We need Medicare For All here in the U.S., especially during this time with the Coronavirus pandemic! What's more "pro-life" than ensuring that every person has guaranteed affordable healthcare regardless of their job? If we all had access to basic healthcare, we would have the "freedom" to live long lives and rarely have to worry about medical bankruptcies. Taxes will go up, but the overall cost will go down. If some of us need additional healthcare than Medicare, then we have the "choice" to get additional insurance. If every other developed country (Canada, Germany, The U.K., France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan, Japan, S.K., H.K., Singapore, Australia, and N.Z.) can implement this system and save money, then why can't we do the same and help "Make America Great Again" for everybody at least on the issue of healthcare? And if American citizens die from lacking access to affordable health insurance then we are failing our country's promise of defending "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" for its citizens as well as "promoting the general welfare" of all the people living here.
I totally concur.. This one needs a 2022 update. Thank you. Parents spent 5 figures on braces and tooth fixes, and they are now longterm caused side effects and secondary requirements for more work that should have been done better if we had known better. Tooth pain is the worse, I've even had my jaw broken by a dental jaw widen device to straighten teeth. This should be a public service, and funded properly.
The entire healthcare industry: dental, psychiatric, ER, inpatient hospitalization, immediate care, pharmacies, etc., is based on absolutely how much money can be extracted from patients, period. We sacrifice our citizens health and well- being for the all mighty dollar. We have the only first world nation that does this, and it's insane.
I'm a nurse and years ago I took care of a patient who had been hospitalized due to a dental infection. She had an abscess and needed a tooth pulled, but had no insurance and no money. She couldn't find a dentist who would help her. The infection was so bad that she became septic. She finally was able to get medical which is available in California. So her medical bills mounted and we're probably in the millions of dollars. She had to have multiple surgeries, tons of antibiotics and medications. She became totally disabled and bedridden. All of this happened due to a bad tooth!!! What this patient went through is criminal!!!
Yes you are telling the truth. I had a infected tooth & abscess. I went to 2 different dentist for a second opinion (insurance paid for). But I had to pay $230.00 out of pocket, to remove the tooth & treat the abscess. I got a good deal at the Dental school 👍 Sorry to hear about the ladies results. & I only had the money thanks to the stimulus check 😳
I just paid $9500 for three root canals and it doesn’t look like he put the crown all the way on the gumline and they already look like they’re getting bacteria in the back. Meanwhile he said that I need $10,080 worth of dental work. I used to have beautiful teeth until I was in an accident many years ago with my front tooth got knocked out. I paid $5000 for my tooth to be shoved back in my mouth and bonded to the surrounding teeth. A few years ago it came out when I’ve been into a peach or some thing with a pit, A dentist had accidentally extracted two bottom lower teeth in the back instead of one and so I could only two on one side of my mouth which apparently now I need root canals on those teeth and the front tooth chipped because I’ve been chewing on the front teeth now. I don’t have this kind of money . And I cannot get the kind of work that I would normally get because of a missing tooth. I’m thinking about going to Mexico to get the work done.
@@HH-gv8mx Wow, same here. I decided to get basic dental work done, fillings, cleaning, pull the bad. Then after all that get snap on smile 😳 That's all I can afford.😢
This documentary was so spot on and clearly exposed the dental industry here in the US. I live in AZ and the info shared here is the exact reason why thousands of Americans flock to Mexico every year to receive quality dental care at half the cost. I currently have halfway decent dental coverage thru my employer with a 1K a year benefit allowance, that amount is basically gone in less than 2 visits for any procedure other than cleaning and X-ray. Every dental office I’ve been in they’re all partnered with those medical finance companies too like Care Credit. The whole system here in the US for dental care is broken. Why isn’t dental care part of overall health care when it comes to insurance coverage?
Similar situation here. Couple of visits a year and that's it for me. I'm at the point now that it is catching up and I can't take of everything that I need. Now I must choose what hurts the worse and what can be saved. It sucks for sure. This care system overall in america is pathetic and definitely inadequate. People shouldn't have to make these choices or even worry about it. 💔😢 👎
Maybe Americans should stop drinking high fructose corn syrup for lunch breakfast and dinner. Maybe Americans need to go back to basics. There is access to dental school where almost dentists, do the work for cheap. I mean cheap. Friend just had a tooth yanked for $40. He had a root canal for $50. The very first guy said "I can't eat ice cream or chips on that side of my mouth." Also our water is filled with flouride. Something that they say helps teeth lmao
This teeth exploitation is exactly the same in Australia. I was privileged to receive a lesson at the age of 7 on how to brush properly, as part of the school's curriculum. I never forgot it. I did not want to be in that torture chair. Somehow I also knew that dental care was a bit expensive, but never did I know how extortionist is has become. Decades later, I overhear mums at work talking about their kid's dental bills: $30000 over 15 years ago now. I am 56, and still brush exactly the same way taught to me. I have maybe 6 fillings now and one pulled that was always a bad colour from get go. If you have a daily shower as your routine, then include teeth brushing while in there. It must be a habit as regular as a poo in a toilet. It saved my oral health. And saved me dollars.
Anything backed by private equity firm, it is all about the money like insurance institutions. If we have combined universal medical AND dental insurance, these firms will go elsewhere like in real estate - buying plots of lands or first tier on brand new subdivisions/ HOA and sell them to other private equities that would rent or lease these to those who cannot afford to buy a home for outrageous fee. It is a vicious cycle only in America.
I'd personally beg to disagree to an extent. I've lived in NJ & NY. I've been on Medicaid as a child and an adult. I'm not completely satisfied with my Medicaid service but NJ DOES cover everything. I have 4 children and they all get preventive care every six months. I have one child who needs mental health care & she's covered for everything including her prescriptions. I was able to get crowns put on for free as a young adult & my other doctors for things like vision are covered. They aren't great but they're covered. I'm grateful for that & clearly NJ has more going for it than I realized in the Medicaid world. NY has it's setbacks but it truly depends on what you're looking for.
This hits home. I have been impoverished all my 58 years. I remember the agony and true torture that my siblings and I suffered by being forced to see "the butchers" that were called community dentists. By the age of 15, my teeth had either been pulled, stained, broken, or inadequately drilled with metal fillings. Now my jaws hurt and I cannot chew. I crush my food with my tongue. I searched for years for an alternative, but the money was just too much, and my so-called insurance will never cover proper dental fixes. I am so ashamed that I NEVER smile. This has taken away so much joy from my life. It is a constant psychological weight and suffering.
I'm there with you, my doctor told me that my bad teeth was risking my heart and health. So about 10 years ago I had 18 teeth pulled over a six month stretch, 2 teeth a week, with a promise of miraculous dentures, that would transform my life, well we know that's a lie. I've had no be social life since then, the only thing those dentures were good for was smiling.they were totally useless for eating. KEEP YOUR TEETH!!!
The psychological impact is something that is completely and utterly overlooked in dentistry. I became a dental assistant in my early 20s And I ended up working in an office that specialize in high fear patients. The majority of those patients were baby boomers, early Gen xers, & some World War II Gens. Those patients were tortured as children! The horror stories go on and on! I loved my job for a long time the problem for me was the money aspect of it all. I was well aware of what it cost to run the office on a day-to-day basis so I understand that it takes money. However going into the healthcare field I think I naïvely anticipated the focus to be on health! It kind of was like that when I first started because we still had a lot of the single doctor family type practices. But as the years went on into the 2000s it became very corporate with huge multi doctor practices and very much not about the patients care. I started having health problems of my own and ended up leaving dentistry around 2013/14. Then a few years ago I started having a lot of problems with my own teeth. They just started disintegrating before my eyes and knowing that I didn’t have any coverage and how much every tooth would cost to fix I was mortified! By this time most of the doctors that I’ve worked with had already retired. At least the ones that I would want to do the work. I’ve also been hugely embarrassed because I feel like this was my career, my job & I should’ve known better this wasn’t supposed to happen to me! Yet it did & I’ve lost my teeth. Trying to get dental care before they were all gone was absolutely infuriating! I don’t think I realized how many bad doctors there are out there! And the costs are absolutely insane! The whole field needs to be completely upended. The health of your teeth, gums and mouth has such a huge impact on one’s overall health! Dentistry needs to stop focusing so much on cosmetics and go back to what dentistry is supposed to be about! Also why dentistry is kept separate from the rest of the medical field is so wrong. I guarantee you if they stick a General dentist and an oral surgeon in every emergency room they will be busy beyond belief! I always considered myself a pretty caring and compassionate assistant and Lord knows I would give anything in the world to have my teeth back but I wish I had known the psychological impact of it all when I was working with my patients. Especially the younger ones because (not that it doesn’t psychologically affect people of every age) I do think it hits those of us who are still fairly young really hard. I definitely would’ve been a better assistant from the point of view I have now. I could go on and on about my thoughts on the field of dentistry. But I know this is long enough already I don’t want to bore you. Lol I’m so sorry for what you’re going through! Considering this is now 2022 it’s insane that any of us has to worry about these things. I really hope that you find the care that you need! 🙏❤️
My parents never took me to the Dentist growing up but my father told me to incorporate hydrogen peroxide and baking soda & for gum pain warm water with salt. My dad is 66 still has all his teeth.
I am really sorry and totally understand what you had and have been going through. My sister is 59, I’m 61years old and our experiences had been the same as yours. All the best 💗
I worked at Aspen Dental back in 2011-2013 as an office manager. Only employer I’ve ever walked out on. They take advantage of vulnerable patients. They give you great bonuses to keep you going. But, once you realize what their business model truly is, most people leave. It literally made me cry some days to know what I was participating with.
My dentist at Aspen actually walked out on his job the day I went in. They forgot about me in the chair until they were turning off the light to close.
Eric C Having a conscious is truly a character trait you are Blessed to have. Subsequently, you will always be an asset to anyone who knows you. Your social conscious will be/ has been rewarded. I’m proud of you. Don’t change
I went to Aspen dental to check on the tooth on the right side of my mouth that was bothering me. They told me I needed a root canal on that tooth as well as 2 other teeth on the opposite side. When I went to another dentist to get the root canal done, he told me I did not need the work done that Aspen had told me I needed. After I had the root canal done by this dentist, he informed me that he used to work for aspen dental. I have since paid him $9500 for three root canals none of which he cleans the infection out of and he just put the crown on without doing any kind of cleaning. It looks like there’s black already growing between the crown and the gumline they don’t look like they’re properly sealed on the gumline. I feel like I just set fire to $9500 . I still need more work done and at this point I’m really thinking about going to Mexico.
I am definitely going to Mexico for my dental work. 100%. And will not stop preaching about how this country's GREED is ruining everything about America.
I’m a dental hygienist for 20 plus years. I’ve worked mainly in private practices, the few corporate practices I’ve briefly worked for are an embarrassment! If you think it’s just all about the money with poor treatment you would be correct.. Not all but most Medicaid offices are not providing proper care to children either. It is a shame! Many of the corporate practices have many law suits against them but state dental boards just seem to turn a blind eye.. I have seen many offices that use dental assistants to do the job of a dental hygienist which is illegal .. many offices use unlicensed dental assistants that are not trained in proper sterilization procedures.. My advice is ask 2 things , will a licensed dental hygienist be doing my cleaning and are all of your dental assistants fully and currently licensed.. Then ask to see the license because by law they are supposed to be posted in the dental office for the public to see. If those two criteria are not met do not go to that dental office and make sure you lay eyes on and look at the dates and names of the displayed licenses. Also dental health is just as important as any other part of your body .. Its just like health care for the uninsured in America .. You can literally die from a dental infection…We think nothing of having a tooth pulled yet it is a body part , one that has a use a purpose without teeth people can’t properly chew food it is something that needs to be taken seriously.. HOWEVER education on proper eating and dental hygiene needs to be taught in schools again!
They are also supposed to disclose the metals they are putting in our mouths to us ahead of time. No dentist I have ever seen does that. There are tests we can take to see if our bodies will reject these metals yet that is never offered to any clients. People eventually learn about these things only after they become extremely sick. I had all my mercury fillings removed and replaced with white fillings only to learn afterwards that 15% of the people's bodies cannot handle what is in the white fillings. It is absolutely outrageous. I call that malpractice.
I live in Maryland, and my son is on medicaid. When he was 3 I took him to his first dental visit. They insisted he had a cavity and wanted to treat it right then and there. I asked them to show me which tooth, and I saw no cavity or dark spot. I declined their pushy offer to drill into my sons mouth that day. I switched to a new pediatric dentist, got a second opinion, and it turns out my son did NOT have any cavities. Hes 14 years old now, still no cavities, and I'm glad I stood up to those pushy people trying to do an unnecessary and painful procedure on a 3 year old.
GREED, GREED, GREED are all dentists today care about (NOT the lies they pretend to care about people). Why make only $200,000 a year when you can jack up prices and make $300,000!?!? It's all about the Almighty $$$. If they really cared, they would do 10% pro-bono free work for children.
Yes! I had a dentist that wanted to do several procedures on my mouth. I went home and took a breath. I realized if he was telling me the truth, I would have been in pain 24 hours a day (I was not in pain). He was simply lying. I've never had another dentist tell me I needed any of those procedures. My teeth are fine.
I lost my dental insurance when I turned 65. My entire life I had been covered so I never even thought about the cost. I never saw a bill. A few years ago the dentist wanted to renew 3 of the wife's fillings and give me a check up and clean. The cost $1284. That's serious money. We flew to Thailand for our usual winter break and attended a highly recommended dentist in Chiang Mai.He advised my wife that as much as he'd like to take her money there was nothing wrong with her fillings. He gave me a check up and cleaning. Total cost $36.00. The savings more than paid for one of our round trip airfares. I don't mind someone making a good living,but that's nonsense. Dr. Muk in Chiang Mai had a very nice white Mercedes parked in front of his practice.
I get my cleaning in Thailand for years now. $50 for check up cleaning and X rays. I could only imagine how much it would cost here. My dentist studied at Boston University.
Yeah heard about getting dental work done over seas. Dirt cheap. Its known as dental tourism. In the US it's a total rip off. And also you can go to Mexico for implants when you need them in the future.
I've never had a vacation. Never been on a plane, and I'm 60 years old. You're commenting about going to another country for more affordable care. If you can afford a vacation(your USUAL winter break), you can afford a dentist. My husband has pulled his own teeth out!
The same thing happened to my mother. She still has her dental insurance, but it doesn't pay a thing. Her "dentist" is one in a franchise dentistry. Her visit for a painful tooth was around two thousand dollars. Her next scheduled visit, two weeks later, cost fourteen hundred dollars. This was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. She's been back a few times for cleaning, to the tune of several hundred a pop. They've been sending her "reminders" throughout the pandemic, but she's been ignoring them. These people are crazy! Next time, I'm taking her to a simple, one-dentist, shingle-on-the-door, dentist office. We'll see how the prices compare.
Jeeze..guess you missed the whole idea sir. If myself or any other poor person could hop a plane for a vacation to Thailand and while there have their dental issues taken care of ...wellll...for Pete's sake.. Don't cha think we would. As a matter of fact, we wouldn't have to leave the country we could well afford dental amd health insurance here in the United States. Shit!! SMH!! WTH! Anyway, good for you. Happy you only had two extractions at the very low cost of under $40 dollars. Life is good.
Thank you FRONTLINE for making this. I started working in the dental field as dental assistant before applying for dental school to make sure it was what I wanted to do. After a while I realized that dentistry was not for me. Not because I didn’t like dentistry but because of the “business model”. After I quit dentistry I felt like people thought I over reacted and this documentary reminded me of why I did it.
I am one of a few across the country that actually applied to dental school and got in, went for a little over 1 year of dental school and then decided it wasn’t really for me so I withdrew. I’m still glad I made the decision to leave to this day. I do not regret it.
In my country, and I believe most other countries also, the govt will give free or low cost dentist and medical care to those who can't afford. The rich can go private.
@Haitham Ali but it is not generally just pain. The original comment was that urgent care and hospitals don't take it more seriously. Meaning people would just get turned away and end up suffering.... which means the problem goes untreated and then gets worse.
The irony is all these people lining up to get free help are the same people voting against their own interest by being against Healthcare for All (including medical, dental, vision etc). They listen to politicians who labeled basic healthcare "socialize medicine". Most Americans cannot visit the doctor even when they have health insurance because of high deductible, copay, and coinsurance, and the limitation of the annual coverage maximum.
See the problems with dentists not accepting Medicaid in this video???? They're private practices and don't have to accept Medicare, Medicaid, or any other government insurance. Most doctors would just retire or completely forego going into the dental or medical fields. All you'd be left with are the worst-of-the-worst. Which is a HUG problem right now for people on Medicaid, as was already outlined in this video. They simply can't find dentists or doctors that take it because they pay so low. There is NO money for these programs as it is, and your bright idea is to expand it further. 🤦🏻♂
I LOVE the interviewer in this documentary!!!! He calls out the discrepancies and the greed of dental practices!! This is what I like to see!! Make them accountable!!
@@Kas-tle Define quality care. Is that the most affordable treatment option for the patient, or the one that makes his teeth look like a Hollywood Star, regardless of cost, or the wishes of the patient?
If it hasn't been mentioned yet... One of the biggest issues (as I see it), is that dentistry, is often referred to (by the insurance companies), as _"cosmetic"_ - never-mind the pain (and subsequent fatigue), the increased risk of systemic-infection (most notably, affecting the heart), and last, but not least, the proper maceration (properly breaking down the food particles - chewing), as a matter of proper digestion, and nutrient absorption - then, add the social challenges, of what we look like, too (employment opportunities, etc) - Short of non-medically required, tooth straightening, and/or bleaching/whitening, and cosmetic veneers, etc - DENTAL, IS MEDICAL, PERIOD!!! Now, if medical, wasn't so far behind, too - we would reasonably add full dental, to the medical operation, to improve our overall health, and functionality, and productivity... Thank you-
We can’t even add medical to the medical operation. And the lobbyists for the big corporations are going to make sure it never happens. Dental care and health care should be a basic human right in every country.
