i have gone to one dentist my entire life. then i switched insurance and i had to find a new one, so i picked Dr. Almario, who was close to my house with good reviews.
walking in, i was amazed at the flat screen tvs, fancy coffee maker. it felt like a spa, not the dentist! have i been missing out my entire life?!
i went for my check up (which i don't even think was a thorough routine cleaning), and x-rays. the woman at the front desk had to assist the hygienist with the x-rays, which i thought was odd. they had to do the whole cycle twice and take two sets of pictures because the first round was done so poorly.
then dr. almario went in, and told me that i had 9 cavities, and needed all four wisdom teeth removed. i am not cavity-prone, and have had maybe 3 cavities my entire life (two on baby teeth), and always go to my routine cleanings with good reports. i was shocked to hear this, and i felt that it was a bold recommendation to say i needed all my wisdom teeth removed, when they were not impacting my other teeth or causing any shifting.
when i asked about pricing, the woman at the front desk could not give me a clear answer. she was very vague and evasive, and had a very difficult time explaining the math. she said they would have to request white fillings, and my insurance only covered silver filings, which they don't do. she ultimately said that there is no way to give a price until the dentist begins drilling, because that's when she would be able to tell how deep the cavity is, which determines the price. after a long, confusing conversion with her, we arrived at a ball park figure, which was very high even after my insurance coverage. this sounded like an incredibly shady and disingenuous way to address this.
this called for a second opinion, so i went back to my original dentist, who luckily looked at me at no cost. i had Dr. Almario's office email the xrays to my other dentist for their review. my dentist said that the x-rays were indistinguishable and unreadable, and basically useless, so he did them again. he did an exam and said that i have no cavities, and he would recommend keeping my wisdom teeth unless they are bothering me, which they are not. this is exactly the opposite of dr. almario's diagnosis.
i felt like her recommendation was bordering on malpractice, and she was over-diagnosing to be profitable, not because it was necessary or in my best interest. obviously i am no expert on the matter, but i do not trust her, nor would i ever go back to her for any work. i would avoid her, although she seems pleasant and the office is nice, i believe she was diagnosing for her own benefit, not for my oral health.
now i guess i know how they afford all those fancy TVs! read more