Same Teeth, Different Plans? Why Dentists Give Different Quotes
A patient recently posted online that she had seen three different dentists and been given three completely different answers. One found three cavities. One found eleven. Another found two cavities and two root canals. Her reaction was the one so many people have: which one is telling the truth?
It is a fair question, and it deserves a proper answer.
I feel strongly about this because I think patients have been educated to look at dentistry in the wrong way. Dentistry simply means work carried out in your mouth. It does not mean every dentist will think the same way, plan the same way, design the same outcome or recommend the same level of treatment.
So when a patient sees three dentists and receives three different treatment plans, the reaction is often, “I feel like I’m being conned,” or “I don’t trust dentistry.” But different recommendations do not automatically mean dentists cannot be trusted. It may simply mean you have seen different dentists.
Different people. Different training. Different experience. Different standards. Different philosophies. Different ideas of what they would want in their own mouth, or for their own family.
Going to a dentist and saying, “Can you fix my teeth?” is like going to an estate agent and saying, “I want a house.” One estate agent may show you a seven bedroom house in Belgravia. Another may show you a one bedroom flat in Hounslow. Both are houses, but they are not the same vision, expectation, lifestyle, budget or long term plan.
It is also like giving two people the same piece of land. One may build a mansion. Another may build a modest home. Another may put up a garden shed. Same land. Completely different vision, planning, materials, cost and end result.
Your mouth is the same. The teeth may be the same teeth. The x-rays may be the same x-rays. The scan may be the same scan. But the way that dentist interprets the problem, plans the treatment, explains the options and designs the final result can be completely different.
A filling is not just “a filling.” A crown is not just “a crown.” An implant is not just “an implant.” The difference is in the diagnosis, the planning, the materials, the time, the skill, the communication, the maintenance and the long term thinking behind it.
Every patient also wants to maintain their mouth in a different way. One person wants the most biological route. Another wants the most holistic route. Another wants the most modern route. Another wants the minimally invasive route. Another wants the prevention first route. Another wants to repair only when something breaks.
Each approach carries different recommendations and different fees. Those fees may range from tens, to hundreds, to thousands, to tens of thousands, and in complex full mouth rehabilitations, sometimes even more. That does not automatically mean one dentist is honest and another is dishonest. It means they may not be offering the same type of dentistry.
This is why patients should investigate the practice they are walking into. Look at their cases. Read their reviews. Ask who they are known for. Ask whether they work by referral. Ask whether they are used to treating the type of problem you have. Ask what their patients say about the experience, not just the price.
Because different quotes are often not quoting the same thing. One quote may be for the most basic repair. Another may be for a longer term plan. Another may involve specialists, scans, photography, diagnostic work, ceramics, orthodontics, gum treatment, bite planning or maintenance.
The real question is not, “Why are these dentists giving me different prices?” The better question is, “What type of dentistry is this dentist offering me, and is it the right type of dentistry for what I actually want?”
It is really important that we educate the public to understand what they are actually choosing when they walk into a dental practice.
It is not only the premises. It is not the location. It is not the beautiful upholstery on the dental chair. It is not the coffee machine.
It is the dentistry being done in the back room.
The type of dentistry they are looking for, and the type of dentistry being provided there, matters more than anything else.
Because different opinions are not the problem. Unexplained ones are.
