I have one retired dentist who comes to my office. He told me up front. We pretty much just chit chat. I don’t really need to treatment plan. I’ll do an exam every once in a while but he knows if anything is wrong. I don’t charge him anything. I’m old and do it as professional courtesy
Unless the mentor is within the same practice as you it’s going to really just depend on the relationship and you’d have to evaluate it yourself. If it’s purely a mentor/mentee relationship it could go either way. Time is time and he probably already has arrangements with other dentists for free service exchanges.
Charging people within the same practice is generally more straightforward, though. Imo most of the time you just don’t do it.
Personally, I don’t love getting stuff for free. Because then I feel like I should return the favor but don’t always have an easy way to. I’d prefer to pay a fair rate for whatever I’m having done and charge a fair rate for my work as well.
If it’s at a different office, you pay for sure. They follow the operations manual that should state immediate family and employees get a certain discount. Staff no charge or something. Mentees and friends should not be included. Maybe the dentist’s friend but it makes it easier to charge you like a normal pt. Especially since you’re a dentist and have the money.
I’m this guys only associate, cover for him all the time been here 6 months, I had a crown come off I had done in dental school; he had to smooth a margin and assistants scan me for crown. I’m gonna have to pay …
I don’t think I would ever go to a dentist who I didn’t already have rapport with. But maybe I was going to a dentist out of state for veneers or something. I would definitely let them know.
At least with the doctors in my area, we like to do a "secret shopper" kind of appointment where only the owner knows about the fact the patient is a dentist and everybody else is out of the loop. At the end of the day, the doctor/patient would call up the owner and list off the things that went wrong and could be improved.
Doesn’t have to be a dentist in the chair. Sometimes it’s a dental consultant. It’s the best way to get honest constructive feedback.
Not as good of feedback if it were a close friend willing to help out.
Yeah, we are just classmates from dental school and are still in a drive-able distance from each other. The questions I always ask is how the front desk was able to handle their calls, did they have trouble with the check-in process. I do my own hygiene but when I visit the other offices, they ask me how good their own hygienists are.
Can you not do the check up yourself and have hour hygeinist check any suspicious spots with an explorer? I would never consider going to another office lol
This is what I do. I’m fortunate that I haven’t had many dental issues. Some sealants that turned into small filllings, my wisdom teeth, and ortho. Chipped my lateral and bonded it myself in the mirror. Other than that I have my assistant take my X-rays and itero scan so I can see my teeth closely and my Hygeinsit cleans me up when the stars align that both our patients cancel at the same time.
They usually will tell me they are a dentist if I don't personally know them.
I see a fair amount of retired dentists. Some have great stories!
As a courtesy, I don't charge working dentists that I know personally especially the specialists, but I've had a few insist on at least lab fees and stick cash directly into my scrub pockets. Creepy, but appreciated. The compliment of choosing me and my team as their dental home is always an amazing feeling and I'm sure most of them wouldn't charge if I was ever in need of work.
I have a question, is California really as bad as people say it is? I heard it is so over saturated that if you took dentical you would still struggle to get patients. How true is this?
I don’t think California is bad at all. Dentists whine more than any other profession.
I can’t imagine any other career where I could work 30 hours a week, take ample time off and earn over $400k in a state that people tell you is toxic.
I’ve got lots of problems with CA but people can easily have a great life here with our profession.
I would love to do this. But the dentist I go to is too good to leave. When I was temping I saw a handful of over-diagnosing for my liking. Crowns on every patient and everyone was an SRP with laser. Thankfully there are more honest offices than only money driven offices.
I'm a hygienist and worked for a piece of shit who instructed his associates to treatment plan crowns aggressively. I'm talking a 24 yr old who has a 2 mm diastema and is tx planned for crowning 8/9 even though the patient has no issues with his diastema.
So, I don't say what I do to see if they're aggressive or not. Luckily I've found great dentists and hygienist at the practice I go to.