Basic-care is, and never was, considered "cosmetic". Dental care is meant to be preventative. IE, if you fail to go to a dentist, until you have tooth pain, then you already failed yourself.
@@ginariffe5525 Human right? Who is going to pay for it? Do you expect doctors to work for free? What you are suggesting, is that it ought to cost us nothing. We live, in the US anyway, in a capitalist society. You cant expect someone to risk going bankrupt, to pay for an education, just so we get "cheaper care". I am 100% with the understanding that its over-priced, but stop with the "Its a human right", nonsense. Because, as I stated, usually, that implies it ought to cost us nothing. Well, last time I checked, people did not work for free, and the money to pay for all the equipment/supplies/hiring of skilled doctors, costs money.
This is unbelievable in America today. I was in the military for 5 years. All of my medical care is covered through the VA for llife….except dental!!!Last year I had a bunch of cavities and a few teeth that were broken and barely hanging on. I saw a dentist and he told me I need 5 root canals and 4 extractions. He showed me an X-ray he took and showed me a raging infection in my gums/jaw. He told me if I did not take care of it I would be walking into the emergency room within a month. About a month and a half later I ended up in the hospital with an infection in my heart and had to have open heart surgery
I need a tooth extraction. Ive had a broken tooth since the summer. I was recently treated with antibiotics. I have had aggressive work done on my teeth. Silver fillings in about every molar. When a quarter of this tooth fell out, it was all filling. I think ive had some difficulties with my health due to my tooth being broken just short of the bone. I get it taken out next week. My health care and dental are government health care and i would go as far as to say its not even Healthcare. There is next to zero care. We're a single family income of 5. My husband and i and our 3 children plus two dogs (no medical care there. All out of pocket) I am disgusted and appalled at American Healthcare-less.
Cases like yours are rare. Teeth infections normally don’t get that bad unless you have a suppressed immune system. I hope you had it taken care of. I’d also ask what type of foods you ate.
Correct I’m a Veteran dental is not included after my deployment my teeth started going bad then I found out it was due to the Anthrax vaccine it attacks the teeth they keep denying it but there is an organization called RAW they help Veterans who were deployed get their smile back I’ll start my treatment soon at no cost to me thankfully if it wasn’t for them I don’t know what I would do! It’s sad the way American warriors are treated after serving their country
@@VeteranNikky26 There’s a place in Texas that helps Veterans and low income I believe it’s called G4. They accept some forms of Medicare and Medicaid as well. I know someone who got full on dental implants and after insurance it was about $2,000 give or take which they set up a payment plan and paid on it for a few years.
I'm not even 15 minutes into this and what I've seen and heard so far makes me angry. This should not be happening in America. We've got fat cats sitting in office milking tax payers dry while helpless adults and children live with conditions that could literally kill them. I had to stop when when this woman 12:31 "answered" a simple question with what I call the typical corporate word salad.
Blame is on voters too. Constantly saying no to universal health which should include teeth. Trifling Teacher pay, completely bs hospital system geared toward profits. Only industrial country that is awful taking care of those who really add value to society. Exactly why people go to Mexico or any other country to get work done and retire.
I wanted to slap that Buckley lady upside the head so bad. The care for these children you're supposedly supposed to be helping should be your top priority, not how profitable treating them is or isn't.
This documentary makes me cry, I just left an Aspen two days ago , they tried to sell me $20,000 worth of repair (root canal, crowns, after cleaning). Plan B was $10,000 to pull and denture top and bottom. I know I can do even better than that. I have had enough of greedy dentists in this city and I assume most of the country. Multiple offices charged me $100 to sit and talk. I appreciate that Aspen at least X-rayed and consulted with no charge. Now I have to weigh the options.
This is real these dentists are not honest I'm not saying all of them I recently got work done and they tore my mouth up !!! After spending $26k my teeth they were worse then when I went in . I so regret listening to them and letting them do what they thought was necessary all they cared about was making $$$ I was devastated
@Neurosissy / Нейросисси 🇺🇦 exactly! Bernie is so RADICAL right? Until it's your teeth, your eyes, your hearing. $20k is RADICAL! Extortion of patients is RADICAL.
I went to aspen today just shopping around to see what they would cost, I had just been to another dentist and he had told me I was gonna be ok, just needed one route canal and a few other things.. aspen told me I needed to pull several teeth and get implants..
That almost happened to me 20 years ago, way before I knew it was a thing. I said no just clean my teeth. Saw another dentist as I never got cavities before and didn’t believe them and I was right. Always go around thinking you’re smarter than everyone else.
Exactly. You should be able to go to an emergency room and get head to toe care. But even the fact any American has to go to the emergency room is ridiculous!! We all need to be treated with dignity. Preventive care from head to toe is something all Americans should have & it should all be VERY affordable. It's that way in so many other countries around the world!!!! EXCEPT USA. Greed. All greed.
Standard health insurance for dentists too would be such a step forward! Dentistry should be called a part of the body after all. Dental care is imperative.
A friend of mine was in hospital in Italy for several months, got excellent care! When he asked for the bill he was not charged anything. The country had national health insurance. Your suggestion is the best way to go. Thanks.
Breaks my heart. I am a dental assistant. I have seen horrible things. Don't ever let your child go back alone, wait in the hallway whatever it takes. I worked at a place that was pure torture. no anesthetic and the nitrous o0xide gas did not work but they put the mask on the child and told them to breathe through their nose. then the child is put in a papoose and drilled on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hearing them scream is so heartbreaking and all for money. This is why some adults do not go to the dentist for fear. I left I could not take it. God sees everything! Hope those Dentist rot in hell
I have seen so many cashiers in upstate NY with missing teeth, young gals I'm talking about. It breaks my heart to see hard working people unable to get dental care. The former CEO who set up a chain to help poor people is a saint. I pray he remains strong! The corporate models of bill for crowns not drill fillings and stick people with high interest credit cards are predatory and karma will eventually come...
I’m in upstate and honestly I’m just young and struggling. No hard drugs weed occasionally but I didn’t do good on my teeth as a kid. Impoverished people In new york are left to rot and no office has seemed to care. I’ve been trying to get things done for two years and I barely have anything to show for it. No major changes in my life. Just pain.
October, 2021 I experienced an impacted wisdom tooth (R-32) that got infected. It swelled up so bad my brother said I looked like an alien. Pain was like nothing I ever experienced, absolutely excruciating. Couldnt open my jaw wide enough to eat solid food for a time. No sympathy from my employer, wrote me up even after I got a doctors note excusing for 2 days to let the antibiotics kick in. Once the cyst burst, I spit out the most vile fluid for 2 days. Turns out I had to see a surgeon and I was lucky to get in after a month of waiting. I'm fine now and consider myself fortunate.
How awful! It's disgusting that your employer had to add to your problems the way they did. Are you a postal worker, by any chance? (It's ok if you don't want to answer that.)
FYI, when you have a serious issue like this, you can take up to 2400 mg of ibuphropen in 24 hours (800 mg x 3) which reduces the swelling and is effective against pain.
There was a dad in Utah who had a cavity couldn't get the worm it needed covered and as c'mon just tries to go without taking care of it cause you have no choice unless you have that cash for it and that became a blood infection and it killed him once your blood becomes toxified only upon intvestigating cause of death
I have experience pericoronitis as well and it is the most excruciating pain I've ever felt. I had a baby without meds and I would rather do that all day long than having to endure the pain I felt with that tooth infection.
You could have died due to the infections, as far as i can tell, your case should be treated as a emergency case. Usually the dentist gives you a precautionary antibiotics so that after the surgery your infection would be less. But it's awful that your cyst ruptured. I couldn't imagine.
My experience has been that dentists are the silent money makers in the medical field. At my last dentist I asked the hygienist how much the cleaning costs. She said it was $110. When she was finished the dentist came in to peak in my mouth. It took all of 2 minutes and he charged me $75, a total of $185. I can understand the $110 for the cleaning. As for the dentist, if I gave him the benefit of the doubt and say he spent 5 minute that comes to $900 an hour. And if that wasn't bad enough during one visit he suggested that I get a night guard since I tend to grind my teeth. His dental assistant took the mold. When it came back I tried it on. He spent a few minutes fine tuning it. The charge was $500. A year or so later I was on line with Amazon and found a company that sends you the mold and the goo to fill it with. The charge was $100. It fit like a glove. If it needed adjustments or they had to redo the guard for any reason there was no charge not even for postage. If I paid $100 retail I'm sure that my dentist pay less due to the volume of work that he gives the company he uses. But for arguments sake let's say he also pays$100. A dental assistant took the mold which took all of 5 minutes and all she did was time it an remove it from my mouth. When I came back to pick it up the dentist spent maybe 5 minutes at the outside to make some minor adjustments. That means he netted $400 for 5 minutes worth of work and some nominal amount that his dental assistant got paid for watching the goo harden. $400 times 12 grosses him $4,800 PER HOUR. Even if he spent 10 minutes on the adjustments that's $2800 per hour. Most surgeons don't make that much money. Oh yes and he drives an Alfa Romeo. I understand that as someone years in medical school learning his trade should be compensated accordingly, but charging $4000/hour is obscene. I should point out that these kinds of charges have been my experience with more than one dentist. I just recently moved to Florida. After the cleaning the dentist came in and showed me that one of my molars would need an implant. There is a periodontist in the practice as well. He came in and looked at the xrays and when I asked how much the one implant would cost he responded that it would be $7000. I almost lost it. I was also distressed that when I first walked in to the office and asked how much they charged for a cleaning they wouldn't give me a straight answer. They wanted my insurance info first. I asked a second time and they were still evasive. A week or so later I was walking down the street and was passing a dentist's office so I went in and inquired about the cost of an implant. Much to my surprise, receptionist asked me which tooth. Her response was about $3000. Finally someone who was giving me a straight answer and a more reasonable price. I didn't think to ask at the time but I will go back and inquire about the price of a cleaning, xrays and the doctor's once over. It seems that there are no controls over what dentists do and what they charge for their services and I don't see anyone stepping up to the plate. It's a sad state of affairs. There seems to be no regulations on dentistry and they have a captive audience.
@David Crandall. ....... and the insane overhead for changing technology, insurances, increased staff wages & compensation, etc. Everybody has this misconception that every dollar paid by a patient goes in the doctors pocket. Wrong!
It wouldn’t be like this if dental school didn’t cost 400k to attend. Everyone is mad at the wrong people. Insurance companies and tuition are to blame for dentists atrocious prices.
I’ve taken excellent care of my teeth. My first cavity was at 14 years old. I’m a senior citizen now and I’m depressed, stressed and frustrated at the money that’s being charged. Every month for 3 years I have been paying $100-$200 PER MONTH for cracked teeth from an accident. Radiation treatments after chemo affected my teeth too. I feel embarrassed and ashamed that I’ve had 5 teeth pulled because of lack of quality dentistry. And it just doesn’t stop. They keep wanting to put implants in at 4500$ a pop. I’m on Medicaid after losing my savings, house and all assets because of cancer. All this happened within these 7 years. All my life I worked and took care of myself. Now……..
I had a manager who had all hers pulled & got dentures by the time she turned 38. Because, as she put it, her teeth were just a never ending expense. She’s 65 now, & happy with her decision. Reading all these stories, has me paranoid about the future of my teeth.
Since retirement I have the same problem. I have always cared for my teeth, but teeth do what they want sometimes. There is no dental care in retirement, and all available dental insurance is just crap.
I feel for you Heidi. We are so fortunate to have cancer treatment paid by taxes Pubic Health system is not perfect but we dont lose our house because of debt to hospitals. Terrible system
It's expensive in my country too but at least the common insurance kicks in once you've during the year paid more than $327 then you pay only 50% up to $1636 and above that amount, you pay 15% and the other tax payers pick up the rest of your bill. If you're older than 23 years old, that is, it's free for the youngsters.
This really brings tears to my eyes. I’m one of those kids that grew up in FL. Ended up getting addicted to opiates bc they were cheaper than the dentist. Now I’m 30 years old and have more teeth extracted from my mouth than I do actual teeth. I still struggle with the pain and my addiction once one of my broken teeth start hurting. I make appointments when I save up enough money to go get a tooth extracted but it’s sad to think we are a nation of people going through the same thing
While we give 1sræl $28,000,000,000 *every* year. A young working man with is own home passed away because he couldn't afford his insulin. He was a 19 year old with low body fat. His poor mom.
I was quoted $4500 root canal without insurance, and with insurance I paid $2500. I hate going to the dentist and thereis no reason dental procedures need to be this expensive
The prices are mad. I live in finland, if I get a root canal done in a private practice, it's going to cost around 400-500 euros. A simple filling is around 120-150. If you get it done in an icu it's less than 100, because the goverment covers the rest. And if you don't have a job, the goverment will pay even for the 100. Kids get free healthcare until they are 18. That includes braces, yearly check ups etc.
I lived in the US for 9 years, during that time, I had problems with one wisdom tooth. The "surgeon" tied me up, and treated me like an animal. I stoped seeing a dentist for almost 10 years. It was really traumatic. Not just expensive, but a bad, bad service.
And they treat you as a number no a patient. I mean number = money and patient = care, safe your tooth, give the best service, prevent, explain everything. I have experience here in USA I never imagine how bad it is the Dental Health, wow. In my country Honduras I always arguing about the price, etc but now I talked with my dentist and I share with her How I missed her, beacuse here If you say "I don't have insurance" they don't give option they just only explsin you "Is up to you what you priorities, is depend your money when you have the money you csn come back" and they see the cavities, the heard "I have a pain" mmm no They just only said "The lady of Insursnce system talk to you and know If you apply with a Care Credit or our financial system. Ok. Is insane they are No doctor they are commercial, money, no matter what you suffer, no matter whats you need they didn't help you. I sad for my type of Visa I can go to other country like my country but I need urgently a Dental Crown and Cosmetic Denstistry for recover my all mouth. And I Can't.
@@jenifferavilez The United States is the worst place for dental treatment. You see celebrities and the rich, and if you look closely you can tell most of them have fake or capped teeth. No working person in America can afford beautiful teeth without going into debt. Thankfully I live in Texas close to Mexico. I’m now considering getting dental work done there. Thankfully because I’m close to Mexico I can also travel back for check-ups to make sure there are no complications. It takes a lot of research to find a trustworthy doctor and clinic. Once I’ve saved the money I’ll hopefully get quality dental help without the insane amount of money that the U.S. charges. My country makes me ashamed. Health and dental care is outrageous. It’s like they’re banking on us to suffer and die if we can’t pay up. They’re no different from the mafia in some aspects.
Those dentists are filling a great need to people with limited funds . Many thanks for such a wonderful gesture . To provide the relief they need is the greatest gesture of the volunteer dentists . Many kudos to them . 👍❤️
The problem starts with the processed sugar industry that causes high dental cavities. As long as Coca Cola, Pepsi, snickers, etc exist... then people will end up going to these dental corporations and take advantage of them as patients.
It also kinda starts with people not brushing before bed and flossing their teeth and going to the dentist regularly through out their life.. not many do all of this.
@@lauralittle6899 Absolutely. The higher sugar intake in our diet is still and by far the bigger issue than people not brushing their teeth. There are people who don’t get dental problems due to their oral flora. Then there are people who brush a lot and still get cavities. It’s a balance between sugar seeking bacteria and processed sugar itself. All things equal, countries with less processed sugar diets have less dental cavities. We are sugar junkies!
Truth and reality of dentistry is right here in this thread. The way people live today , eating processed junk, they don't clean and care for their teeth BEFORE problems arise. Before 1980 people went to the dentist once a year for a clean if they were lucky, otherwise only when they needed a tooth pulled or filled, it's now an industry because of peoples choices daily.
For anyone watching this: get a passport and travel to Nogales, Mexico. Great clinics, reasonable prices, good dentistry. My girlfriend’s parents, my girlfriend and my brother have all gone there for dentistry. Many many retirees that live in Arizona travel there for help..Good luck.
You know what i find ironic... that a lot of those people flying to mexico to pay cheaper prices are then ones that in america hates on immigrants and belittles them. Yet they have no problem benefiting from that country.
I'm a jobless 33 brown guy from Cochabamba, Bolivia. Last week I checked all my teeth with a dentist. Total cost of cavities and cleaning: 100 USD. When I was in the US a urine test cost me 2500 USD. Glad I left and never came back. They gave pills for 100 USD. I was like... no way I'm paying this.Go to go Mexico or Canada or Bolivia. I love it here.
yes, got out of usa 5 years ago and moved to mexico, my life improved and the freedom i have here is what the usa always talks about but never delivers.
My mother was an orthodontist she made all my braces and retainers and she did a lot more in that sense I was lucky, and so was every single one of her patients. She treated every single patient just as good if not better than she treated me. Lol and if a patient truthfully couldn't afford the braces, retainer etc. She would make them for those patients on her free time from home.. part of our house was turned into an orthodontist office/lab just so she could work from home and got all the legal licenses to do so.. Serrell dental is exactly how a dental office should be. And that one rep. For Kool smiles is a liar and you can see it. All she is doing is saying anything she can to protect that business because if not she will be fired just like that other lady. There should be no bonuses because money makes people do nasty things. And for her to say that share holders care about patients is complete bullshit and everyone knows it All they care about is getting there investment back and more.
This is true. You could tell she was spouting all the pre-packaged lines that she was given to spout. She wasn't answering questions. She wasn't thinking. She was an automaton. That's why she was the only one allowed to be interviewed on camera. She was well versed in the canned answers she had to regurgitate. She was a well paid liar.
