Price-Shopping Dental Fees

We have all done it.  We have all had times when we shop for the best price.  Certainly this makes sense.  Why would we want to pay more for the exact same thing?  Yes, there is work involved and this takes time.  However, we can save a lot of money to price-shop at times.
Many do the same with dental care.  Is there a problem with this?  Let’s think about it.  When we are buying, say, a car battery, we can be specific about the brand and the months of the warranty of the battery.  We can also be specific about the power of the battery.  However, when we shop for dental fees, the specifics become more cloudy.  Is a cleaning in one office the same as in another office?  Are the exams the same?  Are the recommended x-rays the same?  Is a crown the same between dental offices?  Are you getting the same thing for an extraction?
To be totally honest with you, services are much more difficult to shop.  Yes, these services come with fees which can be compared.  However, services are much different than a product like a car battery.  Services vary.  They are not uniform. Services can vary by the expertise, the patience, the desire, the health, the experience, and the willingness of the person performing the service.  People are different and varied.  We are all unique.  As a result the services we people perform can vary widely.  Clearly fees can be quoted but the services may be like comparing apples to oranges.  Clearly comparing car batteries is much easier and more definable than comparing dental services.
For that reason I do not think it wise to price-shop dental services.  I would not price-shop getting my appendix out.  I would not price-shop a heart surgery.  I would rather obtain a confidence and trust in the person providing the service.  To me the person providing the service is much more important than the fee because we are discussing procedures to be done to my body.  We all have one set of teeth.  Why would you trust the work for this one set of teeth to the lowest bidder?  Does it really make sense?
May I suggest obtaining recommendations from trusted friends or perhaps from online reviews as a better way to search for a dentist?  Truthfully, finding someone you can trust for any meaningful service beats price every time…..doesn’t it?
We invite you to see our online reviews from our wonderful patients.  We invite you to contact us in any way you prefer from this page to make an appointment to see what you may be missing.