Conservative dentist in Portland, Oregon?

August 13, 2014 9:44 AM

New to town and looking for a conservative - in the sense of "prefers not to drill if it's reasonably avoidable" - dentist in Portland, Oregon.

Cover Oregon is my health insurance, so bonus points if they accept Cover Oregon. My teeth are my ORGANS, so if there is a fantastic dentist that doesn't accept Cover Oregon, please mention them anyway.

I'm not afraid of going to the dentist, but I have had a number of overenthusiastic dental fillings over the years, and would prefer to avoid that when I can. I have also had great dentists, and right now I definitely am in need of a dentist!

Bonus points for North, NorthEast, or downtown. I also prefer dentists who will explain what they are doing and why they are doing it.

If you know a great dentist but they don't hit all these points, please include them anyway. I don't know any of my options at the moment, and Google isn't being all that helpful. Thank you for your recommendations.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Cover Oregon doesn't automatically cover dental; check your plan information. You typically have to purchase dental coverage separately.

If you do not have dental coverage, and are looking to purchase it, Kaiser dental pays their dentists a wage, not 'per service.' I've heard they get bonuses for *not* performing unnecessary work.

I've had a slew of good dentists down at their SE locale;

Eastmoreland Dental Office
5025 SE 28th Ave
Portland, OR 97202

But they do have a tendency to float around and not always be available, you might not have the same dentist for more than a couple visits.
posted by furnace.heart at 10:32 AM on August 13, 2014 [2 favorites]

I'm not sure if he's retired now, but back when I lived in Oregon, I'd go to Dr. Rick Evans, definitely one of the better dentists I've had. He's in Tualatin, though, so it's a bit of a commute.
posted by Aleyn at 10:37 AM on August 13, 2014

In Northwest Portland I've had excellent care with Dr. David Wiley. I have no idea about whether they take Cover Oregon. If you do go with them and need a hygiene appointment, ask for Vonda. She's popular because she's awesome. Here's some insurance info from their FAQ.

My insurance pays 100 percent, why do I have a co-payment?

Unfortunately, when an insurance company says 100 percent, they mean 100 percent of their own fee schedule, not 100 percent of the actual fee. Fee schedules vary greatly between policies. We understand this is incredibly frustrating for patients and apologize for the confusion it creates. We will calculate your co-payment based on the payment history of your insurance policy.

My insurance company says you are over usual and customary and charge too much.

Every insurance company creates their own fee schedule. These are not based on the actual fees for treatment. They call this “usual and customary,” but they won’t tell us what it is based on or how they determine it. Dr. Wiley’s commitment is to provide the highest quality of care, based on the individual patient’s needs and not an insurance policy.

Why isn’t Dr. Wiley a member of my insurance?

Dr. Wiley tried for many years to be a participating provider for insurance companies; unfortunately, he found these companies established policies that did not allow for individual patient health and wellness needs. This was not acceptable to him as a health care provider. Dr. Wiley recommends the treatment in the best interest of the health and wellness of each patient, not what an insurance company recommends.

posted by amanda at 12:24 PM on August 13, 2014

Pitman Family Dentistry is very good. They're downtown, they are really friendly and always get you in on time, they love to explain to you about your teeth and aren't in any big rush to drill, they're smart, and they're pretty happy to be doing what they do. I don't know if they take Cover Oregon, though.
posted by feets at 2:17 AM on August 14, 2014