[glennonymous]

I live in Silicon Valley. I went to one of the few clinics covered by my insurance, and the dentist spoke in heavily accented English I could barely understand, exacerbated by wearing a mask and a face guard. They showed me my X-rays and told me “something something cavity something something” and had me make an appointment for a filling. I came back and got the filling, then they told me to make another appointment for another filling. This happened eleven times. Eleven fillings after not having received one filling in the previous 20 years.

For my next checkup, I searched and searched for a dentist who spoke in unaccented English I could clearly understand. He checked my teeth and cheerfully told me I needed to have all my lower front teeth removed and a bridge implant. Out of pocket cost: $30,000.

I couldn’t possibly afford this and decided to get a second opinion. The problem is, my insurance only covers one checkup every 6 months. In the meantime I agonized over how I would possibly pay for my extensive dental work, and I managed to find another dentist with whom I could communicate.

I asked this dentist if I needed the $30,000 procedure and she scoffed!

I was instantly furious and gave the Rolls Royce doctor bad reviews on Yelp and Google Maps. I’ve been getting a real-life lesson on the practices described in the article. I plan on sharing it with everyone I know.