I'm a health care provider. This concept touches every field of health care. Insurance reumbursement rates are at times very low. As a provider of those patients you dont have a lot of choice. So just like these dentists, the system can bully you into just having to see more and more patients. It's NO secret. Neither the the patients nor the clinicians are happy about it. And the people (in the system) putting the pressure on to set higher & higher productivity goals are not the ones who have to be held personally responsible for the "quality" of the work. This is absolutely no secret. But it doesn't change.
no buddy, as a dentist or doctor you don't get to be the beneficiary of this corrupt system and also play the victim as if you're just as disadvantaged as a patient in pain
I can relate to 30yr old women Vanessa that was in the chair in the biggining of the story I'm very lucky to be in Canada on services of help for dentistry after getting my life together and now going back to school I'm very embarrassed of my teeth from. The extreme rotting . Even one day my dad came to see me and told me seeing my face especially teeth made his day bad when he was happy that day. That still sits with Me. I still have half my teeth to do . I'm very excited to eat without pain and look pretty again❤
Ms. Vanessa, you deserve to smile dear. A smile can make or break someone’s confidence. I’m so sorry what you’ve been through and it’s times like this that I wish I was Oprah or someone with great financial means where I could help you or others like myself even. I guess I have a bit of the OCD, I’ve got two electric toothbrushes (Philips and Oral B) plus a regular toothbrush. Would you believe I’m guilty of over-brushing, brushing too hard close to the gum line, and I’ve caused my gums to recede. I’m about to be faced with at least $10K in dental work to fix my teeth. I’ll be using my care credit card and all of my FSA dollars for the year. I swear I bet it would be cheaper to go with dentures. I almost cried at the end seeing the emotion when you smile, beautiful lady!! I bet you will have the confidence needed now to apply for any job you want and get it. Wishing you a Happy 2022!!
Poor dental care has been linked to heart Issues, cancer, and even Alzheimer’s. This is a serious problem for all Americans especially the poor. It’s a shame that this country would rather spend trillions on nuclear bombs and military defense than on providing us with reasonable and affordable medical and dental care.
Health insurance used to cover dental work. It used to be affordable. It used to be regulated by the federal government. You can thank the GOP for deregulating the insurance industry. They turned healthcare into a profit making industry.
It's not even the poor. I grew up with parents to "rich" for Medicade but too poor for "luxuries" like dental care and orthodontic work. If we were poor-er I could at least had Medicade
My dentist does no charge work twice a year at a university. Best dentist I've ever had. Took my teeth through crowns, root canals, and extractions over the past 15 years. My last check up was the first time in my life I was problem free.
Been there done that !! He was no saint caused me great pain , and got angry because I had warned them my roots were curly !! 3 and a half hours later , I still had part of a root left , he just stitched it up and wouldn't speak to me !?? I'm to blame ?? Still have no teeth left ! He took them all ! Not necessarily but ....? He was mad ! The others were very easy, and fast !! I gum everything now !
Those dentists that spend their off days helping those in need without seeing profit or bonuses or anything, just donating their time... I'm not religious in any way but they are saints for sure. :)
The dental therapist is an excellent way to expand basic dental care to the patients with Medicaid to less! Nurse Practitioners have been a godsend for physicians and patients!! An MD isn’t always necessary.
This!!! Please do this. These corporate clinics overwork new graduates and bill extra treatment that isn’t necessary while having insanely long wait times. Exp: western dental in California
This one needs a 2022 update. Thank you. Parents spent 5 figures on braces and tooth fixes, and they are now longterm caused side effects and secondary requirements for more work that should have been done better if we had known better. Tooth pain is the worse, I've even had my jaw broken by a dental jaw widen device to straighten teeth. This should be a public service, and funded properly.
I also agree with MCMLXII....and hey Sir!! Mouth hurt's the worst as well as stuff related to the spinal cord because they are areas of the body where there is the most nerves...a toothache or backache are the worst!!....crazy stuff!!
When my husband met me I needed 11 extractions. Poverty clinics had 6 month wait lists and children have priority. My previous teeth were pulled one by one by traveling charities who treated the homeless. I lived in the homeless shelter. I’d sometimes be waiting for a dentist while in agony. Sometimes my infection got so bad they refused to pull the tooth yet they didn’t give pain meds until after the extraction so I had to wait. It was during these times when I realized that rules matter more than healthcare. How could they let me suffer and nearly die without care!? I’m happy that my husband paid for a real dentist who extracted my remaining 11 teeth in one go and I was so happy to never have to go through that again! Finally have dentures and I’m delighted! But I know that even these are a privilege few can afford.
@@CrystalMouse1 I'm sorry this country is so cruel to people who can't "pick themselves up by the bootstraps". People like GenX X probably had generational money to help them move ahead in society. If not, they are probably in debt to their ears...You ARE somebody and you matter. Don't let these fools get you down. They are no better than you. I am happy to hear you have found a way to get your needs taken care of. Nobody deserves to suffer.
God bless these dentists who came to help these people in Virginia!! They have no idea the difference they are making in people's lives! I've been there having many dental issues and scared, but luckily after many years of searching, found a dentist to help me! She changed my life!!!
I'm a brazilian dentist and we face almost the same problems... The dental insure companies pay poorly to us. Cleaning, for example, you earn 35 reais, which is around 6 dollars. Now, to build a decent dental office, you need at least 50 grant in reais, which is 9k dollars. It's like the doctor said, you can't survive with only these insurance fees! The fact is that dental care and the dental industry is really expensive for both dentists and patients. We need a lot of instruments to see whats going on with your teeth. I know it may be expensive, but we are only passing the costs. Its a business! We need to survive too! It's crazy how things are similar in the us!!
I have a few broken teeth in the front of my mouth. Dentists kept telling me I needed a bridge, about $3,000. Half up front. I could barely keep a roof over my head. I finally found a dentist who looked at me and said crown would be fine. Previous doctors wanted the money from the bridge. I now pay $40 a month for dental insurance, with $1,200 a year for dental work . That went fast, last year, after 3 crowns. Had to wait until this new year to continue the work.
This subject hit me at the core !!! I am shocked to even see this subject is being exposed. I have had a plethora of inmoral experiences with dentist everywhere I have been to. Meaning both in the US and outside of the US; With good insurance from my job, then with Medicaid and also with cash outside of the country. I have experienced it all. It took me years to finally realize that dentistry is a business. I was so disappointed and frankly heartbroken bc I used to look up to dentist with the same respect that I look up to any other doctor. It is very sad to find out that I am being seen as a dollar sign when I walk into a dentist office. The best experience is to be treated by a dentist linked to a good school. For example Columbia university or NYU here in New York have graduates that are doing extra training under the supervision of an experienced dentist. I rather make that exchange, than being lied to for money. It’s disgusting that the dental health ( and mental health ) are not a priority for the health care system. They pay them barely anything , that’s why they don’t accept Medicaid .
Absolutely! Having dental issues,especially infections can cause Inflammation and build up plaque in the heart! Not to mention the agony of trying to eat and drink fluids when you are hurting. We need to include PREVENTATIVE health and especially dental care in America!
@@lunakat6369 When I was in 6th grade, one of teachers died from the infection getting into her bloodstream. Also, one infected tooth can cause the ones next to it to rot.
The cost of dental care is ridiculous! I went to a “holistic” dentist who did a full examination and told me all of the work he proposed would cost me $53,000.00. I had no dental insurance and told the office person so. Her response, “That wouldn’t do you much good anyway because it doesn’t cover much.” She suggested I borrow from a family member or use credit cards. Imagine, $53,000 in credit card debt.
It's really sad what they get away with. I was told my work would cost 20k and was told to borrow from family or get credit. I told that dentist I'd buy a car before I gave her that kind of money
Got to Mexico, Colombia, Turkey...have a great vacation while you are at it. They have excellent dentists. And with the money you would have paid here, you can even travel back there for follow-up visits.
I feel for all these people suffering. How many of them though are voting against their own interests? Don't y'all want public health care so you don't have to end up with infected teeth and all your teeth pulled by 30? You can be conservative/religious and still want health care for all. Every single Republican politician, especially the ones in house/senate, have excellent health care. Y'all "normal people" deserve excellent health care too. Maybe that's one thing we all can begin to work together on.
Sadly, there are some people (e.g., those who were featured in the beginning of the documentary) who like to vote against their own interests because they've been raised like that. And if you tell them about Medicare for All or any social program that might help them or their children in some way, they will call you the "S" or the "C" word.
I walked into an Aspen dental clinic once. I got up and walked out when the dentist (I'm not really sure she was a dentist; she didn't identify herself to me and I didn't see her name or title on her jacket...no ID tag) started telling me I had to have immediate surgery to remove wisdom teeth. Those wisdom teeth had never bothered me...or my other teeth. Like I said, I just got up, took my little clipped napkin off and walked out. I'd never set foot in another Aspen Dental office. I feel like their dentists need to know how to act in a professional way...and if they're not willing to do that, I'm not going to be their patient/customer. Period.
Wisdom teeth are a magnet for dentist greed whether they are corporate or a mom-and-pop office. I've had many private dentists suggest I get my wisdom teeth out too, and replace my silver fillings. When I hear a dentist suggest those 2 things, I know I have to go elsewhere.
Medicade is a government program yet its being ripped off by greedy Dentist and Doctors. After it was regulated Doctors and Dentist refuse to accept these types of patients.
Wow... in Sweden you get free dental care until the age of 20 and after that you'd pay anywhere from $120 to $300 per year to have them checked up and fixed if needed. The fee is based on how well you take care of your teeth. I feel really sorry for the people that can't afford to keep their teeth in order.
Hats off to PBS and the AMAZING work they do. This documentary is EYE-OPENING and makes me feel VERY lucky that I never have had a root canal, crowns, or anything else of that nature done to me at 39 going on 40. These corporations who prey on vulnerable communities...it's sick, disgusting, and pathetic.
There's a dentist near me who saved me a fortune and years of pain, instead of other places charging $300 per extraction, he charged me $400 for 4 extractions.. I'm missing half of my teeth, but food actually tastes good now because I'm not in pain.
Dental pain is by far some of worst a person can experience, and poor dental health can lead to deadly serious issues. America expects people to be upright citizens, but we can't even take care our own. We already pay taxes to have a massive military, but we could take care of people with Universal Healthcare. Plain and simple.
Welcome to America yall this is outrages I'm from europe and I got to say the American dream is to suck of people money for greedy corporations and the so-called military which is nothing more than a game to the government
@@brandonsupreme8380 The American dream is just to have a family and a home and be happy. It's very simple, but Capitalism has tried to twist it into this gross, dismorphic monster that can't stop. It's one of many reasons people here snap.
@@alfx5432 We need to organize like a muthafucka. Whatever is happening now is flat out not right. No point in letting things boil down. Let our froth bubble and spill out of the melting pot.
While I do not support Universal Healthcare for many reasons, I agree with your statement…. “…. we can’t even take care of our own.” I think of this almost daily, as we drop billions to fund unending wars, and continue to give health insurance to those skirting our laws flooding our borders. I often joke with my husband saying we should have our kids cross the border to come to America, claim they’re escaping violence, so they can get free medical care, housing, and food stamps.🙄 America could use this money to help their own by funding low cost dental clinics, or reimbursing dentists & doctors fairly for their work.
I do not disagree with this documentary. I took my daughter to Kool Smiles and I was told she needed 3 root canals. I got a second opinion from a pediatric dentist and I’m glad I did. No root canals were done. She has great teeth per her dentist and orthodontist.
A lot of people do not know that almost all of the border towns along the US border with Mexico have "medical tourism" where people can get affordable dental care. All of the dentists have degrees from the USA (University of Baja California) and you can get crowns, implants and dentures in 24 hours. No where else in the world do dentists earn what they earn in the USA, it is shameful. My former husband, son and brother are all dental lab technicians. WIth implants gaining in popularity (because dentists push them on patients even though the failure rate is quite high) I had all my teeth crowned after extensive dental work at the age of 40, and the front bridge failed first, and I ended up having all of my upper teeth removed (in Mexico) and a denture made, and 5 years later, the lower went to denture. This is after spending over $100,000 over 20 years to American dentists.
I am so sorry to hear about your dental situation! My dental situation is becoming bleak now at age 41. So are you saying in the long run that dentures hold up longer than dental implants and are the way to go to ensure a huge headache in the near future ?
I live in Texas in Austin so I am gonna definitely take a look into this and thanks for the info on the "Mexico medical tourism". Is there a particular dentist / dental business in a particular Mexico border town you could recommend? Somewhere in Matamoros, Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, Piedras Negras, Ciudad Acuña? Thank you in advance!
@UCW9wbb0KPKsXLjwXu2p7WNQ just go to a dental place in Mexico, pay straight cash. It will save you way less money. My mom did her dental procedure in India for like $300, which it. Oats $5k in the US.
I really need to make some contacts to meet some friendly dental amigos across the border. I can't stand American crooked doctors and all their bs and red tape bureaucracy anyways!
I worked for three dentists and they were all abusing their patients and over charging the insurance companies. I reported one but it was my word against the dentist and nothing came to it. I am so stressed when I go to a new dentist now. One dentist just about butchered the patient while I assisted and pulled out the wrong tooth. There was blood everywhere and since the patient was numb he had no idea what had taken place. She ran the practice into the ground and then moved to another state to continue her horrible work. After she left all the other dentists in our area were fixing her botched jobs and she was well known. Not sure if I can put her name here but TL is wording in Oregon now and she had her first practice in Farmington Arkansas. I would say the majority of dentists go into the field for the money while most medical doctors go into the field to help patients. Yeah the majority do not have your best interests at heart, they only have their pocketbooks.
We need a 2022 update! My family wasn't well off when I was kid. The only time that I went to the dentist was when I was in pain. Fast forward to today I have to onlay crowns and my genetics are ravaging my teeth. Now, I have had dental care for the past 10 plus years and every time I go to the dentist my they comment how clean my teeth are. Now that I have my own kids they have gone to the dentist every six months since age 1. I am blessed to dental insurance and hoping that my kids don't run into so many issues as they get older.
It is TRUE!!! They look at your insurance and start their business. I went for a regular cleaning in 2003, and as soon as it was done, they came with 7 cavities! Three appointments for 3+2+2 filling! I was very new to the country and the procedure. I went for the next appointment, thinking about the cleaning. The dentist was ready to drill my teeth, and I stopped him. I switched dentists, and he didn't find any cavities. SURPRISE!!! After some years, I saw a different dentist. They did the same regular cleaning, and for the next appointment, they suggested deep cleaning ($1200), because regular cleaning is not good anymore. I agreed and did the deep cleaning. On the follow-up visit, they came up with a different issue and offered a free consultation ($8900). They clearly told me they were not going to do any more regular cleaning if I didn't do this procedure. I completely stopped going to the dentist for a few years. Now it's my fourth dentist! Good luck to me!
My sister told me she took my nephew to the dentist and they told her he was getting cavities and she should cap his teeth to prevent further decay. 5 months later she takes him again. No sign of cavities. Either he put in a super amount of effort to turn his situation around (which I doubt bc he's young) or he never had cavities to begin with.
The truth is that what is considered a cavity on an oral exam is subjective (an opinion) rather than a definite fact. Severe cavities are obvious, but what you just described is a perfect example of how things could go wrong. I hope your sister did not go with the caps. Once the enamel is damaged with a drill, that tooth will never recover. What is sinful is that there are coating agents that can be applied to the tooth surface to protect the teeth from bacteria responsible for tooth decay. This is not a substitute for proper oral hygiene but it makes a huge difference. I bet your nephew is/was a good candidate for that. I don't know why this is not common practice, perhaps because it has to do with profits.
Caps are the beginning of the end. That dentist is no friend of yours. Post on Google maps, rip off report, Better Business. Yelp. On and on. Whoever that jerk is he needs to be destroyed.
This is such an informative documentary and really puts things into perspective. In my area, we have one dentist that takes Medicaid and it takes FOREVER to get in. I complain all the time about how long it takes to get in to the dentist, but wow. At least we have a dentist that we can go to! Dental care is SO important and I hate that insurance companies and the government treat it as optional or cosmetic. "Just take proper care of your teeth." Sure, that sounds easy in theory, but so many things go into tooth decay or issues. Eating habits (low-income homes can't always afford healthy food choices), vitamin deficiencies, genes, etc. Overbrushing can even cause damage, as well as brushing too hard. Access to affordable dental care should be a RIGHT. Not a privilege.
I finally earn enough, at 42, to be able to fix my teeth. I grew up poor, made bad choices (soda, smoked, drank, and didn’t floss). In the Army the dentists just filled the cavities with amalgam… reconstructed my teeth with amalgam, and even extracted one. I recently had my amalgam teeth (two) extracted, got two implants, two fillings, completed a crown that I’ve needed for 4 years, and today I’m going to get fitted for Invisalign. My teeth have always been crooked, also have crowding and an overbite… But, because I was poor… I just thought that’s how it was. Crazy America is this way… all about profit at the expense of the poor and working class. I no longer smoke (16 years), no longer drink (3 years), very seldom drink soda… What a journey.
50% of the dentists I've ever visted, OVERTREATED and scammed me. I just fired my recent dentist as I caught them lying to me over an $8,000 crown I did not need. Plus they scheduled me for services just months before my insurance would have covered them, and I had to pay out of pocket. The very first dentists I went to as a teenager forced me to get 10 fillings I did not actually need! I was just a kid and that dentist kept poking his poker into my HEALTHY teeth extremely hard to make them hurt! The con artist charged my elderly grandmother thousands of dollars! It's all a money game to them and EXACTLY why I despise American dentistry!!!
Thank you for this. Dental care is an essential part of overall health but is still overlooked by our legislators as a critical unmet need. So many poor and elderly endure avoidable suffering and poor health because American doesn't provide affordable accessible dental care.
