You Want How Much to Fix My Teeth?

Going to the dentist for major dental work has become the equivalent, especially in the US and Canada, of financing a mortgage or buying a car.

The cost of dental work has sky-rocketed beyond any rhyme or reason, and for many, literally holds an individuals dental health hostage to the whims of a dental profession that has no competition…. until now!

The dental profession, especially in the US, is basically a closed shop. There is within the US dental community a particular disdain for anything that smacks of promoting competition or ‘shopping’ for the best price.

Now, there are exceptions to this rule as there is to any rule but let me give you a personal example.

I wanted to find out how much it would cost for some bridge work. I called a dentist’s office and I asked the receptionist the cost for that procedure, she put me on hold.

Several minutes later she returned and asked me if I wanted to make an appointment. I said ‘no’ that I just wanted to find out the price of the procedure.

She said she was not able to give out that information over the phone but if I wanted to make an appointment then the doctor could see me and give me an estimate. I asked how much that would cost. She said that a ‘consultation’ would cost US$225

Yes! ‘Knowledge is power’ and can be expensive too. That call and outcome was repeated various times in different ways but always with the same outcome.

For the most part the US dental community has fairly, or perhaps unfairly, insulated itself from the evils of ‘competition’ by making it almost prohibitive for anyone seeking information that causes them to compete against each other.

If I had wanted to ‘force’ competition’ by physically visiting the several dentists to see what their treatment plan would cost it would have cost me in excess of a thousand dollars in the proverbial ‘initial visits’ just to know what my best cost would be.

I daresay at the end of that expensive adventure the treatment plans would not have been separated by more than a 10% difference.

It is to this fact, that an intimidating and seemingly monolithic healthcare caste that generally refuses to be driven by market forces, has deprived many individuals of quality dental health.

Let me be clear that there is nothing illegal about this but I’m sure that there are many of you reading this article that have lived and suffered through and perhaps continue to do so, poor dental health because you have been defeated at every turn by a dental health system that is adversarial in providing basic information that would promote competition and punitive in what they charge for their services to discourage it.

I don’t want to sound like some disgruntled, unfulfilled socialist or Trotskyite longing for the days of the ‘workers revolution’, but hey brother I’m just asking a question here?

What is so topsy-turvy about all this is that the current dental health system is socialistic almost in every way because they look to defeat or ameliorate competition to maintain their control over information…what is the value of knowledge?.. over cost and profit margin. There is no wind of reform on the horizon…. but there is competition over the horizon…. in Costa Rica.

I work with one of the finest dentists in this hemisphere. Dr Mario is a graduate of the University of Miami Medical School, has a state-of-the-art facility with its own laboratory in a beautiful part of San Jose called Escazu and if you say ‘ya’ll’ to their front office staff (I’m from Georgia) they understand what you mean… they are very English friendly.

But this is what separates them from their US brethren… there are no secrets!

You want to know a price, you get it. You want to save up to 50% on your US dentist’s treatment plan then here’s your chance. You want to qualify for an airfare rebate of up to US$500 as VIP Member.. just ask where you sign up.

You want to save another 5% because you pay in cash AND personal checks are accepted… climb aboard!

Ok, you may have to wait some, it is a dentist office, but if you have to wait don’t you want to sit in a beautiful (and air-conditioned) very comfortable waiting room watching satellite TV with other Americans who have chosen Dr. Mario to save a bundle of money… and last but not least have a dentist who has been vetted and approved by Blue Cross/Blue Shield through their subsidiary Companion Global Dental for their US policyholders… Dr. Mario is that good!

Look I don’t fault anybody for making a buck but most of us have to compete every day to keep our jobs. Competition is in the nature of who we are as a people.

Medicine is perhaps one of the noblest of professions but it has gone from ‘..do no harm’… to ..’do not compete’…I understand US dentists are hamstrung by high insurance costs and overhead but that’s not my fault.

Why do I have to sacrifice mine or my families dental health because I have a car payment to make or college tuition to pay or god forbid I should want to take a vacation somewhere.

Why should the US dental consumer always be the ‘lender’ of last resort to compensate dentists for a system that is broken legally and professionally. I thank God for the healthcare that is available to us and the men and women who provide it.

It provides us a high quality of life for those of us fortunate enough to receive it (and afford it) but how about a level playing field for ‘us’ consumers?

There is the adage ,’nothing good is cheap’, and there is truth to this. Quality dental care is not cheap.. agreed but, it does not have to be ruinously expensive either.

I offer you the best of both worlds. You can have high quality, affordable dentistry with a man who has a proven and verified track record who will offer you a viable financial alternative.

Compare that to the ludicrous dental estimates that are tossed around almost mockingly with the same tone of cynicism as heard in Marie Antoinette’s infamous epithet..

“Let them eat cake!” Which some of you still cannot do.

Let me make you an offer that will cost you nothing but perhaps save you a great deal.

I will provide you with an email address to send your treatment plan (it needs to be in an email form) and provide you with an ‘apples to apples’ financial comparison of procedure costs and days to complete.

You and I will work together to make your critical dental needs affordable and have results that will stand the test of time..

A perfect smile at a perfect price may sound altruistic but it is what we strive for every day.

Written by VIP Member Charlie Dennard. Charlie is a native of Georgia, born in Columbus, growing up in Savannah and working professionally in Atlanta. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a pre-law degree. Shortly after graduating he met the actor Burt Reynolds and later managed his restaurant at The Omni in Atlanta.

In 1984 he was offered an opportunity to live and work with local communities in Monterey, Mexico and Lima, Peru which he did for several years. Upon returning to Atlanta, Charlie worked a national sales rep and after being invited to address a local mens group became a highly sought after motivational speaker. Charlie is the proud father of three beautiful girls Carson, Galilee and Emma.

In 2008 Charlie started his current business whose mission statement is to provide world class dentistry at affordable prices.

For more information about our Blue Cross recommended Dentist Dr. Mario and how you could qualify for a free round trip airfare to Costa Rica, please contact Charlie using the simple form below:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.