with a hooked
end. The dentist would also poke each tooth to see if there was any
indication of a cavity. Am I over-reacting or was there something
seriously wrong with this entire appointment?

Thanks, MrAvenez

Steve,

Thank you for responding. A little while ago I made an appointment
with a dentist who I know is competent and thorough, even though I
have no coverage for him. I just feel so upset about the whole thing
with this dentist and I am just trying to come up with some possible
explanation for what happened. I guess I just wanted to hear from
someone else that this was not normal.

Anthony

I would say that because you are on Medicaid you are getting the bum's
rush because Medicaid doesn't pay very well and a participating dentist
cannot bill anymore than what Medicaid pays. In my state, most dentists
don't participate because of the low fee schedule. It's a problem with
no solution acceptable to the state, the patient, and the dentist. I
guess you get what you pay for.

On Mar 19, 5:07 pm, Le Huart <fritzfi...@comcast.net> wrote:
I would say that because you are on Medicaid you are getting the bum's
rush because Medicaid doesn't pay very well and a participating dentist
cannot bill anymore than what Medicaid pays. In my state, most dentists
don't participate because of the low fee schedule. It's a problem with
no solution acceptable to the state, the patient, and the dentist. I
guess you get what you pay for.

Exactly. Which is why I am strongly opposed to socialized health
care. Sure, it's "free" (liberal-speak for "courtesy of the
taxpayers") I would rather pay for superior treatment than get "free"
substandard treatment, any day of the week.

You can also pay (highly) for substandard treatment. You don't always
"get what you pay for" even though that expression is generally thought
of as a good rule of thumb ...

Webby

On Mar 19, 5:07 pm, Le Huart <fritzfi...@comcast.net> wrote:
I would say that because you are on Medicaid you are getting the bum's
rush because Medicaid doesn't pay very well and a participating dentist
cannot bill anymore than what Medicaid pays. In my state, most dentists
don't participate because of the low fee schedule. It's a problem with
no solution acceptable to the state, the patient, and the dentist. I
guess you get what you pay for.

Exactly. Which is why I am strongly opposed to socialized health
care. Sure, it's "free" (liberal-speak for "courtesy of the
taxpayers") I would rather pay for superior treatment than get "free"
substandard treatment, any day of the week.

"Sometimes you get what you pay for, and sometimes you get less" comes
to mind.

;-)
Steve

You can also pay (highly) for substandard treatment. You don't always
"get what you pay for" even though that expression is generally thought
of as a good rule of thumb ...

Webby

BobKK47 wrote:
On Mar 19, 5:07 pm, Le Huart <fritzfi...@comcast.net> wrote:
I would say that because you are on Medicaid you are getting the bum's
rush because Medicaid doesn't pay very well and a participating dentist
cannot bill anymore than what Medicaid pays. In my state, most dentists
don't participate because of the low fee schedule. It's a problem with
no solution acceptable to the state, the patient, and the dentist. I
guess you get what you pay for.

Exactly. Which is why I am strongly opposed to socialized health
care. Sure, it's "free" (liberal-speak for "courtesy of the
taxpayers") I would rather pay for superior treatment than get "free"
substandard treatment, any day of the week.



Perfectly fine--for you. Not everyone has that choice.

Steve

Hey, don't go by my opinion. I have a bias.

I feel badly for those people who are disabled and cannot work in *ANY*
field at all. I do not feel bad for anyone who could still work in a
different field but chooses to stay on government assistance.

Lately, I have been reviewing some research and images of the Andrea
Doria/Stockholm tragedy of 1956. I take some interest since I would have
been on one of those boats, but the USA did not process our immigration
visas quick enough,,,, so we had to crowd onto a sister ship (the Conte
Grande) a couple of months later. I personally know a couple survivors of
that sinking. They lost every worldly possession and had to start off a new
life with *nothing*, in a strange (to them) new country. They worked hard
and never took any government aid, (unless you count a blanket or cup of
coffee as they were rescued by the Ile De France, or one of the other ships
to render assistance that night.

I could tell you about crossing the Atlantic with two steamer trunks, a
suitcase, both parents, and older sister, and about $500 in Dad's pocket.
No one was there to offer government money. There was no **Press 1 for
Italian**, no schools offering to teach classes to my sister and I in
Italian. Dad had to find cheap housing, take the first job (at minimum
wages), and work his butt off. We had to learn English immediately. We had
to learn how to get by without many conveniences. After three years of hard
work, Dad bought his first car (a 1953 Ford Fairlane that occasionally would
start), got a house mortgage, and eventually we applied for citizenship.
[ I signed my citizenship papers the month Kennedy was shot. ]

I have no sympathy for poverty in the absence of disability. Most of the
disabled people I meet, are fully capable of working in *alternate*
occupations. Save the government assistance for those who are completely
disabled; provide graduated assistance for those who are in the process of
re-training to overcome partial disabilities, and loan tuition money to
those who want to learn an occupation. Financial support for those who make
no effort to go to work, should only be funded by those who volunteer to pay
for it (like contributing to your favorite charity). There is more than
enough opportunity in this country to support yourself, you simply have to
work hard (like anywhere else in the world).

Choice ?,.?,,?,,? Well, not for the fully disabled. But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
for the rest, sure, they have plenty of choice.

In article <1174434679.923001.297600@n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
"BobKK47" <bkk@uplink.net> wrote:

On Mar 19, 5:07 pm, Le Huart <fritzfi...@comcast.net> wrote:
I would say that because you are on Medicaid you are getting the bum's
rush because Medicaid doesn't pay very well and a participating dentist
cannot bill anymore than what Medicaid pays. In my state, most dentists
don't participate because of the low fee schedule. It's a problem with
no solution acceptable to the state, the patient, and the dentist. I
guess you get what you pay for.

Exactly. Which is why I am strongly opposed to socialized health
care. Sure, it's "free" (liberal-speak for "courtesy of the
taxpayers") I would rather pay for superior treatment than get "free"
substandard treatment, any day of the week.

You can also pay (highly) for substandard treatment. You don't always
"get what you pay for" even though that expression is generally thought
of as a good rule of thumb ...

Webby

"Sometimes you get what you pay for, and sometimes you get less" comes
to mind.

;-)
Steve

You can also pay (highly) for substandard treatment. You don't always
"get what you pay for" even though that expression is generally thought
of as a good rule of thumb ...

Webby

BobKK47 wrote:
On Mar 19, 5:07 pm, Le Huart <fritzfi...@comcast.net> wrote:
I would say that because you are on Medicaid you are getting the bum's
rush because Medicaid doesn't pay very well and a participating dentist
cannot bill anymore than what Medicaid pays. In my state, most dentists
don't participate because of the low fee schedule. It's a problem with
no solution acceptable to the state, the patient, and the dentist. I
guess you get what you pay for.

Exactly. Which is why I am strongly opposed to socialized health
care. Sure, it's "free" (liberal-speak for "courtesy of the
taxpayers") I would rather pay for superior treatment than get "free"
substandard treatment, any day of the week.



Perfectly fine--for you. Not everyone has that choice.

Steve