I was at the dentist yesterday to repair a chipped tooth. The consultation, x-rays, waiting for the Novocaine to soak in, actually doing the repair and paying the bill was nearly 90 minutes. I used this dentist several times and like her work. She doesn't rush the process and the price becomes secondary.
A few weeks ago, there was a story in The New York Times about a woman in Minnesota who is suing her dentist. The same story was covered on a few news services. She's seeking more than $50,000 in damages, claiming to have received 4 root canals, 8 crowns and 20 fillings ALL IN A SINGLE VISIT.
C'mon, something is wrong what that scenario.
The average adult has 32 teeth (28 if the wisdom teeth are removed)
If 4 of those crowns are for the 4 root canals, that means every tooth had either a crown or a filling. All of them!
From my experience, a root canal requires two to three visits, the first being as much as 2 hours. A crown requires 2 visits, 90 minutes + 30 minutes after the tooth comes back from the laboratory and that can be 7 to 10 days.
I got through algebra and trigonometry, but to my best guess, that's more than $30,000 in dental fees and some 40 hours in the dentist's chair!
Maybe someone can figure the logic in her story and the dentist's reply. They are both on other planets right now!
If a third of what she claims to have been done, $50,000 in damages ain't nearly enough.
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