Experiences with VitalDent
May 7, 2006 1:20 PM Subscribe
I need a new dentist. They've just opened a VitalDent in my neighborhood, and they've been marketing heavily with coupons for free consultations, cleanings, etc. What's the catch?
I suppose I'm really wondering if anyone has visited a VitalDent franchise, so I can hear a little bit about what the experience is like. I haven't been to the dentist for, err, a few years, and the way they make it look easy is appealing to me. But I fear showing up unaware of whatever secret tricks they're going to play on me to steal all my money.
I suppose I'm really wondering if anyone has visited a VitalDent franchise, so I can hear a little bit about what the experience is like. I haven't been to the dentist for, err, a few years, and the way they make it look easy is appealing to me. But I fear showing up unaware of whatever secret tricks they're going to play on me to steal all my money.
Best answer: The catch with these places is that they're crooks. After getting the free consult/cleaning they'll tell you that you have more cavities than you really have, give you a hard sell on tooth whitening, and try to double-charge you for stuff like x-rays.
posted by rxrfrx at 2:27 PM on May 7, 2006
posted by rxrfrx at 2:27 PM on May 7, 2006
Response by poster: That's what I assume to be true, rxrfrx; I'm looking for anecdotal evidence to back that up (or dispute that).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:38 PM on May 7, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:38 PM on May 7, 2006 [1 favorite]
Just out of curiosity, do you have dental insurance? Or are you paying as you go?
posted by kimdog at 6:43 PM on May 7, 2006
posted by kimdog at 6:43 PM on May 7, 2006
Response by poster: I do not have dental insurance.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:17 PM on May 7, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:17 PM on May 7, 2006 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I try to take care of my teeth (I floss daily). But I'd like to have a dentist tell me they look OK. I do have a small chip at the top of one of the front teeth that has gotten larger over a several year period.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:18 PM on May 7, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:18 PM on May 7, 2006 [1 favorite]
VitalDent is a franchise name. It costs 200000€-300000€ just for the franchise name. It's likely that the only way for some owners to recuperate the money is by dishonest business.
I'd say get the free cleaning, if cavities magically "appear", get a second opinion. When they give a quote, and print exactly the which tooth has the problem, so it would be easy to compare.
Note that if you want to get a cleaning and filling you'd might have to come 3 times - once for the diagnostic, once for the cleaning and once for the filling.
posted by Sharcho at 9:46 PM on May 7, 2006
I'd say get the free cleaning, if cavities magically "appear", get a second opinion. When they give a quote, and print exactly the which tooth has the problem, so it would be easy to compare.
Note that if you want to get a cleaning and filling you'd might have to come 3 times - once for the diagnostic, once for the cleaning and once for the filling.
posted by Sharcho at 9:46 PM on May 7, 2006
I don't know VitalDent, but short appointments are something to watch out for in general. As Sharco, suggested they bait you with a free clean and hook you with a series of follow-up appointments.
Most Dentists are perfectly respectable. Dental registration boards are especially intolerant of unethical behavour. Just get an agreement on what is being done, when and how much it will cost. This is often called a Treatment Plan. Get one and make it clear that if anything outside this plan needs to be done, then they need to talk to you.
posted by dantodd at 2:18 AM on May 8, 2006
Most Dentists are perfectly respectable. Dental registration boards are especially intolerant of unethical behavour. Just get an agreement on what is being done, when and how much it will cost. This is often called a Treatment Plan. Get one and make it clear that if anything outside this plan needs to be done, then they need to talk to you.
posted by dantodd at 2:18 AM on May 8, 2006
Best answer: My wife and I never experienced more "tooth problems" than when we were going to a chain dentist in the Boston area. But amazingly, the chain dentist was able to fix everything! - cavities, bonding, minor cracks, etc. (That's sarcasm.) I've also never seen an office more plastered with posters, "magazines" and brochures for cosmetic dentistry than that one.
posted by chr1sb0y at 6:00 AM on May 8, 2006
posted by chr1sb0y at 6:00 AM on May 8, 2006
TPS: What I said is based on personal experience, and was confirmed by the experienced, good dentist we went to after having these sorts of experiences at the chain-type dentist.
posted by rxrfrx at 6:06 AM on May 8, 2006
posted by rxrfrx at 6:06 AM on May 8, 2006
Best answer: I don't know VitalDent, but my one experience with a chain dentist (Monarch) was horrible. The chain dentist said I needed $6000 worth of work (including two crowns plus veneers on all my front teeth, in addition to four fillings), my old dentist (to whom I went for a second opinion, and who is now my dentist again, despite the fact that he's in another country and is over 1000 miles away) fixed the single cavity I ACTUALLY had and rebuilt my (long ago) broken tooth for $150. My impression is that chain dental offices are businesses before they are anything else, there was no discussion of "if you wanted to have Hollywood-perfect teeth, we could do this", or "this tiny spot here might become a cavity in a few years, let's keep an eye on it", there was almost no actual talking to ME at all: the dentist came in, looked in my mouth for all of two minutes, rattled off a list of what I "needed" to her assistant, and then said "so that's what we'll work on over the next year, would you like to get started now?". I have never had a problem with my teeth (other than the one broken in a skating accident, and an impacted wisdom tooth), never needed braces or anything else, I'd never even had a cavity before, and this dentist expected me to believe that I suddenly needed $6000 worth of work?
I would NEVER go back to a chain dentist. If you do go, be very aware that they will probably find all kinds of problems that you "need" to have fixed, and it's entirely likely that these problems will have little or nothing to do with the actual health of your teeth.
posted by biscotti at 3:53 PM on May 8, 2006
I would NEVER go back to a chain dentist. If you do go, be very aware that they will probably find all kinds of problems that you "need" to have fixed, and it's entirely likely that these problems will have little or nothing to do with the actual health of your teeth.
posted by biscotti at 3:53 PM on May 8, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
...The N train was littered with their postcards reminding me every second that I am way overdue for an appointment...so fellow mefites, your wisdom nectar will be helping not one but two!
posted by stavx at 2:03 PM on May 7, 2006