How are their teeth? The legislators? Who are their dentists? Do they belong to some elite group? How's their Healthcare? What's also bad is the customer service in these offices today. Insanity. Their all haters of..people. Im calling off all my appointments except for Monday. I need this one tooth extracted months ago😖 its a molar. I want to have something in it's place. I didn't want to have it pulled because i don't want to be without it. But, we cant afford it. And at the same time, i cant afford not to. My health is at risk every day i don't take care of it. Thank you, Lord that I am a woman of faith and my God, Ruler over my life, He is going to take care of me. God bless America
Teaching good dental hygiene is important from an early age. Teeth and gums deal with a lot of circumstances that are stressful, and proper cleaning and care can prevent so many problems later on. Preventative care is not profitable.
Even if you take amazing care of your teeth, which you absolutely should do, there are issues of genetics, disease, and trauma that can all still cause you to end up with bad teeth you cant afford to fix. It's not always preventable
My wife is Japanese so we can both get dental coverage in Japan at a reasonable price. It is sad to say, but if I need anything major (a crown, etc.) it is cheaper for me to fly to Japan to get it worked on. Both our dental and medical systems are broken in the US.
I live in Japan where national health insurance covers dental work. I've never paid more than $10 for a dental visit. In America it cost me at least $200 per visit for a cleaning, but if anything complicated, it was $1000. Nice place to visit, but glad I no longer live there.
If America used Japan as a cultural role model, we could have the same systems. Japanese eat healthier, are more active and have higher societal expectations for individuals. We just can’t afford it.
This is 10 years old. Nothing has changed. I'm 68 with only a few teeth left. I don't believe anything will change in my lifetime. Only people with money deserve teeth.
@@critter4004 I had to edit my comment to you several times because your response made me so angry. Who are you to sit on high and judge another person with so much smug self-satisfaction? You don't know anything about that individual's life or nutritional background. You took a comment someone made in pain and you turned it into an opportunity to feel superior. You "simply" avoided tooth decay by not eating sugars and starches. The word simply does a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. Avoiding the need for dental care is far more complicated than simply avoiding sugars and starch. If an individual doesn't get adequate dental care when they are a child, that can set them up for a lifetime of problems. Tens of millions of children do not get adequate medical and dental care in the US. There are many factors other than diet. Two individuals eating the same healthy diet can have vastly different dental situations. I have to go to the dentist every 6 months, my best friend goes once in a decade with no ill effects and I eat a very healthy diet. As for eating sugar or starches, you should be aware that brushing your teeth immediately ameliorates most of the bad dental effects of these foods. I'm not advocating for eating sugars and starches, they should be avoided for other reasons, but when they are eaten, brush right away. Your comment embodies so much of what is wrong in this country. Blaming another person for their misfortune without any knowledge of the circumstances while feeling superior for "simply" making better choices. I'm going to make a suggestion that will probably seem alien to you. Even if they had all of the information, even if they had received exemplary care as a child and willfully ate grains and sugar, they should still not have to suffer rotting teeth and the inability to chew. Healthcare and dental care should not be for-profit industries. I've lived in other countries where everyone receives basic medical and dental care. Our taxes pay for roads, the postal service, schools, police and firefighters, the necessary and essential services we share as a society. In every other developed nation and in some that are not healthcare is understood to be a necessity just like roads, bridges and schools. What differentiates you from the person you responded to? Luck of the draw? Education? Opportunity? All of the factors in a person's life that contribute to making them who they are. If you work 12 hours a day in a warehouse, you're probably not going to have time to educate yourself on what to eat. You might not have access to those foods or time to cook them. By the time you get to the age of 60 and have struggled your whole life, your dental health may just not be exemplary for many reasons that were never in your control. We don't prioritize education. We don't prioritize the well-being of the people who live here. Profit is the only concern. Industries with a vested financial interest actively fight against the public being made aware of how bad their products are. Do you remember Coca-Cola's advertising campaign where they said that all calories are the same and the only important thing is the number of calories, as long as you don't eat too many calories Coca-Cola has a place in a healthy diet. They outright said that there's no difference between 200 calories of broccoli or salmon or Coca-Cola. They knew that wasn't true but they still ran with it. And they got away with it. The tobacco companies still sell cigarettes. The processed food corporations maintain staffs of thousands whose job it is to formulate foods that will be uniquely addictive. Remember Lay's potato chips? "Bet you can't eat just one!" that give away the game up front. These foods are manufactured to bypass our satiety mechanisms. They are made to induce overeating, calories that provide no nutritional value and do significant damage. And they are all sold and marketed to those who are most vulnerable. You are lucky that you were able to educate yourself. You understand that sugars and starches are bad for your health and bad for your teeth. You probably have enough time to make good food. You might have had a baseline of dental care or were able to get it for yourself or happened to luck out and never need it. Do you think that only those similarly situated to you deserve to be healthy? Do you really believe that it is as simple as avoiding sugars and starches?
@@critter4004 I figured there would be a snarky comment about an essay or novella. I was certain you would do that and you didn't disappoint. Everything I said was accurate, reading is not work, if it's an effort for you to read something or if it takes time, that isn't a problem I have. It's a choice you make. Reread your response to the original comment. Do you not see how you came across? The first thing you say is "what was your diet." Then the word simply, you simply avoided sugars and starches and for that reason do not have tooth decay. That was all you had to say to the person who has no teeth and is suffering. No compassion, no questions, just judgment and assumptions about their diet with more about your own experience. Your experience is anecdotal, you suggested that all they had to do is do what you did and everything would be great when that isn't accurate. How does that help them when they are already in this situation? All they had to do was not eat sugars and starch, and that helps them now how? It doesn't. All it does is serve as an opportunity for you to point out what you believe to be their bad choices without knowledge as to whether they made those choices or if they knew better. That's what prompted my essay. The thing you should do is go back and reread your comment, understand how it came across and try to do better next time. You don't have to acknowledge that to me, that isn't the point.
@@critter4004 IMO - Genetics plays a big part in oral condition as well certain diseases, pregnancy, medications, and physical ailments Please do not stereotype.
@@critter4004 like really, lady! Diet! Diet! Many people cannot help the food made available to them. We brush, floss, water pic all the same. We buy food we can afford. And yes, some of us even have major dental work done at extreme cost only to end up through no fault of our own with dental discord. Honest to goodness..you haven't a clue. SMH!🙄🙄
@@Kyarrix Ohhh my goodness.. Take me to church..one of the best responses I've read in quite some time. Ty for your words and hopefully some people reading your comments will show a little humility in life going forward. 💯
agreed, I wish there were more clinics like that for folks! I know some of the dental schools offer low cost care to those with a low income, but a lot of people don't know about it.
I am a retired Dentist, I semi specialized in EMERGENCY CARE , FOR 33 YEARS I AM A UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Graduate MY ADVICE TO ALL PEOPLE IN NEED IS TO BUUSH WITH BAKING SODA ALL YOUR TEETH AFTER EACH MEAL UNTIL YOU CAN GET TO A DENTIST . AS SOON AS POSSIBLE , put an ice bag on the outside , take your usual pain medication. BEST TREATMENT IS. PRACTICE PREVENTION . "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"
Best journalism on 📺 hands down. I trust PBS and Frontline. Been a supporter and viewer since i was a kid. And when i got older i realized how much good PBS does for our country. And frontline is the most truthful and reliable news source today. thank you PBS for a lifetime of incredible programming.
General dentist here. I speak for many dentists when I say dental care, as well as vision and hearing, should all be covered under medical insurance. I have a tiny office with one staff member. The cost to run a tiny office is insane. We have to buy our own equipment unlike other fields. Keeping up with the new technology will make you go broke. Yet everyone thinks because I am a dentist I am rich. I drive a used car and made 45k last year, barely enough to pay my home mortgage & have money to live on. I live paycheck to paycheck. Dentistry is a very expensive field to get into and to stay in and it's just getting worse.
PBS should pay the students $30k a year for the 8 years of their lives they spend to become a dentist, then pay off the $500,000 in student loans. Then PBS can buy the required equipment, Becoming a dentist is not free , For a decent return on time and $$ invested to become a dentist , , your time and money is better utilized if your become a welder or a clerk at the DMV
@@theburgh70 I am an older dentist looking to retire very soon. Times were much different when I started out. Overhead in dentistry has always been high. Some professions are like that. There were many years I made over 6 figures working 3-4 days a week & lived good live style & could actually save money. My school loans were paid off....Then personal health care insurance skyrocketed after Obamacare went into effect and computers & new technology started to come into play. In the beginning, it wasn't to bad but then the technology just exploded. Along with that came high purchase bills, then high repair or new software, upgrades, high insurance on all these new gadgets, educating staff, etc...And then came a lot of new regulations to go along with all of this. Then everything has to be updated for a cost....The solo practioner is now overwhelmed with which bill to pay first. Many patients are lured by insurance companies to pick an in-network dentist so they can save a few bucks & the insurance company always gets richer. You are going to see older dentsts start merging with other offices and solo practices are beginning to decline (it's already happening) & there are going to be more group practices & corporate dental offices taking over. These offices are going to rush you in & out because they have to see more patients in less time. I am glad I am at the tail end of my profession. Anyone reading this: Unless you are from a rich family that can pay for your schooling and help you set up an office, find another field....The fields I would recommend atr being a dental hygienist, a nurse practioner, or physicians assistant, working for any major coorporation with good benefits, learn a trade like plumber/electrician, get a state office job, or work for an insurance company. Insurancd companies pay you a decent salary, you get benefits, can work from home many times, generally you can live anywhere, etc. Or work for a major utility for electricity or water companies-decent pay, great benefits, people never leave thesr jobs.
I used to be lucky to have a kind and caring and caring dentist until he stopped taking my insurance. This is why people go outside of the USA for dental and medical care because of socialized medicine.
Dental procedures for situations like infections should have to be covered by your medical insurance, seeing as this has implications for other body systems. It is patently absurd that health insurance does not have to cover dental emergencies. Dental insurance itself is not a solution because dental insurance covers virtually nothing.
The tooth decay is also being accelerated by convenience foods like sodas and packaged sweets. Unfortunately, lower income people relay on these foods due to costs. Definitely as systemic problem.
If you read studies it is in fact NOT cost that determines how much junk food poor families eat, it's more about parents wanting to reward their kids with "something" since they cannot afford to buy them toys or go on vacations, they choose to say yes when their child wants a candy bar, because they have to say no to most other things. IMAGINE if people just stopped popping out kids they cannot afford, and stopped draining the tax payers!!
@@bettysmith4527 if they can’t afford to reward the children in other ways and turn to cheap treats as a reward them cost definitely has something to do with it. You contradicted your own talking point.
i'm a dentist. increasing dental school tuitions is one of the BIGGEST reasons for high cost of dental-care. contact your representatives and ask them to lookin into exorbant dental schools tuitions. I absolutely guarantee to you guys that 99% of the dentists at those corporate chains are newly graduated dentists.
I 💯 agree with everything but the last part. While it makes complete sense, all the ones I’ve met working for corporate chains are there because of things like being under some legal conditions & just being downright self destructive.
This was fantastic. Nothing that I didn't already know was happening but good information for the general public to know about so that they can be aware and question services recommended by their providers. I wish that they would've also included information about PPO insurance as there is also fraud and upselling for these patients as well. There was a shift in dentistry about 30 years ago and its created this mess that I hope can be cleared up. What we do as dental professionals is important but we have lost our way.
Everyone on this earth deserves a chance to enjoy the health and happiness and relief modern medicine can provide. For every doctor dedicated to actually providing true healing to humanity... ...thank you , your contribution is a true blessing. I hope more can follow in your example.
America should have Universal Healthcare for all. They can spend Trillions of Dollars to bail out Banks but can’t take care of their poor citizens. Pro Life is whole body & life. Period!!! This is a perfect example of why Capitalism does not work. Too much American Greed.
@11.55 She is saying correctly, never ever go to a dental chain. It is all about profit, nothing about dentistry. Nothing has changed since it aired 10 years back except these dental chains got wiser and made it difficult to figure out whether a dental office is part of the chain or not. Do your research and go to a practice that is owned and operated by a doctor who is practicing there and has at least 5 to 7 year experience and is known in the community.
I've had teeth yanked because I couldn't afford the other options. I take care of my mouth more than ever and am very thankful, grateful for my dentist and dental clinic that I have now. It ought to be covered under health insurance, Medicare, etc. It's a health issue. Them denying it as such is ludicrous considering a dental infection will straight kill you once it enters your blood stream. Not to mention, before it accomplishes that...it'll slowly poison your whole body. We have to do better than this!
The fact that we get free documentaries on UA-cam by FRONTLINE is truly a gift 👍
Stay away from Dentist, stay away from Doctor.., you would be healthier happier and live longer!!
its not free,,,,its pbs kiddo
Nothing is free. Don't let spoil the magic for you, though, little buddy.
amen I agree thank you Frontline
So 👍 agree
Health insurance should cover your entire body. INCLUDING teeth. INCLUDING eyes. I shouldn't need three different converges. FFS!
We need Medicare For All here in the U.S., especially during this time with the Coronavirus pandemic! What's more "pro-life" than ensuring that every person has guaranteed affordable healthcare regardless of their job? If we all had access to basic healthcare, we would have the "freedom" to live long lives and rarely have to worry about medical bankruptcies. Taxes will go up, but the overall cost will go down. If some of us need additional healthcare than Medicare, then we have the "choice" to get additional insurance. If every other developed country (Canada, Germany, The U.K., France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Taiwan, Japan, S.K., H.K., Singapore, Australia, and N.Z.) can implement this system and save money, then why can't we do the same and help "Make America Great Again" for everybody at least on the issue of healthcare? And if American citizens die from lacking access to affordable health insurance then we are failing our country's promise of defending "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" for its citizens as well as "promoting the general welfare" of all the people living here.
I totally concur.. This one needs a 2022 update.
Thank you. Parents spent 5 figures on braces and tooth fixes, and they are now longterm caused side effects and secondary requirements for more work that should have been done better if we had known better. Tooth pain is the worse, I've even had my jaw broken by a dental jaw widen device to straighten teeth. This should be a public service, and funded properly.
If we had free health insurance, we'd be healthier and happier. Health insurance in the U.S. is abysmal and embarrassing.
Exactly
Exactly. Infected teeth can cause a myriad of other health problems.
The entire healthcare industry: dental, psychiatric, ER, inpatient hospitalization, immediate care, pharmacies, etc., is based on absolutely how much money can be extracted from patients, period. We sacrifice our citizens health and well- being for the all mighty dollar. We have the only first world nation that does this, and it's insane.
I'm a nurse and years ago I took care of a patient who had been hospitalized due to a dental infection. She had an abscess and needed a tooth pulled, but had no insurance and no money. She couldn't find a dentist who would help her. The infection was so bad that she became septic. She finally was able to get medical which is available in California. So her medical bills mounted and we're probably in the millions of dollars. She had to have multiple surgeries, tons of antibiotics and medications. She became totally disabled and bedridden. All of this happened due to a bad tooth!!! What this patient went through is criminal!!!
😳.
Yes you are telling the truth. I had a infected tooth & abscess. I went to 2 different dentist for a second opinion (insurance paid for). But I had to pay $230.00 out of pocket, to remove the tooth & treat the abscess. I got a good deal at the Dental school 👍 Sorry to hear about the ladies results. & I only had the money thanks to the stimulus check 😳
I just paid $9500 for three root canals and it doesn’t look like he put the crown all the way on the gumline and they already look like they’re getting bacteria in the back. Meanwhile he said that I need $10,080 worth of dental work. I used to have beautiful teeth until I was in an accident many years ago with my front tooth got knocked out. I paid $5000 for my tooth to be shoved back in my mouth and bonded to the surrounding teeth. A few years ago it came out when I’ve been into a peach or some thing with a pit, A dentist had accidentally extracted two bottom lower teeth in the back instead of one and so I could only two on one side of my mouth which apparently now I need root canals on those teeth and the front tooth chipped because I’ve been chewing on the front teeth now. I don’t have this kind of money . And I cannot get the kind of work that I would normally get because of a missing tooth. I’m thinking about going to Mexico to get the work done.
@@HH-gv8mx Wow, same here. I decided to get basic dental work done, fillings, cleaning, pull the bad. Then after all that get snap on smile 😳 That's all I can afford.😢
@@aj7009 how is snap on smile? Are they removable dentures? Can you chew food with them?
This documentary was so spot on and clearly exposed the dental industry here in the US. I live in AZ and the info shared here is the exact reason why thousands of Americans flock to Mexico every year to receive quality dental care at half the cost. I currently have halfway decent dental coverage thru my employer with a 1K a year benefit allowance, that amount is basically gone in less than 2 visits for any procedure other than cleaning and X-ray. Every dental office I’ve been in they’re all partnered with those medical finance companies too like Care Credit. The whole system here in the US for dental care is broken. Why isn’t dental care part of overall health care when it comes to insurance coverage?
Similar situation here. Couple of visits a year and that's it for me. I'm at the point now that it is catching up and I can't take of everything that I need. Now I must choose what hurts the worse and what can be saved. It sucks for sure. This care system overall in america is pathetic and definitely inadequate. People shouldn't have to make these choices or even worry about it. 💔😢 👎
So true! I don't trust the health or dental care system at all!!🙌💯
Maybe Americans should stop drinking high fructose corn syrup for lunch breakfast and dinner. Maybe Americans need to go back to basics. There is access to dental school where almost dentists, do the work for cheap. I mean cheap. Friend just had a tooth yanked for $40. He had a root canal for $50. The very first guy said "I can't eat ice cream or chips on that side of my mouth." Also our water is filled with flouride. Something that they say helps teeth lmao
This teeth exploitation is exactly the same in Australia.
I was privileged to receive a lesson at the age of 7 on how to brush properly, as part of the school's curriculum.
I never forgot it. I did not want to be in that torture chair. Somehow I also knew that dental care was a bit expensive, but never did I know how extortionist is has become.
