'Get dental work done then plead poverty' ~ Fair Go?

[Lovelee]

If you can't afford dental work, simply get the work done and force a "flexible" response from the dentist, suggests a consumer champion.

In the latest edition of Woman's Weekly, former Fair Go presenter Kevin Milne offers a few options in response to a query from a woman whose son needed $5000 of dental repairs, including root canal work.

The magazine's consumer columnist recommends approaching the dentist to organise a scheduled payment option. Another "controversial" option, he says, is to get the work done "before he tells the dentist he doesn't have the funds right now".

"That could force a flexible response from the dentist. They may assess your son's wealth, and decide it's better to get some payment than spend money on legal action," he wrote.

"I'm not recommending this option, as your son may end up in worse difficulties than poor teeth, including court action and possibly a bad credit rating.

"But I'm sure it's an option some would feel they had to take."

Milne declined to comment further yesterday.

David Crum, chief executive of the Dental Association, said he did not agree with a patient simply saying they couldn't afford to pay.

"Dentists are to discuss the fees prior to providing treatment. To suggest patients should have treatment and then not pay on the amount agreed, that is dishonest.

"To then not pay would be considered as theft ... it's like someone going to work at the beginning of the week and then the employer saying we are not going to pay you."

He said some clients had dental work done and then admitted they could not afford to pay for the service.

"My response to them is, 'Well, I can't say to my staff, I haven't been paid so I can't pay you this week'."

He said he had often seen clients set up week-by-week payments and in his practice about 10 per cent of people paid by instalment.

Dental hygiene has come under fire for being too expensive over the last 20 years, with MP Jim Anderton repeatedly pushing for free dental care.

The Progressive Party leader announced a policy of free dental health care for all last month, saying dental care prices were extortionate.

"About 44 per cent of New Zealanders don't get any dental treatment at all," he said. "At Middlemore Hospital any day, you'll find queues of people waiting for six hours to get their treatment because they can't afford to go to the dentist."

Mr Anderton proposes a free dental policy to start with vulnerable groups such as people over 65.

He said Britain, Germany, Scandinavia and France all had more affordable dental plans.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10740845

Im certainly surprised that Milne would make this suggestion.

[dragontamer]

I don't agree with that tactic, though I guess if you are in the position of being poisoned by your own teeth, someone might feel they have no other option.

My comment is about the dick-in-a-suit on Campbell Live tonight who said Dentistry was a 6Million dollar business.  Twat never thought to stop and think that if they didn't charge such insufferable prices, then more could afford it and it might actually turn out to be a lot more than a $6mil business.

Then he said that the hygienist was worth $200 per hour to scrape the teeth because "people should think of the long term benefits".     I'm freaken glad the guy who rotates my tyres doesn't think like that.

[Lovelee]

I was listening to a dental technician last night .. he was saying the dental industry is heavily organised by the govt .. that they must attend conferences frequently around 6 a year he said, that cost $600+ for the conference alone, on top of that there is travel and accomodation - not to mention paying staff etc.

I hope Akadaka comes in to the group soon and lets us know about the costs and charges 

[akadaka]

hey lovelee maaaaaaate!! well here's the no  bullshit truth!!!First of all most of us make bloody good money that were established years ago but now its not so good for the newbies.I trained for free but now its a 15-20 thousand a year for 5 years course so that hurts a bit.On top of this there was a massive influx of overseas trained dentists about 15 years ago and you will notice in auckland a ton of indian,chinese and middle eastern dentists all of which has flooded the market taking jobs from new graduates and at the same time prepared to work for a lot less.Your friend was right because now to register at a cost of 950 @ a year to work you also have to do continuing education and 15-20 points per years is required.One point is one hours and usually a 5 hour course is about 800-1000 $ so without including loss of earnings with time off work it usually works out to about 5000 a year just to register.Plant has to be kept up to date and at the moment i am thinking of buying a middle of the road chair unit which is going to cost 45 thousand dollers plus gst.The autoclave next year is going to be replaced at 12 thousand plus gst.The new materials cost is out of this world and too much to go into here but then you have staff wages,clinic make overs every 5 years to keep it up to date etc.Then you have your fist full of cash so now the IRD want 33% plus 15% of that and the accountant wants 4 grand to work it all out for you.I cannot see why but dentistry has the highest suicide rate of all professions as well ....anyway enough bleeping now Kevin Milne....maybe that brain tumour problem left him a bit doo dally!!!For the more expensive work payment is usually taken over a few stages of treatment and to suggest what he says is no better than getting a builder or electrician to do work than say ...duh i have no money.As for me and most other guys if you get a smartarse trying it on if you can you reposess it say remove the crown and leave him with a painful preperation of remove the plate and send him off gummy and simply put it in the hands of the debt collectors who ruin his credit rating and repo what ever he has.As for me i have only really been done once and that was by a dodgy real estate come financial advisor type and even the debt collectors drew a blank there but i was so pissed of i knew someone who knew someone and i paid 500 to a  gentleman in the headhunters who went to his st heliers mini mansion and gave him a good slapping in front of his wife and got the money and took his laptop as a bonus.His wife was not too suprised like she had seen it all before and i felt total karmic relief that one of these money guys like Henderson,or Petrecivic could not hide in their usual tangled web of bull shit like thay normally do.
Oh shit lovelee you have made me type my bloody ring off......now i am going to download my tickets for this fridays Chills concert a The King Arms  .....yeh the "Dunedin sound"!!!!!!

[Lovelee]

Aw thats awesome Aka .. it gives a way better idea of how it is for dentists.

I thought the suicide rate was about dealing so much pain to people 

Thanks