Dental Office Woes

Jun 11, 2008 20:35

I work in a pretty fancy dental office. And experienced this the other day ( Read more... )

dental care

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cynica June 12 2008, 03:40:55 UTC
They also visited a pedo office, but weren't happy and want to remain at my Doc's office.

They have offices now!?

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sparkles June 12 2008, 03:44:02 UTC
Huh?

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owlsarentaholes June 12 2008, 12:08:13 UTC
Pedo = shorthand for pedophile.

It was funny.

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sparkles June 12 2008, 12:46:15 UTC
Yeah, I got it after I asked. But, pedo is also sued to refer to a pediatric office. ;)

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merlyn4401 June 12 2008, 03:41:10 UTC
Yeep. Poor kid. :(

I'd like to know more history about the kid, frankly. Does she have some sort of history of bad medical experiences? A form of autism or something else that would make her act that way? I'm not sure I'd go the spoiled kid/negligent parent route right off the bat.

Obviously, the teeth need to be taken care of. We have a children's hospital here with a full dental surgery dept that will do fillings and such on kids who really need to be knocked out. I'd take her there, if it were me.

And every dentist I have had has charged me for a missed appointment. I'd say he had every right to charge for an office visit.

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sparkles June 12 2008, 03:47:48 UTC
Nothing is noted about any kind of history or condition, but that doesn't mean there's nothing there. But her record DOES show a history of the parents just not being concerned with the issue. And, having seen the x-rays and pictures, they are VERY disturbing for a child who has just gotten some of those teeth in. They didn't "see a reason" to get them fixed. It really is sad.

They went to a pediatric dentistry office which specializes in multiple different methods of sedation ("kiddy cocktails", which are really popular, are available there), but they wanted to stay at my dentist's office.

My dentist is pretty nice. He charges after the second consecutive no-show, not the first, and not incomplete visits.

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unconformed June 12 2008, 03:47:41 UTC
How old is she if she has cavities in permanent teeth?
I think the parent should insist, or the kid could lose her teeth.
The dentist should charge them, but it's just insurance unless they have a co-pay.

My 5.5 yr. old has a cavity in a baby tooth (a 1 yr. molar) and I am dreading taking him in, because I hate the dentist so much. I think I'll have his dad take him.

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sparkles June 12 2008, 03:49:30 UTC
I don't remember the exact age. I want to say between 8 and 10, because she still has mixed dentition. But, I've seen a handful of kids this week so I don't remember exactly.

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threekidsinky June 12 2008, 04:23:54 UTC
My 6-yo has no enamel on his permanent molars and we are dealing with cavities almost every time we go in. I *hate* going with him almost more than I hate going myself!!

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rdhdsnippet June 13 2008, 10:27:28 UTC
Is it only his molars? It may be worth considering crowns. My husband and son have amelogenesis imperfecta (it's hereditary, sex-linked and dominant - any boys we have are doomed). I'm resigned to needing to crown his molars, even the baby ones, though I'm trying to hold off on the front teeth.

If he has that, or you think he might, you might want to consult at the nearest good dental college. Pediatric dentist are a little better at dealing with it than "regular" dentists, but it's still rare enough that most of them aren't up on any of the lesser invasive ways of dealing with it.

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sparkles June 12 2008, 03:51:26 UTC
"The dentist could contact the parents and state that he is unable to work with their kid anymore, if he were so inclined."

I could be mixing up my laws, but she has health care needs that need to be attended to. I don't believe he can refuse service. But, I could be wrong.

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hells_librarian June 12 2008, 03:54:07 UTC
In the US according to a NY Times article I just read today, he can "fire" a patient so long as he doesn't leave her w/o care. Either he finds her another dentist or he offers to handle any emergencies until her parents find another dentist.

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sparkles June 12 2008, 12:50:32 UTC
Ahh....you're right. I knew they couldn't leave them without care, but I'd forgotten about the exception as long as you offer them another provider. Thanks!

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failstoexist June 12 2008, 03:56:31 UTC
When my mom was little, she told my grandmother she was afraid to get braces to fix some problem. Because of the issues that this problem caused, she will now need 2 tooth implants, which are a HUGE deal. AND she needs the braces anyway. She's put it off again for another few years because she is STILL scared of braces ( ... )

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