Decades later, I overhear mums at work talking about their kid's dental bills: $30000 over 15 years ago now.
I am 56, and still brush exactly the same way taught to me.
I have maybe 6 fillings now and one pulled that was always a bad colour from get go.
If you have a daily shower as your routine, then include teeth brushing while in there.
It must be a habit as regular as a poo in a toilet.
It saved my oral health. And saved me dollars.
Anything backed by private equity firm, it is all about the money like insurance institutions. If we have combined universal medical AND dental insurance, these firms will go elsewhere like in real estate - buying plots of lands or first tier on brand new subdivisions/ HOA and sell them to other private equities that would rent or lease these to those who cannot afford to buy a home for outrageous fee. It is a vicious cycle only in America.
And here we are 10 yrs after the original airing of this documentary and nothing has gotten better on healthcare in America…
and many of these so called dentists don't accept medicare , because they want cash up front
Things have remained either the same or severely worse!
I'd personally beg to disagree to an extent. I've lived in NJ & NY. I've been on Medicaid as a child and an adult. I'm not completely satisfied with my Medicaid service but NJ DOES cover everything. I have 4 children and they all get preventive care every six months. I have one child who needs mental health care & she's covered for everything including her prescriptions. I was able to get crowns put on for free as a young adult & my other doctors for things like vision are covered. They aren't great but they're covered. I'm grateful for that & clearly NJ has more going for it than I realized in the Medicaid world. NY has it's setbacks but it truly depends on what you're looking for.
This hits home. I have been impoverished all my 58 years. I remember the agony and true torture that my siblings and I suffered by being forced to see "the butchers" that were called community dentists. By the age of 15, my teeth had either been pulled, stained, broken, or inadequately drilled with metal fillings. Now my jaws hurt and I cannot chew. I crush my food with my tongue. I searched for years for an alternative, but the money was just too much, and my so-called insurance will never cover proper dental fixes. I am so ashamed that I NEVER smile. This has taken away so much joy from my life. It is a constant psychological weight and suffering.
I'm there with you, my doctor told me that my bad teeth was risking my heart and health. So about 10 years ago I had 18 teeth pulled over a six month stretch, 2 teeth a week, with a promise of miraculous dentures, that would transform my life, well we know that's a lie. I've had no be social life since then, the only thing those dentures were good for was smiling.they were totally useless for eating.
KEEP YOUR TEETH!!!
The psychological impact is something that is completely and utterly overlooked in dentistry.
I became a dental assistant in my early 20s And I ended up working in an office that specialize in high fear patients. The majority of those patients were baby boomers, early Gen xers, & some World War II Gens. Those patients were tortured as children! The horror stories go on and on!
I loved my job for a long time the problem for me was the money aspect of it all. I was well aware of what it cost to run the office on a day-to-day basis so I understand that it takes money. However going into the healthcare field I think I naïvely anticipated the focus to be on health! It kind of was like that when I first started because we still had a lot of the single doctor family type practices. But as the years went on into the 2000s it became very corporate with huge multi doctor practices and very much not about the patients care.
I started having health problems of my own and ended up leaving dentistry around 2013/14. Then a few years ago I started having a lot of problems with my own teeth. They just started disintegrating before my eyes and knowing that I didn’t have any coverage and how much every tooth would cost to fix I was mortified! By this time most of the doctors that I’ve worked with had already retired. At least the ones that I would want to do the work. I’ve also been hugely embarrassed because I feel like this was my career, my job & I should’ve known better this wasn’t supposed to happen to me! Yet it did & I’ve lost my teeth.
Trying to get dental care before they were all gone was absolutely infuriating! I don’t think I realized how many bad doctors there are out there! And the costs are absolutely insane! The whole field needs to be completely upended. The health of your teeth, gums and mouth has such a huge impact on one’s overall health! Dentistry needs to stop focusing so much on cosmetics and go back to what dentistry is supposed to be about! Also why dentistry is kept separate from the rest of the medical field is so wrong. I guarantee you if they stick a General dentist and an oral surgeon in every emergency room they will be busy beyond belief!
I always considered myself a pretty caring and compassionate assistant and Lord knows I would give anything in the world to have my teeth back but I wish I had known the psychological impact of it all when I was working with my patients. Especially the younger ones because (not that it doesn’t psychologically affect people of every age) I do think it hits those of us who are still fairly young really hard. I definitely would’ve been a better assistant from the point of view I have now.
I could go on and on about my thoughts on the field of dentistry. But I know this is long enough already I don’t want to bore you. Lol
I’m so sorry for what you’re going through! Considering this is now 2022 it’s insane that any of us has to worry about these things. I really hope that you find the care that you need! 🙏❤️
My parents never took me to the Dentist growing up but my father told me to incorporate hydrogen peroxide and baking soda & for gum pain warm water with salt. My dad is 66 still has all his teeth.
I am really sorry and totally understand what you had and have been going through. My sister is 59, I’m 61years old and our experiences had been the same as yours. All the best 💗
@@pinacolada1393 you have a very conscientious father. So good to know.
I worked at Aspen Dental back in 2011-2013 as an office manager. Only employer I’ve ever walked out on. They take advantage of vulnerable patients. They give you great bonuses to keep you going. But, once you realize what their business model truly is, most people leave. It literally made me cry some days to know what I was participating with.
My dentist at Aspen actually walked out on his job the day I went in. They forgot about me in the chair until they were turning off the light to close.
Eric C Having a conscious is truly a character trait you are Blessed to have. Subsequently, you will always be an asset to anyone who knows you. Your social conscious will be/ has been rewarded. I’m proud of you. Don’t change
I went to Aspen dental to check on the tooth on the right side of my mouth that was bothering me. They told me I needed a root canal on that tooth as well as 2 other teeth on the opposite side. When I went to another dentist to get the root canal done, he told me I did not need the work done that Aspen had told me I needed. After I had the root canal done by this dentist, he informed me that he used to work for aspen dental. I have since paid him $9500 for three root canals none of which he cleans the infection out of and he just put the crown on without doing any kind of cleaning. It looks like there’s black already growing between the crown and the gumline they don’t look like they’re properly sealed on the gumline. I feel like I just set fire to $9500 . I still need more work done and at this point I’m really thinking about going to Mexico.
Thank you for sharing that information.
I am definitely going to Mexico for my dental work. 100%. And will not stop preaching about how this country's GREED is ruining everything about America.
I’m a dental hygienist for 20 plus years. I’ve worked mainly in private practices, the few corporate practices I’ve briefly worked for are an embarrassment! If you think it’s just all about the money with poor treatment you would be correct.. Not all but most Medicaid offices are not providing proper care to children either. It is a shame! Many of the corporate practices have many law suits against them but state dental boards just seem to turn a blind eye.. I have seen many offices that use dental assistants to do the job of a dental hygienist which is illegal .. many offices use unlicensed dental assistants that are not trained in proper sterilization procedures.. My advice is ask 2 things , will a licensed dental hygienist be doing my cleaning and are all of your dental assistants fully and currently licensed.. Then ask to see the license because by law they are supposed to be posted in the dental office for the public to see. If those two criteria are not met do not go to that dental office and make sure you lay eyes on and look at the dates and names of the displayed licenses. Also dental health is just as important as any other part of your body .. Its just like health care for the uninsured in America .. You can literally die from a dental infection…We think nothing of having a tooth pulled yet it is a body part , one that has a use a purpose without teeth people can’t properly chew food it is something that needs to be taken seriously.. HOWEVER education on proper eating and dental hygiene needs to be taught in schools again!
They are also supposed to disclose the metals they are putting in our mouths to us ahead of time. No dentist I have ever seen does that. There are tests we can take to see if our bodies will reject these metals yet that is never offered to any clients. People eventually learn about these things only after they become extremely sick.
I had all my mercury fillings removed and replaced with white fillings only to learn afterwards that 15% of the people's bodies cannot handle what is in the white fillings. It is absolutely outrageous. I call that malpractice.
Great advice! Yes, it has always been clear to me that dental health is a measure of total health. Many of these comments are truly saddening.
Aspen!
@tamb7587 would like to connect with you
I had terrible toothache and managed to get teeth out during lockdown it's called " a hub" in UK.
I live in Maryland, and my son is on medicaid. When he was 3 I took him to his first dental visit. They insisted he had a cavity and wanted to treat it right then and there. I asked them to show me which tooth, and I saw no cavity or dark spot. I declined their pushy offer to drill into my sons mouth that day. I switched to a new pediatric dentist, got a second opinion, and it turns out my son did NOT have any cavities. Hes 14 years old now, still no cavities, and I'm glad I stood up to those pushy people trying to do an unnecessary and painful procedure on a 3 year old.
Same with my grandson
This kind of stuff happens a lot
GREED, GREED, GREED are all dentists today care about (NOT the lies they pretend to care about people). Why make only $200,000 a year when you can jack up prices and make $300,000!?!? It's all about the Almighty $$$. If they really cared, they would do 10% pro-bono free work for children.
Wonderful! Listen to yourself.
Those mercury fillings cause great harm to children. Wise Mom.
Yes! I had a dentist that wanted to do several procedures on my mouth. I went home and took a breath. I realized if he was telling me the truth, I would have been in pain 24 hours a day (I was not in pain). He was simply lying. I've never had another dentist tell me I needed any of those procedures. My teeth are fine.
I lost my dental insurance when I turned 65. My entire life I had been covered so I never even thought about the cost. I never saw a bill. A few years ago the dentist wanted to renew 3 of the wife's fillings and give me a check up and clean. The cost $1284. That's serious money. We flew to Thailand for our usual winter break and attended a highly recommended dentist in Chiang Mai.He advised my wife that as much as he'd like to take her money there was nothing wrong with her fillings. He gave me a check up and cleaning. Total cost $36.00. The savings more than paid for one of our round trip airfares. I don't mind someone making a good living,but that's nonsense. Dr. Muk in Chiang Mai had a very nice white Mercedes parked in front of his practice.
I get my cleaning in Thailand for years now. $50 for check up cleaning and X rays. I could only imagine how much it would cost here. My dentist studied at Boston University.
Yeah heard about getting dental work done over seas. Dirt cheap. Its known as dental tourism. In the US it's a total rip off. And also you can go to Mexico for implants when you need them in the future.
I've never had a vacation. Never been on a plane, and I'm 60 years old. You're commenting about going to another country for more affordable care. If you can afford a vacation(your USUAL winter break), you can afford a dentist. My husband has pulled his own teeth out!
The same thing happened to my mother. She still has her dental insurance, but it doesn't pay a thing. Her "dentist" is one in a franchise dentistry. Her visit for a painful tooth was around two thousand dollars. Her next scheduled visit, two weeks later, cost fourteen hundred dollars. This was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. She's been back a few times for cleaning, to the tune of several hundred a pop. They've been sending her "reminders" throughout the pandemic, but she's been ignoring them. These people are crazy! Next time, I'm taking her to a simple, one-dentist, shingle-on-the-door, dentist office. We'll see how the prices compare.
Jeeze..guess you missed the whole idea sir. If myself or any other poor person could hop a plane for a vacation to Thailand and while there have their dental issues taken care of ...wellll...for Pete's sake.. Don't cha think we would. As a matter of fact, we wouldn't have to leave the country we could well afford dental amd health insurance here in the United States. Shit!! SMH!! WTH!
Anyway, good for you. Happy you only had two extractions at the very low cost of under $40 dollars. Life is good.
Thank you FRONTLINE for making this. I started working in the dental field as dental assistant before applying for dental school to make sure it was what I wanted to do. After a while I realized that dentistry was not for me. Not because I didn’t like dentistry but because of the “business model”. After I quit dentistry I felt like people thought I over reacted and this documentary reminded me of why I did it.
Good choice...
Dentists die young for a reason!
Why didn't you continue dentistry and volunteer to work in one of these traveling clinics? 😮
I am one of a few across the country that actually applied to dental school and got in, went for a little over 1 year of dental school and then decided it wasn’t really for me so I withdrew. I’m still glad I made the decision to leave to this day. I do not regret it.
Being able to afford a dentist is like a privilege these days. Tooth pain is excruciating when the nerves are exposed.
Two of the most excruciating pains to have are dental pain and kidney stones yet both aren't taken seriously at hospitals or urgent care centers
In my country, and I believe most other countries also, the govt will give free or low cost dentist and medical care to those who can't afford. The rich can go private.
@Haitham Ali that is actually not true. The longer you go without proper Dental Care, the more you run the risk of becoming septic and possibly dying
@Haitham Ali 5thxs
Z
@Haitham Ali but it is not generally just pain.
The original comment was that urgent care and hospitals don't take it more seriously. Meaning people would just get turned away and end up suffering.... which means the problem goes untreated and then gets worse.
The irony is all these people lining up to get free help are the same people voting against their own interest by being against Healthcare for All (including medical, dental, vision etc). They listen to politicians who labeled basic healthcare "socialize medicine". Most Americans cannot visit the doctor even when they have health insurance because of high deductible, copay, and coinsurance, and the limitation of the annual coverage maximum.
Unfortunately this is truth.
Sad truth
See the problems with dentists not accepting Medicaid in this video???? They're private practices and don't have to accept Medicare, Medicaid, or any other government insurance.
Most doctors would just retire or completely forego going into the dental or medical fields. All you'd be left with are the worst-of-the-worst. Which is a HUG problem right now for people on Medicaid, as was already outlined in this video.
They simply can't find dentists or doctors that take it because they pay so low. There is NO money for these programs as it is, and your bright idea is to expand it further. 🤦🏻♂
💯
@@truthteller4442 you can expand it further by increasing the reimbursement rate to match private dental insurance.
Taking advantage of the system is one thing, but knowingly ruining a child’s teeth and oral health is one of the worst crimes
I was a victim of this shit it’s sad af an it makes me mad just thinking about it
God forbid. Unbelievable.
I LOVE the interviewer in this documentary!!!! He calls out the discrepancies and the greed of dental practices!! This is what I like to see!! Make them accountable!!
Our focus each and every day with our dentists is to provide quality care.
@@Kas-tle
That may work well in Theory but it does NOT work in Practice. A person is a Fool to think otherwise.
@@AwesomeAlexAdam Our focus each and every day with our dentists is to provide quality care.
@@Kas-tle Define quality care. Is that the most affordable treatment option for the patient, or the one that makes his teeth look like a Hollywood Star, regardless of cost, or the wishes of the patient?
@@wimpymcsteel4458 our focus each and every day with our dentists is to provide quality care.
If it hasn't been mentioned yet... One of the biggest issues (as I see it), is that dentistry, is often referred to (by the insurance companies), as _"cosmetic"_ - never-mind the pain (and subsequent fatigue), the increased risk of systemic-infection (most notably, affecting the heart), and last, but not least, the proper maceration (properly breaking down the food particles - chewing), as a matter of proper digestion, and nutrient absorption - then, add the social challenges, of what we look like, too (employment opportunities, etc) - Short of non-medically required, tooth straightening, and/or bleaching/whitening, and cosmetic veneers, etc - DENTAL, IS MEDICAL, PERIOD!!!
Now, if medical, wasn't so far behind, too - we would reasonably add full dental, to the medical operation, to improve our overall health, and functionality, and productivity... Thank you-
It's my dream for it to happen
AGREED-!!!👍
We can’t even add medical to the medical operation. And the lobbyists for the big corporations are going to make sure it never happens. Dental care and health care should be a basic human right in every country.
Basic-care is, and never was, considered "cosmetic". Dental care is meant to be preventative. IE, if you fail to go to a dentist, until you have tooth pain, then you already failed yourself.
@@ginariffe5525 Human right? Who is going to pay for it? Do you expect doctors to work for free?
What you are suggesting, is that it ought to cost us nothing. We live, in the US anyway, in a capitalist society. You cant expect someone to risk going bankrupt, to pay for an education, just so we get "cheaper care". I am 100% with the understanding that its over-priced, but stop with the "Its a human right", nonsense. Because, as I stated, usually, that implies it ought to cost us nothing. Well, last time I checked, people did not work for free, and the money to pay for all the equipment/supplies/hiring of skilled doctors, costs money.
This is unbelievable in America today. I was in the military for 5 years. All of my medical care is covered through the VA for llife….except dental!!!Last year I had a bunch of cavities and a few teeth that were broken and barely hanging on. I saw a dentist and he told me I need 5 root canals and 4 extractions. He showed me an X-ray he took and showed me a raging infection in my gums/jaw. He told me if I did not take care of it I would be walking into the emergency room within a month. About a month and a half later I ended up in the hospital with an infection in my heart and had to have open heart surgery
I need a tooth extraction. Ive had a broken tooth since the summer. I was recently treated with antibiotics. I have had aggressive work done on my teeth. Silver fillings in about every molar. When a quarter of this tooth fell out, it was all filling. I think ive had some difficulties with my health due to my tooth being broken just short of the bone. I get it taken out next week. My health care and dental are government health care and i would go as far as to say its not even Healthcare. There is next to zero care. We're a single family income of 5. My husband and i and our 3 children plus two dogs (no medical care there. All out of pocket) I am disgusted and appalled at American Healthcare-less.
Cases like yours are rare. Teeth infections normally don’t get that bad unless you have a suppressed immune system. I hope you had it taken care of. I’d also ask what type of foods you ate.
Correct I’m a Veteran dental is not included after my deployment my teeth started going bad then I found out it was due to the Anthrax vaccine it attacks the teeth they keep denying it but there is an organization called RAW they help Veterans who were deployed get their smile back I’ll start my treatment soon at no cost to me thankfully if it wasn’t for them I don’t know what I would do! It’s sad the way American warriors are treated after serving their country
@@VeteranNikky26 There’s a place in Texas that helps Veterans and low income I believe it’s called G4. They accept some forms of Medicare and Medicaid as well. I know someone who got full on dental implants and after insurance it was about $2,000 give or take which they set up a payment plan and paid on it for a few years.