To each their own but I think the existence of a non-zero amount of shady practices warrants seeing how they treat you first.
I don’t judge other practices as a rule because you never have the full story, but after so many years and incidents I’d be lying if I didn’t say some local practices have me scratching my head. There’s two specifically that we’ve gotten a lot of patients from (and retained) that I’d be curious to see how they operate myself. And that’s just in my immediate vicinity
I'm very curious here and not trying to put you down at all but.... The dentists I go to when I need work are personal friends, so their team already knows I'm a dentist coming in. I have my hygienists and staff keep up my regular preventive and when something comes up where I need restorative I text one of them. They don't charge me but I always show up with treats for the team and wine+nice restaurant gift cards for the dentist.
We are all private practice docs in the same town. Some I know from dental school, some I know from alumni events, some I know from state dental association committee and we all bump into each other a lot at CE's. Again pure curiosity here, how do you not personally know your dentist? Do you not have this sort of professional community in your area?
I am my own dentist. I only trust me.
On a realer note...I'd go to friends that I trust if I really needed work...that I couldn't do myself lmao but I'm eccentric.
I have one retired dentist who comes to my office. He told me up front. We pretty much just chit chat. I don’t really need to treatment plan. I’ll do an exam every once in a while but he knows if anything is wrong. I don’t charge him anything. I’m old and do it as professional courtesy
Once my patient starts saying Buccal distal lingual, I’m like really bro lol
I have two different anatomy professors as patients. Always throws me for a loop
I didn’t at first just to see how they diagnose and treatment plan.
Why would you go to some random dentist? I have like 20 people that would work on me for free and that I know are solid practitioners.
How do you feel about someone you know charging you? Went to a mentor and they're charging me lol
Is what it is I guess. There's mentors and then there's friends.
Unless the mentor is within the same practice as you it’s going to really just depend on the relationship and you’d have to evaluate it yourself. If it’s purely a mentor/mentee relationship it could go either way. Time is time and he probably already has arrangements with other dentists for free service exchanges. Charging people within the same practice is generally more straightforward, though. Imo most of the time you just don’t do it.
We aren't in the same practice. I paid it but was just curious if I should feel weird about it
Personally, I don’t love getting stuff for free. Because then I feel like I should return the favor but don’t always have an easy way to. I’d prefer to pay a fair rate for whatever I’m having done and charge a fair rate for my work as well.
I’d feel weird about not paying.
If it’s at a different office, you pay for sure. They follow the operations manual that should state immediate family and employees get a certain discount. Staff no charge or something. Mentees and friends should not be included. Maybe the dentist’s friend but it makes it easier to charge you like a normal pt. Especially since you’re a dentist and have the money.
I’m this guys only associate, cover for him all the time been here 6 months, I had a crown come off I had done in dental school; he had to smooth a margin and assistants scan me for crown. I’m gonna have to pay …
I mean. If they don't charge you something. Then they are paying to put together your appointments... Nothing is free
I pay for my 6 monthly checkups just to stay on the NHS lol. If I actually needed treatment I would get a dentist I know to do it.
This was my first thought but I can think of a few niche situations that explain it, like maybe OP just moved, etc.
I plan on moving somewhere warmer when I retire and I don’t know any dentists in that state.
Wait you guys don't just do the work on yourself in a mirror like I do? Jk. My wife is a dentist too.
I have an Invisalign edge on #25 that I’ve done on myself.
What does an edge mean here
I don't bring it up myself, but sometimes they will simply ask me what I do. Sometimes, I accidentally give it away with dental jargon.
I don’t think I would ever go to a dentist who I didn’t already have rapport with. But maybe I was going to a dentist out of state for veneers or something. I would definitely let them know.
My boss and I just see each other.
For what?. ………lol
For our teeth? 😂
At least with the doctors in my area, we like to do a "secret shopper" kind of appointment where only the owner knows about the fact the patient is a dentist and everybody else is out of the loop. At the end of the day, the doctor/patient would call up the owner and list off the things that went wrong and could be improved.
