So much for not using credit cards
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So much for not using credit cards
| Tue, 10-27-2009 - 6:47pm |
I had to take my 12 year old son to the dentist as some of his teeth were coming in above the baby teeth. We get there, dentist guy looks at his teeth and comes out and tells me that son need 6 (yes 6!!) baby teeth pulled and needs braces plus a cleaning. So I told him to go ahead with the extractions and we would make an appointment for son to come in for a cleaning. Grand total for this trip WITH insurance $600. I don't have that much money in my checking account even with DH's paycheck coming on Thursday, so I charged it. Another budgeting nightmare. When will these types of expenses end?? Oh the joys of being a parent. But at least it's done and we don't have to worry about it. He is going to be in some serious pain in the next couple hours.
Just needed to vent and be unhappy.
Kelly
Just needed to vent and be unhappy.
Kelly

Kelly,
Please don't beat yourself up - sometimes you have to do things like this when there's no other option.
I agree with Robyn ... you spent money on your kids teeth.
Kate
Just wanted to second what the PPs said.
Perhaps this was a victory? You 1) Had the room to put it on the CC and
Bex -
I'm sorry you had to deal with it.
Becky
CL of 4th, 5th & 6th grade Scoliosis
What if you didn't have a credit card?
I recently changed dentist because the one I had used for 20 plus years was almost impossible to get an appointment with.
Norma
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus
Norma, I'm not saying that you should trust this new dentist. However, it doesn't mean you should trust your old one.
I had the same dentist for my whole life until a few years ago. I only ever had one cavity. Then I went to this new dentist and heard a story I had trouble believing: I had a million cavities and my mouth was really bad, plus my false tooth was well past replacement. Okay, technically I think it was 4-6 cavities, but enough that he said he hadn't cleared enough time to do the entire thing on my visit. When I said I was skeptical, he said I was free to consult another dentist (though if I wanted the x-rays and information from that day, of course I had to pay for the records) but that it could be seen by the naked eye, provided I could look in. He was one of those dentists that had a tooth camera that could be shown on the screen in the room and boom: there were my horrible teeth!
It took three appointment to get my mouth sorted out and maxed out my insurance for the year. He was certainly more expense than my previous dentist (he was a cosmetic dentist who also had a traditional practice and he did very beautiful work. Perfect colouring). I even got a migraine from having my jaw open that long. It was worth it. I've changed dentists since (relocated, otherwise I would have stayed) but I have no regrets.
Be skeptical but try to be skeptical of both. You cannot totally eliminate self-interest in a professional (though salaried professionals are closer than those who own practices).
Also, McKeeKitty: I know, it seems a shame that a dentist should ask the backruptcy question but I can't blame him. If you do need to control the risk of payment, statistics are the closest you can get to real answers, without a time machine. If he were to refuse services on those grounds, that's a different story!
I suppose the bankruptcy question is a sign of the times.
I actually agree (withholding does harm) but I wonder if it is the circumstances.
For an annual checkup, it's technically a preventative procedure, along with some other procedures. As well, it may just mean that they demand a credit card because they don't want to be the ones securing your financing (after all, they have less customers than a bank to absorb charges they don't get back). However, would they turn you away for a genuine problem or an emergency?
Back in my first year of university, a wire popped in my mouth (I had braces as a kid and is one remaining wire they recommend for at least a decade, if not life) and embedded in my cheek while I slept. I woke up to pain and blood - not copious amounts, but blood. I started calling clinics and found one that opened early and just showed up, saying I wasn't sure if the ER could handle it (since the wire might need to be cut, inside my mouth) and I didn't know where to turn. I think I told everyone I encountered at the clinic that I was poor and unsure how much money I had, and that it was my first credit card so the limit was very low.
The entire time, the staff told me to stop worrying: "just let us get it out first, stop the pain and bleeding, then we'll figure out how to repair it and work out payment." They also tried various things to calm me down while they prepared a tray, including sitting me in front of a television (remember, I just randomly showed up and before their scheduled appointments... and an assistant remembered my dorm had no cable, so I was delighted to see cable and have control of the remote!). True to their word, when the whole thing was done, the dentist told me "you have bigger things to worry about in life, so just go see the receptionist while we clean up."
When I got out there, I tentatively pulled out my credit card. The receptionist pulled my chart and said "we were able to save the wire, meaning the only equipment costs were a little cement and the cleaning of the instruments. The dentist has offered to cover everyone's time so the only cost to you is $40." I was flabbergasted! He took my worries over money to heart and didn't leave me in pain. And I heard later that he does ask money questions on his form (though I don't know if it includes bankruptcy).
So they may ask the question but still be kind, only deciding when and what service to offer. The richer people (and procedures) do still have to pay for the lower costing or even pro bono efforts (if you have no money or equipment, you have nothing to give. the Dentist has a family too). Or maybe I just have more faith in people. I whine about how mean society can be but I seem to almost unshakable faith in individuals.
And if anyone needs a dentist in Peterborough, I know this really kind one... And he has a cable TV on the ceiling! Cable! ;)