I'm not even 15 minutes into this and what I've seen and heard so far makes me angry. This should not be happening in America. We've got fat cats sitting in office milking tax payers dry while helpless adults and children live with conditions that could literally kill them. I had to stop when when this woman 12:31 "answered" a simple question with what I call the typical corporate word salad.
Yet, this has been going on since the 80s. This was shot in 2911. Nothing’s improved.
❤️❤️
Blame is on voters too. Constantly saying no to universal health which should include teeth. Trifling Teacher pay, completely bs hospital system geared toward profits. Only industrial country that is awful taking care of those who really add value to society. Exactly why people go to Mexico or any other country to get work done and retire.
Has anyone ever noticed how these dentists drive the most expensive cars? And usually have such a car for every day of the week? Uh huh.
I wanted to slap that Buckley lady upside the head so bad. The care for these children you're supposedly supposed to be helping should be your top priority, not how profitable treating them is or isn't.
American health and dental system is broken... It's all about money, not quality care...
bro its not just America, stop acting like the world revolves around u guys
Everything in America is about money and nobody 'cares'
Same in U.K. Go to Kerala, Southern India I get my teeth done for £3,000 against £18,000 & have a great holiday.
This documentary makes me cry, I just left an Aspen two days ago , they tried to sell me $20,000 worth of repair (root canal, crowns, after cleaning). Plan B was $10,000 to pull and denture top and bottom. I know I can do even better than that. I have had enough of greedy dentists in this city and I assume most of the country. Multiple offices charged me $100 to sit and talk. I appreciate that Aspen at least X-rayed and consulted with no charge. Now I have to weigh the options.
Travel to Mexico for dental care
This is real these dentists are not honest I'm not saying all of them I recently got work done and they tore my mouth up !!! After spending $26k my teeth they were worse then when I went in . I so regret listening to them and letting them do what they thought was necessary all they cared about was making $$$ I was devastated
@Neurosissy / Нейросисси 🇺🇦 exactly! Bernie is so RADICAL right? Until it's your teeth, your eyes, your hearing. $20k is RADICAL! Extortion of patients is RADICAL.
I went to aspen today just shopping around to see what they would cost, I had just been to another dentist and he had told me I was gonna be ok, just needed one route canal and a few other things.. aspen told me I needed to pull several teeth and get implants..
Aspen cannot be trusted to do an adequate job.
Need to talk more about this. American health care is a joke.
America is a joke.
Dental care should not be a luxury in the country with the biggest economy in world history.
well get out of the usa then were all F***ed
Dental care should indeed be human right and not luxury in no part of the world.
You are very fortunate if you can find a dentist that does not do unnecessary procedures.
That almost happened to me 20 years ago, way before I knew it was a thing. I said no just clean my teeth. Saw another dentist as I never got cavities before and didn’t believe them and I was right. Always go around thinking you’re smarter than everyone else.
This was originally aired in 2012? Not much has changed in 10 years
You are wrong(sarscasm)! Things have changed, the prices have changed for the worse.
That's because everyone is sitting on their collective asses doing nothing about it.
Back in the late 80s 20/20 exposed dental clinics.
Nothing has changed because the bill has been repealed but not replaced. Republicans don't stand for anything that will help Americans.
No just costs more
great documentary. Dental really should not be separate from standard health insurance
true true
Exactly. You should be able to go to an emergency room and get head to toe care. But even the fact any American has to go to the emergency room is ridiculous!! We all need to be treated with dignity. Preventive care from head to toe is something all Americans should have & it should all be VERY affordable. It's that way in so many other countries around the world!!!!
EXCEPT USA. Greed. All greed.
Standard health insurance for dentists too would be such a step forward! Dentistry should be called a part of the body after all. Dental care is imperative.
We shouldn't NEED health insurance. We should have national healthcare like every other industrialized country on the planet.
A friend of mine was in hospital in Italy for several months, got excellent care! When he asked for the bill he was not charged anything. The country had national health insurance. Your suggestion is the best way to go. Thanks.
Breaks my heart. I am a dental assistant. I have seen horrible things. Don't ever let your child go back alone, wait in the hallway whatever it takes. I worked at a place that was pure torture. no anesthetic and the nitrous o0xide gas did not work but they put the mask on the child and told them to breathe through their nose. then the child is put in a papoose and drilled on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hearing them scream is so heartbreaking and all for money. This is why some adults do not go to the dentist for fear. I left I could not take it. God sees everything! Hope those Dentist rot in hell
Parents are always welcome in Netherlands, and they NEVER, EVER tie any patient down, that is sequestration and assault!
I have seen so many cashiers in upstate NY with missing teeth, young gals I'm talking about. It breaks my heart to see hard working people unable to get dental care. The former CEO who set up a chain to help poor people is a saint. I pray he remains strong! The corporate models of bill for crowns not drill fillings and stick people with high interest credit cards are predatory and karma will eventually come...
Probably meth.
That’s usually drugs
I’m in upstate and honestly I’m just young and struggling. No hard drugs weed occasionally but I didn’t do good on my teeth as a kid. Impoverished people In new york are left to rot and no office has seemed to care. I’ve been trying to get things done for two years and I barely have anything to show for it. No major changes in my life. Just pain.
Meth mouths in upstate NY...
@@spindoctor4209Try the local dental school.
October, 2021 I experienced an impacted wisdom tooth (R-32) that got infected. It swelled up so bad my brother said I looked like an alien. Pain was like nothing I ever experienced, absolutely excruciating. Couldnt open my jaw wide enough to eat solid food for a time. No sympathy from my employer, wrote me up even after I got a doctors note excusing for 2 days to let the antibiotics kick in. Once the cyst burst, I spit out the most vile fluid for 2 days. Turns out I had to see a surgeon and I was lucky to get in after a month of waiting.
I'm fine now and consider myself fortunate.
How awful! It's disgusting that your employer had to add to your problems the way they did. Are you a postal worker, by any chance? (It's ok if you don't want to answer that.)
FYI, when you have a serious issue like this, you can take up to 2400 mg of ibuphropen in 24 hours (800 mg x 3) which reduces the swelling and is effective against pain.
There was a dad in Utah who had a cavity couldn't get the worm it needed covered and as c'mon just tries to go without taking care of it cause you have no choice unless you have that cash for it and that became a blood infection and it killed him once your blood becomes toxified only upon intvestigating cause of death
I have experience pericoronitis as well and it is the most excruciating pain I've ever felt. I had a baby without meds and I would rather do that all day long than having to endure the pain I felt with that tooth infection.
You could have died due to the infections, as far as i can tell, your case should be treated as a emergency case. Usually the dentist gives you a precautionary antibiotics so that after the surgery your infection would be less. But it's awful that your cyst ruptured. I couldn't imagine.
My experience has been that dentists are the silent money makers in the medical field. At my last dentist I asked the hygienist how much the cleaning costs. She said it was $110. When she was finished the dentist came in to peak in my mouth. It took all of 2 minutes and he charged me $75, a total of $185. I can understand the $110 for the cleaning. As for the dentist, if I gave him the benefit of the doubt and say he spent 5 minute that comes to $900 an hour.
And if that wasn't bad enough during one visit he suggested that I get a night guard since I tend to grind my teeth. His dental assistant took the mold. When it came back I tried it on. He spent a few minutes fine tuning it. The charge was $500.
A year or so later I was on line with Amazon and found a company that sends you the mold and the goo to fill it with. The charge was $100. It fit like a glove. If it needed adjustments or they had to redo the guard for any reason there was no charge not even for postage.
If I paid $100 retail I'm sure that my dentist pay less due to the volume of work that he gives the company he uses. But for arguments sake let's say he also pays$100. A dental assistant took the mold which took all of 5 minutes and all she did was time it an remove it from my mouth. When I came back to pick it up the dentist spent maybe 5 minutes at the outside to make some minor adjustments. That means he netted $400 for 5 minutes worth of work and some nominal amount that his dental assistant got paid for watching the goo harden. $400 times 12 grosses him $4,800 PER HOUR. Even if he spent 10 minutes on the adjustments that's $2800 per hour. Most surgeons don't make that much money. Oh yes and he drives an Alfa Romeo. I understand that as someone years in medical school learning his trade should be compensated accordingly, but charging $4000/hour is obscene.
I should point out that these kinds of charges have been my experience with more than one dentist. I just recently moved to Florida. After the cleaning the dentist came in and showed me that one of my molars would need an implant. There is a periodontist in the practice as well. He came in and looked at the xrays and when I asked how much the one implant would cost he responded that it would be $7000. I almost lost it. I was also distressed that when I first walked in to the office and asked how much they charged for a cleaning they wouldn't give me a straight answer. They wanted my insurance info first. I asked a second time and they were still evasive.
A week or so later I was walking down the street and was passing a dentist's office so I went in and inquired about the cost of an implant. Much to my surprise, receptionist asked me which tooth. Her response was about $3000. Finally someone who was giving me a straight answer and a more reasonable price. I didn't think to ask at the time but I will go back and inquire about the price of a cleaning, xrays and the doctor's once over.
It seems that there are no controls over what dentists do and what they charge for their services and I don't see anyone stepping up to the plate. It's a sad state of affairs. There seems to be no regulations on dentistry and they have a captive audience.
Well, you gotta consider their student loans to get through dental school.
@David Crandall. ....... and the insane overhead for changing technology, insurances, increased staff wages & compensation, etc. Everybody has this misconception that every dollar paid by a patient goes in the doctors pocket. Wrong!
It wouldn’t be like this if dental school didn’t cost 400k to attend. Everyone is mad at the wrong people. Insurance companies and tuition are to blame for dentists atrocious prices.
I’ve taken excellent care of my teeth. My first cavity was at 14 years old. I’m a senior citizen now and I’m depressed, stressed and frustrated at the money that’s being charged. Every month for 3 years I have been paying $100-$200 PER MONTH for cracked teeth from an accident. Radiation treatments after chemo affected my teeth too. I feel embarrassed and ashamed that I’ve had 5 teeth pulled because of lack of quality dentistry. And it just doesn’t stop. They keep wanting to put implants in at 4500$ a pop. I’m on Medicaid after losing my savings, house and all assets because of cancer. All this happened within these 7 years. All my life I worked and took care of myself. Now……..
I had a manager who had all hers pulled & got dentures by the time she turned 38. Because, as she put it, her teeth were just a never ending expense. She’s 65 now, & happy with her decision.
Reading all these stories, has me paranoid about the future of my teeth.
Since retirement I have the same problem. I have always cared for my teeth, but teeth do what they want sometimes. There is no dental care in retirement, and all available dental insurance is just crap.
Welcome to America. Such bs
@@gorgthesalty check in MX..for all that money.
I feel for you Heidi. We are so fortunate to have cancer treatment paid by taxes
Pubic Health system is not perfect but we dont lose our house because of debt to hospitals. Terrible system
Most Americans don’t go to the dentist because it’s so expensive 🥺
It's expensive in my country too but at least the common insurance kicks in once you've during the year paid more than $327 then you pay only 50% up to $1636 and above that amount, you pay 15% and the other tax payers pick up the rest of your bill. If you're older than 23 years old, that is, it's free for the youngsters.
@@7YBzzz4nbyte very sad 😞
u think most people in the world dont have the same issue, u spoiled americans just cant stop complaining
@@purifypurify7559 You set yourself a really low bar 🤡
not true- most americans are lazy and wont even take care of home health care that is simple and effective
This really brings tears to my eyes. I’m one of those kids that grew up in FL. Ended up getting addicted to opiates bc they were cheaper than the dentist. Now I’m 30 years old and have more teeth extracted from my mouth than I do actual teeth. I still struggle with the pain and my addiction once one of my broken teeth start hurting. I make appointments when I save up enough money to go get a tooth extracted but it’s sad to think we are a nation of people going through the same thing
While we give 1sræl $28,000,000,000 *every* year. A young working man with is own home passed away because he couldn't afford his insulin. He was a 19 year old with low body fat. His poor mom.
beware who you pick to fix your teeth , trust me some of these dentists are crooked
One time I needed an emergency root canal. I had no insurance so I paid 2k out of pocket. I feel for everyone going through this God bless you.
I was quoted $1300 and I HAVE insurance. For just a yearly cleaning too.l
I was quoted $4500 root canal without insurance, and with insurance I paid $2500. I hate going to the dentist and thereis no reason dental procedures need to be this expensive
Did it include a zirconia crown?
@@chickenpax1 that sounds unusually high
The prices are mad. I live in finland, if I get a root canal done in a private practice, it's going to cost around 400-500 euros. A simple filling is around 120-150. If you get it done in an icu it's less than 100, because the goverment covers the rest. And if you don't have a job, the goverment will pay even for the 100. Kids get free healthcare until they are 18. That includes braces, yearly check ups etc.
I lived in the US for 9 years, during that time, I had problems with one wisdom tooth. The "surgeon" tied me up, and treated me like an animal. I stoped seeing a dentist for almost 10 years. It was really traumatic. Not just expensive, but a bad, bad service.
And they treat you as a number no a patient. I mean number = money and patient = care, safe your tooth, give the best service, prevent, explain everything. I have experience here in USA I never imagine how bad it is the Dental Health, wow. In my country Honduras I always arguing about the price, etc but now I talked with my dentist and I share with her How I missed her, beacuse here If you say "I don't have insurance" they don't give option they just only explsin you "Is up to you what you priorities, is depend your money when you have the money you csn come back" and they see the cavities, the heard "I have a pain" mmm no They just only said "The lady of Insursnce system talk to you and know If you apply with a Care Credit or our financial system. Ok. Is insane they are No doctor they are commercial, money, no matter what you suffer, no matter whats you need they didn't help you. I sad for my type of Visa I can go to other country like my country but I need urgently a Dental Crown and Cosmetic Denstistry for recover my all mouth. And I Can't.
@@jenifferavilez
The United States is the worst place for dental treatment. You see celebrities and the rich, and if you look closely you can tell most of them have fake or capped teeth. No working person in America can afford beautiful teeth without going into debt. Thankfully I live in Texas close to Mexico. I’m now considering getting dental work done there. Thankfully because I’m close to Mexico I can also travel back for check-ups to make sure there are no complications. It takes a lot of research to find a trustworthy doctor and clinic. Once I’ve saved the money I’ll hopefully get quality dental help without the insane amount of money that the U.S. charges. My country makes me ashamed. Health and dental care is outrageous. It’s like they’re banking on us to suffer and die if we can’t pay up. They’re no different from the mafia in some aspects.
@@misstekhead Yes - turned into a disgusting business.......
should have sued the creep
Those dentists are filling a great need to people with limited funds . Many thanks for such a wonderful gesture . To provide the relief they need is the greatest gesture of the volunteer dentists . Many kudos to them . 👍❤️
Bless them!
The problem starts with the processed sugar industry that causes high dental cavities. As long as Coca Cola, Pepsi, snickers, etc exist... then people will end up going to these dental corporations and take advantage of them as patients.
It also kinda starts with people not brushing before bed and flossing their teeth and going to the dentist regularly through out their life.. not many do all of this.
@@lauralittle6899 Absolutely. The higher sugar intake in our diet is still and by far the bigger issue than people not brushing their teeth. There are people who don’t get dental problems due to their oral flora. Then there are people who brush a lot and still get cavities. It’s a balance between sugar seeking bacteria and processed sugar itself. All things equal, countries with less processed sugar diets have less dental cavities. We are sugar junkies!
@@findingmo7049 all true!! And sad .& interesting.
Agree 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Truth and reality of dentistry is right here in this thread. The way people live today , eating processed junk, they don't clean and care for their teeth BEFORE problems arise. Before 1980 people went to the dentist once a year for a clean if they were lucky, otherwise only when they needed a tooth pulled or filled, it's now an industry because of peoples choices daily.
For anyone watching this: get a passport and travel to Nogales, Mexico. Great clinics, reasonable prices, good dentistry. My girlfriend’s parents, my girlfriend and my brother have all gone there for dentistry. Many many retirees that live in Arizona travel there for help..Good luck.
🤣 assuming you aren't poor, because poor people don't have that cash.
I go to Algodones for Dental & Eye care. Nothing beats preventive care
You know what i find ironic... that a lot of those people flying to mexico to pay cheaper prices are then ones that in america hates on immigrants and belittles them. Yet they have no problem benefiting from that country.
How much does the travel run?
@@xtscarfacem8255 that country benefits from them spending US dollars there... it's a win win...
I'm a jobless 33 brown guy from Cochabamba, Bolivia. Last week I checked all my teeth with a dentist. Total cost of cavities and cleaning: 100 USD. When I was in the US a urine test cost me 2500 USD. Glad I left and never came back. They gave pills for 100 USD. I was like... no way I'm paying this.Go to go Mexico or Canada or Bolivia. I love it here.
yes, got out of usa 5 years ago and moved to mexico, my life improved and the freedom i have here is what the usa always talks about but never delivers.
@@SlackersIndustry what is the freedom that the usa talks about?
@@davidzhang2319 The freedom to choose between 37 kinds of bread and 80 different soups
Smart man. Its very expensive for dental and medical here in U.S.. Sad
My mother was an orthodontist she made all my braces and retainers and she did a lot more in that sense I was lucky, and so was every single one of her patients. She treated every single patient just as good if not better than she treated me. Lol and if a patient truthfully couldn't afford the braces, retainer etc. She would make them for those patients on her free time from home.. part of our house was turned into an orthodontist office/lab just so she could work from home and got all the legal licenses to do so.. Serrell dental is exactly how a dental office should be. And that one rep. For Kool smiles is a liar and you can see it. All she is doing is saying anything she can to protect that business because if not she will be fired just like that other lady. There should be no bonuses because money makes people do nasty things. And for her to say that share holders care about patients is complete bullshit and everyone knows it All they care about is getting there investment back and more.
