New Dentist is DOUBLE the Price

My husband received a promotion which required a transfer. Because of the promotion, we are able to move to a much nicer area. I’m loving our new town and neighborhood. However, I took my kids to the dentist for the first time since moving here and he is DOUBLE the price. Not a little more. Literally double. Is this normal?

Kay

Dear Kay,

dollar sign growing out of an egg

Normal is a relative term. Sometimes, the overall cost of living from one state to another is higher. For instance, the median home cost in Los Angelos is $689,500, but in Benton, AR the average is $173,000. So, it may be that dentists cost more overall in your new area. There is a way to check the average dental cost for your state online.

Another issue is sometimes the neighborhood. I know a dentist who placed his office just outside an affluent area. He gets the lower rent where he is, but can draw in the people from the affluent neighborhood, thereby keeping his prices a smidge above average.

Other times, it is just the dentist’s philosophy. They want to target a higher-income clientele and therefore charge over the average prices.

You could try a dentist just outside of your new area to see how their prices compare. If you’re having trouble finding a dentist that has the prices you feel comfortable paying, do an internet search using the term “affordable dentist“.

Don’t Confuse Cheap with Affordable

One thing to be aware of is a dentist who seems to be much cheaper than the average. When that happens, there is usually a not so great reason. Two possible reasons for that come immediately to mind. First, it could be they have trouble retaining clients so they constantly have to draw in new ones. The fastest way to do that is to keep your prices well below every other dentist.

A second possible reason for such low prices could be that this dentist cuts corners to keep his profit margin the same while still drawing in extra patients. Let’s say he purchases a dental implant fixture overseas for just a few dollars, whereas those in the U.S. cost a couple of hundred. He can afford to have lower prices. What the patient doesn’t know is that dental implant hasn’t been held to the same standards. In a year or so, their dental implant completely fails. That far down the line, they’ll have no way of knowing it was because their dentist took the cheap way out. Now they’re out thousands of dollars. That’s not exactly affordable is it?

There are great dentists out there who will keep their prices reasonable, but likely won’t be the cheapest.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.