On July 28, I went to this nearby dentist (Vatsalya near Arekere MICO Layout Bus Stand). Since this was my first visit to a dentist, I did some Googling before my visit and realized that my teeth had calculus and needed scaling.
At the clinic, the dentist examined my teeth with the following diagnosis:
He then took 3 x-rays of my teeth (...I don’t know why). He then showed the x-rays to me which didn’t seem to suggest any serious issue. Instead of explaining me my x-rays, he spent most of the time trying to frighten me with x-rays of others who seemed to have major problems. It looked to me like a before-after ad that we regularly see in newspapers - unless you undergo the treatment I’m going to recommend, your teeth will be like those of others very soon.
He then recommended the following treatment:
extensive cleaning of all my teeth (Rs 500)
flap surgery/grafting (Rs 8, 000 - 12, 000)
I was shocked to hear the treatment. I never thought a mere calculus would cost me Rs 13K. Reluctantly I fixed an appointment for next day. He also prescribed a mouthwash and a tablet for my swollen teeth, which I never bought.
Once back home, I once again tried googling about the flap surgery and found that flap surgery is done only after scaling and root planning haven’t been successful in treating the problem. I decided to get a second opinion from another dentist before I go for that surgery.
Since I had the appointment, I decided to get only the cleaning done.
Next day, I told the dentist that I wanted only the cleaning process. He tried to convince me that I desperately needed a flap surgery, else my teeth will start coming out very soon. I was adamant that I needed only the cleaning process.
Now came the shocks one after another:
He told me that my "swelling has come down drastically from yesterday" because of the medicine that he prescribed. (... but I never took any medicine. I always believed that I did not have any swelling. Even if I had swelling, how could it have come down in 1 day suddenly?)
The cleaning process would now cost me Rs 1000 instead of the original 500. When I asked him why, he said that since I am not ready for the surgery, he will have to clean my teeth properly (...so much for variable pricing)
Still not given up on selling, he advised that I can get the whole cost reimbursed from my employer since its a surgery and not a routine dentist visit. (...that’s the whole point why I wasn’t ready for the surgery)
This is when I decided I had enough and walked out. On my way back, I went to another dentist and got myself examined. She said that I just needed scaling, which is what I believed all along that I needed.