This is true. You could tell she was spouting all the pre-packaged lines that she was given to spout. She wasn't answering questions. She wasn't thinking. She was an automaton. That's why she was the only one allowed to be interviewed on camera. She was well versed in the canned answers she had to regurgitate. She was a well paid liar.
"money makes people do nasty things", so true.
I wish more dentists had the passion for healing people and treating people like your mother did.
@H H Every profession has bad apples. Look at the md's giving out opioid prescriptions. Most medical & dental practices are honest.
I'm a health care provider. This concept touches every field of health care. Insurance reumbursement rates are at times very low. As a provider of those patients you dont have a lot of choice. So just like these dentists, the system can bully you into just having to see more and more patients. It's NO secret. Neither the the patients nor the clinicians are happy about it. And the people (in the system) putting the pressure on to set higher & higher productivity goals are not the ones who have to be held personally responsible for the "quality" of the work. This is absolutely no secret. But it doesn't change.
no buddy, as a dentist or doctor you don't get to be the beneficiary of this corrupt system and also play the victim as if you're just as disadvantaged as a patient in pain
I can relate to 30yr old women Vanessa that was in the chair in the biggining of the story I'm very lucky to be in Canada on services of help for dentistry after getting my life together and now going back to school I'm very embarrassed of my teeth from. The extreme rotting . Even one day my dad came to see me and told me seeing my face especially teeth made his day bad when he was happy that day. That still sits with Me. I still have half my teeth to do . I'm very excited to eat without pain and look pretty again❤
Good luck. Keep us posted.
Good luck, God bless....I have tooth pain now.
Ms. Vanessa, you deserve to smile dear. A smile can make or break someone’s confidence. I’m so sorry what you’ve been through and it’s times like this that I wish I was Oprah or someone with great financial means where I could help you or others like myself even. I guess I have a bit of the OCD, I’ve got two electric toothbrushes (Philips and Oral B) plus a regular toothbrush. Would you believe I’m guilty of over-brushing, brushing too hard close to the gum line, and I’ve caused my gums to recede. I’m about to be faced with at least $10K in dental work to fix my teeth. I’ll be using my care credit card and all of my FSA dollars for the year. I swear I bet it would be cheaper to go with dentures. I almost cried at the end seeing the emotion when you smile, beautiful lady!! I bet you will have the confidence needed now to apply for any job you want and get it. Wishing you a Happy 2022!!
Happy to hear that. Please take care of what is left with good homecare so that you don't lose any more teeth🙏🏽🙏🏽 best wishes
Poor dental care has been linked to heart Issues, cancer, and even Alzheimer’s. This is a serious problem for all Americans especially the poor. It’s a shame that this country would rather spend trillions on nuclear bombs and military defense than on providing us with reasonable and affordable medical and dental care.
Same goes for your northern brothers unfortunately :/
Health insurance used to cover dental work. It used to be affordable. It used to be regulated by the federal government. You can thank the GOP for deregulating the insurance industry. They turned healthcare into a profit making industry.
@@fuzzamajumula Dental school must be 400K by now. Would you go into that if you couldn't make big bucks down the line?
It's not even the poor. I grew up with parents to "rich" for Medicade but too poor for "luxuries" like dental care and orthodontic work. If we were poor-er I could at least had Medicade
LOL where have you been? look at whats going on for gods sake
My dentist does no charge work twice a year at a university. Best dentist I've ever had. Took my teeth through crowns, root canals, and extractions over the past 15 years. My last check up was the first time in my life I was problem free.
This edition highlights just another problem with Healthcare in the United States.
The Dentist that donates his time/skill is a saint:)
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Been there done that !! He was no saint caused me great pain , and got angry because I had warned them my roots were curly !! 3 and a half hours later , I still had part of a root left , he just stitched it up and wouldn't speak to me !?? I'm to blame ?? Still have no teeth left ! He took them all ! Not necessarily but ....? He was mad ! The others were very easy, and fast !! I gum everything now !
Those dentists that spend their off days helping those in need without seeing profit or bonuses or anything, just donating their time... I'm not religious in any way but they are saints for sure. :)
Where are they??????
Any dentist that donates his time& skill is a SAINT.Heaven's Gates will be wide open to receive them when they reach the age of 99!
The dental therapist is an excellent way to expand basic dental care to the patients with Medicaid to less! Nurse Practitioners have been a godsend for physicians and patients!! An MD isn’t always necessary.
"First aired in 2012" and nothing has changed (maybe worse) since.
worst
Stay away from franchised dental clinics
This!!! Please do this. These corporate clinics overwork new graduates and bill extra treatment that isn’t necessary while having insanely long wait times. Exp: western dental in California
@@JohnSmith-mc2zz ooh my God that is so horrific.
The guy that said, “Medicaid patients fail to keep their appointments…”
Just deplorable excuses!
This one needs a 2022 update.
Thank you. Parents spent 5 figures on braces and tooth fixes, and they are now longterm caused side effects and secondary requirements for more work that should have been done better if we had known better. Tooth pain is the worse, I've even had my jaw broken by a dental jaw widen device to straighten teeth. This should be a public service, and funded properly.
Amen
Why the need for an update? Ten years after this aired, not a damn thing has changed. Dentistry is still nothing but a moneymaking racket
@@mcmlxii4419 so true. That poor girl probably has no teeth now.
I also agree with MCMLXII....and hey Sir!! Mouth hurt's the worst as well as stuff related to the spinal cord because they are areas of the body where there is the most nerves...a toothache or backache are the worst!!....crazy stuff!!
When my husband met me I needed 11 extractions. Poverty clinics had 6 month wait lists and children have priority. My previous teeth were pulled one by one by traveling charities who treated the homeless. I lived in the homeless shelter. I’d sometimes be waiting for a dentist while in agony. Sometimes my infection got so bad they refused to pull the tooth yet they didn’t give pain meds until after the extraction so I had to wait. It was during these times when I realized that rules matter more than healthcare. How could they let me suffer and nearly die without care!? I’m happy that my husband paid for a real dentist who extracted my remaining 11 teeth in one go and I was so happy to never have to go through that again! Finally have dentures and I’m delighted! But I know that even these are a privilege few can afford.
That’s one benefit of earning your own living.
@@genxx2724 duh? 🤷🏻 I'd love to had I not been born disabled. Would you hire someone in a wheelchair who has random seizures? Doubt it
@@CrystalMouse1 I'm sorry this country is so cruel to people who can't "pick themselves up by the bootstraps". People like GenX X probably had generational money to help them move ahead in society. If not, they are probably in debt to their ears...You ARE somebody and you matter. Don't let these fools get you down. They are no better than you. I am happy to hear you have found a way to get your needs taken care of. Nobody deserves to suffer.
God bless these dentists who came to help these people in Virginia!! They have no idea the difference they are making in people's lives! I've been there having many dental issues and scared, but luckily after many years of searching, found a dentist to help me! She changed my life!!!
I'm a brazilian dentist and we face almost the same problems... The dental insure companies pay poorly to us. Cleaning, for example, you earn 35 reais, which is around 6 dollars. Now, to build a decent dental office, you need at least 50 grant in reais, which is 9k dollars. It's like the doctor said, you can't survive with only these insurance fees! The fact is that dental care and the dental industry is really expensive for both dentists and patients. We need a lot of instruments to see whats going on with your teeth. I know it may be expensive, but we are only passing the costs. Its a business! We need to survive too! It's crazy how things are similar in the us!!
You pointed the Issue, which is insurance!
Sou de bh o que diz esse video so bre fraudes
@@sabrina-qj8pr eles lançam procedimentos mais complexos ou que nao estão previstos no tratamento pra compensar o repasse pequeno pro profissional
I have a few broken teeth in the front of my mouth. Dentists kept telling me I needed a bridge, about $3,000. Half up front. I could barely keep a roof over my head. I finally found a dentist who looked at me and said crown would be fine. Previous doctors wanted the money from the bridge.
I now pay $40 a month for dental insurance, with $1,200 a year for dental work . That went fast, last year, after 3 crowns. Had to wait until this new year to continue the work.
This subject hit me at the core !!!
I am shocked to even see this subject is being exposed. I have had a plethora of inmoral experiences with dentist everywhere I have been to. Meaning both in the US and outside of the US; With good insurance from my job, then with Medicaid and also with cash outside of the country. I have experienced it all.
It took me years to finally realize that dentistry is a business. I was so disappointed and frankly heartbroken bc I used to look up to dentist with the same respect that I look up to any other doctor. It is very sad to find out that I am being seen as a dollar sign when I walk into a dentist office. The best experience is to be treated by a dentist linked to a good school. For example Columbia university or NYU here in New York have graduates that are doing extra training under the supervision of an experienced dentist. I rather make that exchange, than being lied to for money.
It’s disgusting that the dental health ( and mental health ) are not a priority for the health care system. They pay them barely anything , that’s why they don’t accept Medicaid .
Thank you Frontline for this amazing work n always getting the truth out there
I love Frontline! I watch it (or sometimes sleep to it) all night long.
Thank you PBS and thank God somebody makes a story from this it's ridiculous how they treat Dental in our country
Yeah, like your mouth is somehow not part of your body, so isn't covered by regular insurance. It's absolutely insane care model.
Absolutely! Having dental issues,especially infections can cause Inflammation and build up plaque in the heart! Not to mention the agony of trying to eat and drink fluids when you are hurting. We need to include PREVENTATIVE health and especially dental care in America!
@@lunakat6369 It can also worsen diabetes, if someone happens to have that as well. It's very serious.
@@lunakat6369 When I was in 6th grade, one of teachers died from the infection getting into her bloodstream.
Also, one infected tooth can cause the ones next to it to rot.
@@ebellyfish4256 and death
We need to fix a system where, even with insurance, dental or any other medical care, still too expensive. This is insane.
The cost of dental care is ridiculous! I went to a “holistic” dentist who did a full examination and told me all of the work he proposed would cost me $53,000.00. I had no dental insurance and told the office person so. Her response, “That wouldn’t do you much good anyway because it doesn’t cover much.” She suggested I borrow from a family member or use credit cards. Imagine, $53,000 in credit card debt.
Tell them you'll pay then "holistic" money. 😉 And thank the GOP for deregulating the insurance industry.
@AJ Or a student loan consolidation default loan with interest & penalties!
At that point you could have gone to another country to get work done. That’s a little ridiculous to give into $53k
It's really sad what they get away with. I was told my work would cost 20k and was told to borrow from family or get credit. I told that dentist I'd buy a car before I gave her that kind of money
Got to Mexico, Colombia, Turkey...have a great vacation while you are at it. They have excellent dentists. And with the money you would have paid here, you can even travel back there for follow-up visits.
I feel for all these people suffering. How many of them though are voting against their own interests? Don't y'all want public health care so you don't have to end up with infected teeth and all your teeth pulled by 30?
You can be conservative/religious and still want health care for all. Every single Republican politician, especially the ones in house/senate, have excellent health care.
Y'all "normal people" deserve excellent health care too. Maybe that's one thing we all can begin to work together on.
Sadly, there are some people (e.g., those who were featured in the beginning of the documentary) who like to vote against their own interests because they've been raised like that. And if you tell them about Medicare for All or any social program that might help them or their children in some way, they will call you the "S" or the "C" word.
I walked into an Aspen dental clinic once. I got up and walked out when the dentist (I'm not really sure she was a dentist; she didn't identify herself to me and I didn't see her name or title on her jacket...no ID tag) started telling me I had to have immediate surgery to remove wisdom teeth. Those wisdom teeth had never bothered me...or my other teeth. Like I said, I just got up, took my little clipped napkin off and walked out. I'd never set foot in another Aspen Dental office. I feel like their dentists need to know how to act in a professional way...and if they're not willing to do that, I'm not going to be their patient/customer. Period.
Wisdom teeth are a magnet for dentist greed whether they are corporate or a mom-and-pop office. I've had many private dentists suggest I get my wisdom teeth out too, and replace my silver fillings. When I hear a dentist suggest those 2 things, I know I have to go elsewhere.
America needs a government healthcare system that is not profit motivated.
Not gunna happen. Insurance is bigger than oil, in the US.
Medicade is a government program yet its being ripped off by greedy Dentist and Doctors. After it was regulated Doctors and Dentist refuse to accept these types of patients.
Wow... in Sweden you get free dental care until the age of 20 and after that you'd pay anywhere from $120 to $300 per year to have them checked up and fixed if needed. The fee is based on how well you take care of your teeth. I feel really sorry for the people that can't afford to keep their teeth in order.
I think I may move to Sweden or anywhere but this sh**hole America.
Hats off to PBS and the AMAZING work they do. This documentary is EYE-OPENING and makes me feel VERY lucky that I never have had a root canal, crowns, or anything else of that nature done to me at 39 going on 40. These corporations who prey on vulnerable communities...it's sick, disgusting, and pathetic.
There's a dentist near me who saved me a fortune and years of pain, instead of other places charging $300 per extraction, he charged me $400 for 4 extractions.. I'm missing half of my teeth, but food actually tastes good now because I'm not in pain.
Dental pain is by far some of worst a person can experience, and poor dental health can lead to deadly serious issues. America expects people to be upright citizens, but we can't even take care our own. We already pay taxes to have a massive military, but we could take care of people with Universal Healthcare. Plain and simple.
Welcome to America yall this is outrages I'm from europe and I got to say the American dream is to suck of people money for greedy corporations and the so-called military which is nothing more than a game to the government
I know all about tooth pain , dental insurance is a joke.
@@brandonsupreme8380 The American dream is just to have a family and a home and be happy. It's very simple, but Capitalism has tried to twist it into this gross, dismorphic monster that can't stop. It's one of many reasons people here snap.
@@alfx5432 We need to organize like a muthafucka.
Whatever is happening now is flat out not right.
No point in letting things boil down. Let our froth bubble and spill out of the melting pot.
While I do not support Universal Healthcare for many reasons, I agree with your statement….
“…. we can’t even take care of our own.”
I think of this almost daily, as we drop billions to fund unending wars, and continue to give health insurance to those skirting our laws flooding our borders.
I often joke with my husband saying we should have our kids cross the border to come to America, claim they’re escaping violence, so they can get free medical care, housing, and food stamps.🙄
America could use this money to help their own by funding low cost dental clinics, or reimbursing dentists & doctors fairly for their work.
God bless that dentist that gave that woman back her smile.
I do not disagree with this documentary. I took my daughter to Kool Smiles and I was told she needed 3 root canals. I got a second opinion from a pediatric dentist and I’m glad I did. No root canals were done. She has great teeth per her dentist and orthodontist.
root canals are VERY dangerous, NEVER get one.. research it... No medical procedure ever leaves dead bone in the body!
A lot of people do not know that almost all of the border towns along the US border with Mexico have "medical tourism" where people can get affordable dental care. All of the dentists have degrees from the USA (University of Baja California) and you can get crowns, implants and dentures in 24 hours. No where else in the world do dentists earn what they earn in the USA, it is shameful. My former husband, son and brother are all dental lab technicians. WIth implants gaining in popularity (because dentists push them on patients even though the failure rate is quite high) I had all my teeth crowned after extensive dental work at the age of 40, and the front bridge failed first, and I ended up having all of my upper teeth removed (in Mexico) and a denture made, and 5 years later, the lower went to denture. This is after spending over $100,000 over 20 years to American dentists.
Holy shit!!!
I am so sorry to hear about your dental situation! My dental situation is becoming bleak now at age 41. So are you saying in the long run that dentures hold up longer than dental implants and are the way to go to ensure a huge headache in the near future ?
I live in Texas in Austin so I am gonna definitely take a look into this and thanks for the info on the "Mexico medical tourism".
Is there a particular dentist / dental business in a particular Mexico border town you could recommend?
Somewhere in Matamoros, Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, Piedras Negras, Ciudad Acuña?
Thank you in advance!
@UCW9wbb0KPKsXLjwXu2p7WNQ just go to a dental place in Mexico, pay straight cash. It will save you way less money. My mom did her dental procedure in India for like $300, which it. Oats $5k in the US.
I really need to make some contacts to meet some friendly dental amigos across the border.
I can't stand American crooked doctors and all their bs and red tape bureaucracy anyways!
I worked for three dentists and they were all abusing their patients and over charging the insurance companies. I reported one but it was my word against the dentist and nothing came to it. I am so stressed when I go to a new dentist now. One dentist just about butchered the patient while I assisted and pulled out the wrong tooth. There was blood everywhere and since the patient was numb he had no idea what had taken place. She ran the practice into the ground and then moved to another state to continue her horrible work. After she left all the other dentists in our area were fixing her botched jobs and she was well known. Not sure if I can put her name here but TL is wording in Oregon now and she had her first practice in Farmington Arkansas. I would say the majority of dentists go into the field for the money while most medical doctors go into the field to help patients.
Yeah the majority do not have your best interests at heart, they only have their pocketbooks.
so scary
We need a 2022 update! My family wasn't well off when I was kid. The only time that I went to the dentist was when I was in pain. Fast forward to today I have to onlay crowns and my genetics are ravaging my teeth. Now, I have had dental care for the past 10 plus years and every time I go to the dentist my they comment how clean my teeth are. Now that I have my own kids they have gone to the dentist every six months since age 1. I am blessed to dental insurance and hoping that my kids don't run into so many issues as they get older.
Nothing has changed unfortunately. :(
It's 2022 yet dentistry still seems so barbaric
You haven't figured out yet that the "it's the current year" bit doesn't mean anything?
But it doesn’t have to be. And this coming from someone who has spent years in a dentist chair & has been through a couple dozen dentist.
It is TRUE!!! They look at your insurance and start their business. I went for a regular cleaning in 2003, and as soon as it was done, they came with 7 cavities! Three appointments for 3+2+2 filling!
