Jan 03, 2014 06:40 PM
9041 Views
Had a broken tooth extracted by this guy. It had to be drilled/pulled. I was charged Rs 4, 000 for this. My friend was charged Rs 2, 500 by another dentist for the same procedure.
I should have went to my friend's dentist, but chose this guy because I didn't want to travel to the other side of Bangalore.
Pros:
Clean facility with good hygiene
Enough local was administered to make the extraction painless(I refuse to take sedatives and gas)
He did the job well and the extraction site has healed nicely
Cons:
This guy is more interested in talking than listening. He is a very aggressive salesman and doesn't really care what the patient wants and seems to think patients are idiots, not intelligent enough to research their condition and options prior to seeking extractions. I knew very well my options were either:
a) attempt to repair/save the tooth
b) extract it and replace it with a dental implant
c) extract it and be toothless in that spot
I told this guy right away I had a broken tooth that I wanted extracted. He then went on a loud and lengthy spiel about why he would rather not extract it. I patiently let him make his pitch then asked, "So can you remove it?" He said he could, then went on another pitch for a dental implant and acted like I was stupid to decline. Since some money is better than no money, he finally relented and removed the offending tooth.
I was shocked that he charged Rs 4, 000 for this, since my friend had the same job done elsewhere for around Rs 2, 500.
I was not impressed with the office staff. The woman manning the counter was lethargic and rather arrogant. When it was time for me to leave and I asked for the bill she seemed surprised and said "You want it right now?" as if I was crazy to expect a receipt for payment the same day as procedure! I then had to wait another 10 minutes for a simple hand written bill.
One thing I didn't approve of was his telling me to "eat ice cream." Cold compress is a must, and sipping ice water is sensible, and perhaps even a pro-biotic kefir can be beneficial, but ice cream? Seriously? I'm not a distraught toddler who needs some sweets to "cope, " it was just a tooth extraction! It's common knowledge that refined sugar and the other junk in ice cream encourages the breeding of harmful microorganisms, which is why I don't touch the stuff! Gobbling ice cream with an open wound in the mouth seems like an invitation for thrush- Yuck!
Like most medical practitioners, this guy is not interested in natural healing. He prescribed a strong antibiotic and Combiflam. Since I would prefer to avoid infection, especially some medicine resistant superbug or a raging case of bloody dysentery caused by C-difficile, I chose an herbal regimen prescribed by a naturopath and I'm better off for it.
I have my reasons for not trying to "save" the tooth or get an implant. I know people who got screwed trying to "save" bad teeth. Dentists are sometimes like shade tree mechanics, doing shoddy repair work on purpose so patients will be forced to come back a few months or a year later for more work on the "saved" tooth. I know someone in US who had a bad experience with implants, something I would like to avoid; not to mention it's a very invasive procedure that I'm not comfortable with. If I wake up one fine day missing a bunch of teeth I'll get dentures. My body, my choice! Medical practitioners need to learn to respect patients and their right to make informed decisions without being bullied.