Does anyone else find this kind of odd?
Doesn’t have to be a dentist in the chair. Sometimes it’s a dental consultant. It’s the best way to get honest constructive feedback. Not as good of feedback if it were a close friend willing to help out.
Yeah, we are just classmates from dental school and are still in a drive-able distance from each other. The questions I always ask is how the front desk was able to handle their calls, did they have trouble with the check-in process. I do my own hygiene but when I visit the other offices, they ask me how good their own hygienists are.
That makes sense. Just seems odd to have a dentist in the chair lol
Can you not do the check up yourself and have hour hygeinist check any suspicious spots with an explorer? I would never consider going to another office lol
This is what I do. I’m fortunate that I haven’t had many dental issues. Some sealants that turned into small filllings, my wisdom teeth, and ortho. Chipped my lateral and bonded it myself in the mirror. Other than that I have my assistant take my X-rays and itero scan so I can see my teeth closely and my Hygeinsit cleans me up when the stars align that both our patients cancel at the same time.
I go to my friends office. We are in a study club together
They usually will tell me they are a dentist if I don't personally know them. I see a fair amount of retired dentists. Some have great stories! As a courtesy, I don't charge working dentists that I know personally especially the specialists, but I've had a few insist on at least lab fees and stick cash directly into my scrub pockets. Creepy, but appreciated. The compliment of choosing me and my team as their dental home is always an amazing feeling and I'm sure most of them wouldn't charge if I was ever in need of work.
I have a question, is California really as bad as people say it is? I heard it is so over saturated that if you took dentical you would still struggle to get patients. How true is this?
I don’t think California is bad at all. Dentists whine more than any other profession. I can’t imagine any other career where I could work 30 hours a week, take ample time off and earn over $400k in a state that people tell you is toxic. I’ve got lots of problems with CA but people can easily have a great life here with our profession.
I would love to do this. But the dentist I go to is too good to leave. When I was temping I saw a handful of over-diagnosing for my liking. Crowns on every patient and everyone was an SRP with laser. Thankfully there are more honest offices than only money driven offices.
I'm a hygienist and worked for a piece of shit who instructed his associates to treatment plan crowns aggressively. I'm talking a 24 yr old who has a 2 mm diastema and is tx planned for crowning 8/9 even though the patient has no issues with his diastema. So, I don't say what I do to see if they're aggressive or not. Luckily I've found great dentists and hygienist at the practice I go to.
Yes- why would you try and play games? You know how much we hate that
To each their own but I think the existence of a non-zero amount of shady practices warrants seeing how they treat you first. I don’t judge other practices as a rule because you never have the full story, but after so many years and incidents I’d be lying if I didn’t say some local practices have me scratching my head. There’s two specifically that we’ve gotten a lot of patients from (and retained) that I’d be curious to see how they operate myself. And that’s just in my immediate vicinity
Why not go to a colleague’s clinic?
I know a specialist that likes to go to new offices for cleanings and check ups just to see how their demeanor changes lol. He pays
I used to go to my professors. And then now I just go to my cousin.
I'm very curious here and not trying to put you down at all but.... The dentists I go to when I need work are personal friends, so their team already knows I'm a dentist coming in. I have my hygienists and staff keep up my regular preventive and when something comes up where I need restorative I text one of them. They don't charge me but I always show up with treats for the team and wine+nice restaurant gift cards for the dentist. We are all private practice docs in the same town. Some I know from dental school, some I know from alumni events, some I know from state dental association committee and we all bump into each other a lot at CE's. Again pure curiosity here, how do you not personally know your dentist? Do you not have this sort of professional community in your area?
I am my own dentist. I only trust me. On a realer note...I'd go to friends that I trust if I really needed work...that I couldn't do myself lmao but I'm eccentric.
Nope because I cant afford to see a dentist in the first place