I was very new to the country and the procedure. I went for the next appointment, thinking about the cleaning. The dentist was ready to drill my teeth, and I stopped him.
I switched dentists, and he didn't find any cavities. SURPRISE!!!
After some years, I saw a different dentist. They did the same regular cleaning, and for the next appointment, they suggested deep cleaning ($1200), because regular cleaning is not good anymore. I agreed and did the deep cleaning. On the follow-up visit, they came up with a different issue and offered a free consultation ($8900). They clearly told me they were not going to do any more regular cleaning if I didn't do this procedure.
I completely stopped going to the dentist for a few years.
Now it's my fourth dentist! Good luck to me!
My sister told me she took my nephew to the dentist and they told her he was getting cavities and she should cap his teeth to prevent further decay. 5 months later she takes him again. No sign of cavities. Either he put in a super amount of effort to turn his situation around (which I doubt bc he's young) or he never had cavities to begin with.
The truth is that what is considered a cavity on an oral exam is subjective (an opinion) rather than a definite fact. Severe cavities are obvious, but what you just described is a perfect example of how things could go wrong. I hope your sister did not go with the caps. Once the enamel is damaged with a drill, that tooth will never recover. What is sinful is that there are coating agents that can be applied to the tooth surface to protect the teeth from bacteria responsible for tooth decay. This is not a substitute for proper oral hygiene but it makes a huge difference. I bet your nephew is/was a good candidate for that. I don't know why this is not common practice, perhaps because it has to do with profits.
Caps are the beginning of the end.
That dentist is no friend of yours.
Post on Google maps, rip off report,
Better Business. Yelp. On and on.
Whoever that jerk is he needs to be destroyed.
This is such an informative documentary and really puts things into perspective. In my area, we have one dentist that takes Medicaid and it takes FOREVER to get in. I complain all the time about how long it takes to get in to the dentist, but wow. At least we have a dentist that we can go to!
Dental care is SO important and I hate that insurance companies and the government treat it as optional or cosmetic. "Just take proper care of your teeth." Sure, that sounds easy in theory, but so many things go into tooth decay or issues. Eating habits (low-income homes can't always afford healthy food choices), vitamin deficiencies, genes, etc. Overbrushing can even cause damage, as well as brushing too hard. Access to affordable dental care should be a RIGHT. Not a privilege.
Well said!!!!! 👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌
I finally earn enough, at 42, to be able to fix my teeth. I grew up poor, made bad choices (soda, smoked, drank, and didn’t floss). In the Army the dentists just filled the cavities with amalgam… reconstructed my teeth with amalgam, and even extracted one.
I recently had my amalgam teeth (two) extracted, got two implants, two fillings, completed a crown that I’ve needed for 4 years, and today I’m going to get fitted for Invisalign.
My teeth have always been crooked, also have crowding and an overbite… But, because I was poor… I just thought that’s how it was.
Crazy America is this way… all about profit at the expense of the poor and working class.
I no longer smoke (16 years), no longer drink (3 years), very seldom drink soda… What a journey.
50% of the dentists I've ever visted, OVERTREATED and scammed me. I just fired my recent dentist as I caught them lying to me over an $8,000 crown I did not need. Plus they scheduled me for services just months before my insurance would have covered them, and I had to pay out of pocket. The very first dentists I went to as a teenager forced me to get 10 fillings I did not actually need! I was just a kid and that dentist kept poking his poker into my HEALTHY teeth extremely hard to make them hurt! The con artist charged my elderly grandmother thousands of dollars! It's all a money game to them and EXACTLY why I despise American dentistry!!!
There is no such thing as an $8,000 crown. Nobody in the entire world charges that for a crown. Come back when you can make up a believable story.
Thank you for this. Dental care is an essential part of overall health but is still overlooked by our legislators as a critical unmet need. So many poor and elderly endure avoidable suffering and poor health because American doesn't provide affordable accessible dental care.
How are their teeth? The legislators? Who are their dentists? Do they belong to some elite group? How's their Healthcare? What's also bad is the customer service in these offices today. Insanity. Their all haters of..people. Im calling off all my appointments except for Monday. I need this one tooth extracted months ago😖 its a molar. I want to have something in it's place. I didn't want to have it pulled because i don't want to be without it. But, we cant afford it. And at the same time, i cant afford not to. My health is at risk every day i don't take care of it. Thank you, Lord that I am a woman of faith and my God, Ruler over my life, He is going to take care of me. God bless America
Teaching good dental hygiene is important from an early age.
Teeth and gums deal with a lot of circumstances that are stressful, and proper cleaning and care can prevent so many problems later on.
Preventative care is not profitable.
And don't forget the role of good nutrition also. Its so important
Even if you take amazing care of your teeth, which you absolutely should do, there are issues of genetics, disease, and trauma that can all still cause you to end up with bad teeth you cant afford to fix. It's not always preventable
My wife is Japanese so we can both get dental coverage in Japan at a reasonable price. It is sad to say, but if I need anything major (a crown, etc.) it is cheaper for me to fly to Japan to get it worked on. Both our dental and medical systems are broken in the US.
I live in Japan where national health insurance covers dental work. I've never paid more than $10 for a dental visit. In America it cost me at least $200 per visit for a cleaning, but if anything complicated, it was $1000. Nice place to visit, but glad I no longer live there.
If America used Japan as a cultural role model, we could have the same systems. Japanese eat healthier, are more active and have higher societal expectations for individuals. We just can’t afford it.
I can’t imagine not being able to go to the dentist every 6 months. So sad 😞 I hope that they can help everyone get denture for the one young lady
Why not start a go fund for young adults?
It's disgusting how judgmental we are in this country of people with bad teeth when proper dental care is a privilege.
This is 10 years old. Nothing has changed. I'm 68 with only a few teeth left. I don't believe anything will change in my lifetime. Only people with money deserve teeth.
@@critter4004 I had to edit my comment to you several times because your response made me so angry. Who are you to sit on high and judge another person with so much smug self-satisfaction? You don't know anything about that individual's life or nutritional background. You took a comment someone made in pain and you turned it into an opportunity to feel superior. You "simply" avoided tooth decay by not eating sugars and starches. The word simply does a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. Avoiding the need for dental care is far more complicated than simply avoiding sugars and starch.
If an individual doesn't get adequate dental care when they are a child, that can set them up for a lifetime of problems. Tens of millions of children do not get adequate medical and dental care in the US. There are many factors other than diet. Two individuals eating the same healthy diet can have vastly different dental situations. I have to go to the dentist every 6 months, my best friend goes once in a decade with no ill effects and I eat a very healthy diet. As for eating sugar or starches, you should be aware that brushing your teeth immediately ameliorates most of the bad dental effects of these foods. I'm not advocating for eating sugars and starches, they should be avoided for other reasons, but when they are eaten, brush right away.
Your comment embodies so much of what is wrong in this country. Blaming another person for their misfortune without any knowledge of the circumstances while feeling superior for "simply" making better choices.
I'm going to make a suggestion that will probably seem alien to you. Even if they had all of the information, even if they had received exemplary care as a child and willfully ate grains and sugar, they should still not have to suffer rotting teeth and the inability to chew.
Healthcare and dental care should not be for-profit industries. I've lived in other countries where everyone receives basic medical and dental care. Our taxes pay for roads, the postal service, schools, police and firefighters, the necessary and essential services we share as a society. In every other developed nation and in some that are not healthcare is understood to be a necessity just like roads, bridges and schools.
What differentiates you from the person you responded to? Luck of the draw? Education? Opportunity? All of the factors in a person's life that contribute to making them who they are. If you work 12 hours a day in a warehouse, you're probably not going to have time to educate yourself on what to eat. You might not have access to those foods or time to cook them. By the time you get to the age of 60 and have struggled your whole life, your dental health may just not be exemplary for many reasons that were never in your control.
We don't prioritize education. We don't prioritize the well-being of the people who live here. Profit is the only concern. Industries with a vested financial interest actively fight against the public being made aware of how bad their products are.
Do you remember Coca-Cola's advertising campaign where they said that all calories are the same and the only important thing is the number of calories, as long as you don't eat too many calories Coca-Cola has a place in a healthy diet. They outright said that there's no difference between 200 calories of broccoli or salmon or Coca-Cola. They knew that wasn't true but they still ran with it. And they got away with it.
The tobacco companies still sell cigarettes. The processed food corporations maintain staffs of thousands whose job it is to formulate foods that will be uniquely addictive. Remember Lay's potato chips? "Bet you can't eat just one!" that give away the game up front.
These foods are manufactured to bypass our satiety mechanisms. They are made to induce overeating, calories that provide no nutritional value and do significant damage. And they are all sold and marketed to those who are most vulnerable.
You are lucky that you were able to educate yourself. You understand that sugars and starches are bad for your health and bad for your teeth. You probably have enough time to make good food. You might have had a baseline of dental care or were able to get it for yourself or happened to luck out and never need it. Do you think that only those similarly situated to you deserve to be healthy? Do you really believe that it is as simple as avoiding sugars and starches?
@@critter4004 I figured there would be a snarky comment about an essay or novella. I was certain you would do that and you didn't disappoint. Everything I said was accurate, reading is not work, if it's an effort for you to read something or if it takes time, that isn't a problem I have. It's a choice you make.
Reread your response to the original comment. Do you not see how you came across? The first thing you say is "what was your diet." Then the word simply, you simply avoided sugars and starches and for that reason do not have tooth decay. That was all you had to say to the person who has no teeth and is suffering. No compassion, no questions, just judgment and assumptions about their diet with more about your own experience. Your experience is anecdotal, you suggested that all they had to do is do what you did and everything would be great when that isn't accurate. How does that help them when they are already in this situation? All they had to do was not eat sugars and starch, and that helps them now how? It doesn't. All it does is serve as an opportunity for you to point out what you believe to be their bad choices without knowledge as to whether they made those choices or if they knew better.
That's what prompted my essay. The thing you should do is go back and reread your comment, understand how it came across and try to do better next time. You don't have to acknowledge that to me, that isn't the point.
@@critter4004 IMO - Genetics plays a big part in oral condition as well certain diseases, pregnancy, medications, and physical ailments Please do not stereotype.
@@critter4004 like really, lady! Diet! Diet! Many people cannot help the food made available to them. We brush, floss, water pic all the same. We buy food we can afford. And yes, some of us even have major dental work done at extreme cost only to end up through no fault of our own with dental discord. Honest to goodness..you haven't a clue. SMH!🙄🙄
@@Kyarrix Ohhh my goodness.. Take me to church..one of the best responses I've read in quite some time. Ty for your words and hopefully some people reading your comments will show a little humility in life going forward. 💯
Those volunteers are so amazing.
agreed, I wish there were more clinics like that for folks! I know some of the dental schools offer low cost care to those with a low income, but a lot of people don't know about it.
I am a retired Dentist, I semi specialized in EMERGENCY CARE , FOR 33 YEARS
I AM A UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Graduate
MY ADVICE TO ALL PEOPLE IN NEED IS TO BUUSH WITH BAKING SODA ALL YOUR TEETH AFTER EACH MEAL UNTIL YOU CAN GET TO A DENTIST . AS SOON AS POSSIBLE , put an ice bag on the outside , take your usual pain medication.
BEST TREATMENT IS.
PRACTICE PREVENTION .
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"
about prevention, dentists in Germany tell you the exact same.
Thank you!
Thank you FRONTLINE for this and all the wonderful investigating/reporting you provide to us.
wish they would investigate many of these dentists, especially in Florida
Best journalism on 📺 hands down. I trust PBS and Frontline. Been a supporter and viewer since i was a kid. And when i got older i realized how much good PBS does for our country. And frontline is the most truthful and reliable news source today. thank you PBS for a lifetime of incredible programming.
General dentist here. I speak for many dentists when I say dental care, as well as vision and hearing, should all be covered under medical insurance. I have a tiny office with one staff member. The cost to run a tiny office is insane. We have to buy our own equipment unlike other fields. Keeping up with the new technology will make you go broke. Yet everyone thinks because I am a dentist I am rich. I drive a used car and made 45k last year, barely enough to pay my home mortgage & have money to live on. I live paycheck to paycheck. Dentistry is a very expensive field to get into and to stay in and it's just getting worse.
PBS should pay the students $30k a year for the 8 years of their lives they spend to become a dentist, then pay off the $500,000 in student loans. Then PBS can buy the required equipment, Becoming a dentist is not free , For a decent return on time and $$ invested to become a dentist , , your time and money is better utilized if your become a welder or a clerk at the DMV
@@theburgh70 I am an older dentist looking to retire very soon. Times were much different when I started out. Overhead in dentistry has always been high. Some professions are like that. There were many years I made over 6 figures working 3-4 days a week & lived good live style & could actually save money. My school loans were paid off....Then personal health care insurance skyrocketed after Obamacare went into effect and computers & new technology started to come into play. In the beginning, it wasn't to bad but then the technology just exploded. Along with that came high purchase bills, then high repair or new software, upgrades, high insurance on all these new gadgets, educating staff, etc...And then came a lot of new regulations to go along with all of this. Then everything has to be updated for a cost....The solo practioner is now overwhelmed with which bill to pay first. Many patients are lured by insurance companies to pick an in-network dentist so they can save a few bucks & the insurance company always gets richer. You are going to see older dentsts start merging with other offices and solo practices are beginning to decline (it's already happening) & there are going to be more group practices & corporate dental offices taking over. These offices are going to rush you in & out because they have to see more patients in less time. I am glad I am at the tail end of my profession. Anyone reading this: Unless you are from a rich family that can pay for your schooling and help you set up an office, find another field....The fields I would recommend atr being a dental hygienist, a nurse practioner, or physicians assistant, working for any major coorporation with good benefits, learn a trade like plumber/electrician, get a state office job, or work for an insurance company. Insurancd companies pay you a decent salary, you get benefits, can work from home many times, generally you can live anywhere, etc. Or work for a major utility for electricity or water companies-decent pay, great benefits, people never leave thesr jobs.
Thank you so much for your hard work, and for your devotion to helping people, and to serving your community.
@@DanS8204 Thank you :)
I am not buying it! All u have to do is fly to Mexico or Columbia if you have a 10k bill and get work done for 1/3!!!
Makes me sad, I am so fortunate to be able to see a kind and caring dentist.
I used to be lucky to have a kind and caring and caring dentist until he stopped taking my insurance. This is why people go outside of the USA for dental and medical care because of socialized medicine.
@@Ambigirl2011 If the USA had socialized medicine, you wouldn’t have a need for insurance.
Dental procedures for situations like infections should have to be covered by your medical insurance, seeing as this has implications for other body systems. It is patently absurd that health insurance does not have to cover dental emergencies.
Dental insurance itself is not a solution because dental insurance covers virtually nothing.
A disgrace of how greed affects humans behavior.
Yep.
The tooth decay is also being accelerated by convenience foods like sodas and packaged sweets. Unfortunately, lower income people relay on these foods due to costs. Definitely as systemic problem.
Home vegetable gardening is possible. Fine skill to have, but quite easy to begin.
It is a field of where one can never know everything.
They eat these foods not because they are low cost but that they like the way they taste.
If you read studies it is in fact NOT cost that determines how much junk food poor families eat, it's more about parents wanting to reward their kids with "something" since they cannot afford to buy them toys or go on vacations, they choose to say yes when their child wants a candy bar, because they have to say no to most other things. IMAGINE if people just stopped popping out kids they cannot afford, and stopped draining the tax payers!!
@@bettysmith4527 if they can’t afford to reward the children in other ways and turn to cheap treats as a reward them cost definitely has something to do with it. You contradicted your own talking point.
i'm a dentist.
increasing dental school tuitions is one of the BIGGEST reasons for high cost of dental-care.
contact your representatives and ask them to lookin into exorbant dental schools tuitions.
I absolutely guarantee to you guys that 99% of the dentists at those corporate chains are newly graduated dentists.
I 💯 agree with everything but the last part. While it makes complete sense, all the ones I’ve met working for corporate chains are there because of things like being under some legal conditions & just being downright self destructive.
This was fantastic. Nothing that I didn't already know was happening but good information for the general public to know about so that they can be aware and question services recommended by their providers. I wish that they would've also included information about PPO insurance as there is also fraud and upselling for these patients as well. There was a shift in dentistry about 30 years ago and its created this mess that I hope can be cleared up. What we do as dental professionals is important but we have lost our way.
Everyone on this earth deserves a chance to enjoy the health and happiness and relief modern medicine can provide.
For every doctor dedicated to actually providing true healing to humanity...
...thank you , your contribution is a true blessing.
I hope more can follow in your example.
@@justice4all32
A tough and valid question...
@@justice4all32 well I figure all the taxes we pay, that should cover it.
@@justice4all32 better spend double money on the military, QUICK! Russia can attack Ukraine
America should have Universal Healthcare for all. They can spend Trillions of Dollars to bail out Banks but can’t take care of their poor citizens. Pro Life is whole body & life. Period!!! This is a perfect example of why Capitalism does not work. Too much American Greed.
The sad thing and something to look at. The rate of suicide for dentist 8.04 males females 5.25.
@11.55 She is saying correctly, never ever go to a dental chain. It is all about profit, nothing about dentistry. Nothing has changed since it aired 10 years back except these dental chains got wiser and made it difficult to figure out whether a dental office is part of the chain or not. Do your research and go to a practice that is owned and operated by a doctor who is practicing there and has at least 5 to 7 year experience and is known in the community.
if i could rewind my life and change 1 thing, it would have been to take better care of my teeth
I've had teeth yanked because I couldn't afford the other options. I take care of my mouth more than ever and am very thankful, grateful for my dentist and dental clinic that I have now.
It ought to be covered under health insurance, Medicare, etc. It's a health issue. Them denying it as such is ludicrous considering a dental infection will straight kill you once it enters your blood stream. Not to mention, before it accomplishes that...it'll slowly poison your whole body.
We have to do better than this!