Marina Kolesnichenko
Dentist, chief physician of the Beauty Line dental clinic.
There are many ways to defraud patients of money, or, as the victims themselves say, “money scam”: extremely inflated prices for treatment using conventional (sometimes downright cheap and low-quality) materials, imposition of unnecessary services that do not in any way affect the effectiveness of the work, and the most expensive treatment methods. Here there are “promotions”, when they promise a low price, but add to the price tag in small print: “Price from...”. In practice, obtaining a service at such a low cost turns out to be unrealistic. In the most severe cases, the client may find on the bill services that were not provided to him at all.
Let's take a closer look at all these methods and how to protect yourself from them.
They offer to take my word for it
Any treatment, including dental treatment, begins with diagnosis. At the same time, it is important that they not only tell you the problem, but also show it to you. Now technologies make it possible to demonstrate to the patient, using a video camera, areas of the oral cavity that require therapy. If the doctor does not show the diseased tooth during diagnosis, limiting himself to commenting on what he will do and why, there is a possibility of deception. There is a lot of room for fraud here. For example, “find” advanced caries and periodontitis. A pigment spot on the enamel can be passed off as caries; it does not require treatment at all. And for periodontitis, which requires expensive and complex therapy, there is tartar, which is removed using conventional ultrasonic cleaning. The dentist may also make up a diagnosis that is more serious than it actually is. For example, instead of caries, “treat” pulpitis or periodontitis. There have been cases when patients, being deceived by unscrupulous dentists, even lost completely healthy teeth in order to acquire expensive implants,
How to protect yourself
The only option to prevent yourself from being deceived is to control all the doctor’s actions, demanding convincing explanations. Try not to deal with clinics where there are no modern diagnostic tools, in particular a video camera with which a specialist can demonstrate damaged areas of the teeth.
“Material and technical base is an important factor that must be taken into account when choosing a dental clinic,” says Vladimir Shipkov, dentist, owner of the Dr. Dental Center. SHIPKOV dental clinic. “You can’t build a spaceship from car parts, especially with just a Phillips screwdriver.” X-rays, unlike dental CT scans, cannot give a complete clinical picture; implants will always be head and shoulders above clasp and bridge structures; metal-ceramic crowns in beauty, durability and functionality will never compare with highly aesthetic metal-free restorations. What can we say about a laser, with the help of which a doctor can bloodlessly, painlessly, and contactlessly dissect any tissue. Even dental hygienists today cannot do without high-tech assistants—devices with artificial intelligence remove hard and soft dental plaque from hard-to-reach places without damaging the tissue.”
However, ultra-modern technologies, materials and equipment cannot replace the experience, knowledge and talent of a specialist. They can only complement them. “Before entrusting dental treatment to a dentist, make sure that his knowledge, professional skills and practical experience are at a sufficiently high level,” our expert advises. - Today this is not difficult to do: all the necessary information will be provided in the center itself, if, of course, we are talking about a respectable institution with a good reputation. The necessary confirmations can also be found on the Internet. Specialist education, qualifications and duration of medical practice are key decision factors in this context. It is equally important (and sometimes even more) that a specialist constantly improves his qualifications, studies and improves his professional skills; without this it is impossible to become the best in his field. In general, the standard of modern dentistry is a symbiosis of technology, knowledge, skills and equipment, without which today you can’t go anywhere. Poor equipment, along with a lack of personnel and their insufficient qualifications, is almost always a guarantee that dental work will not be performed to the required level.”
No. 2. The dentist comes up with a more serious diagnosis instead of a mild one.
For example, instead of caries, the doctor diagnoses pulpitis or periodontitis. How to prevent. There is only one way out - to improve your medical literacy. At least just read about the symptoms of the most common dental diseases. For example, acute but short-term pain in response to eating sweet food or an equally short-lived reaction to cold air are signs of deep caries. In this case, it is not always necessary to remove the nerve. But if the tooth aches a lot, prevents you from sleeping, it hurts to press on it, and the reaction to sweets and cold lasts a very long time, then most likely it is pulpitis and the nerve will have to be removed.
They hide documentation for materials from the patient.
The clinic is obliged to provide the client with all data on the materials used in the treatment process. But, as a rule, dentists do not do this on their own initiative, and we do not require it. How many of you have at least once asked the dentist to show documentation for the implants and fillings that he is going to install and you are going to pay for? Fraudsters take advantage of the gullibility of patients - they replace expensive materials with cheaper ones. If the clinic staff is unenthusiastic, or even irritated, when a client’s request to satisfy his legitimate curiosity is met, you should know that something is fishy here. The level of service is an important condition for customer loyalty, and any serious, trustworthy institution treats such issues with understanding and scrupulousness.
How to protect yourself
Remember that the client has every right to demand to see what will be used for therapy. If this is a composition for filling, then it will be written on the packaging and on the syringe what material it is, and if it is, say, an implant, ask that it be removed from the packaging immediately before installation and before your eyes.
Check everything that is written on the receipt before you pay for it. The transparency of the dental clinic and the high level of service are a guarantee that you will receive high-quality treatment without overpaying for the services provided.
No. 4. The doctor imposes unnecessary procedures and expensive materials.
How to prevent. Question all the information your doctor gives you and ask clarifying questions. Better yet, learn to understand the basics of dentistry yourself. Then it will be clear to you that to treat pulpitis it is not necessary to take a panoramic photograph, which is only needed for prosthetics, or an expensive 3D computed tomography, which is only necessary for implantation. And that whitening teeth before covering them with braces is a waste of money, but remineralization (strengthening enamel), on the contrary, will help protect teeth from caries.
Do not enter into a contract for medical care
Agree, it is difficult to imagine a financial, construction, transport or any other company starting to fulfill a large order before the corresponding contract has been concluded. Why should it be different in dentistry? “The agreement stipulates the rights and obligations of all participants in the process, therefore it is beneficial to both parties, unless, of course, they are initially planning anything illegal,” says our expert. “Having signed papers in hand, the patient knows exactly how much, for what and when he needs to pay, and the clinic receives guarantees of this very payment. And an agreement is also needed to receive a tax deduction, thanks to which the patient can count on cashback from the state.”
How to protect yourself
Treat your teeth in clinics operating within the legal framework. When concluding an agreement for the provision of medical services, keep in mind that it provides for a change in the treatment plan if the situation requires it. But at the same time, you must be warned about this possibility, and the need for changes must be confirmed by diagnostic results. If you have signed a treatment plan, and upon payment you see a bill that exceeds the stated amount, which is justified, for example, by “overconsumption of materials,” you have the right not to pay the difference in cost. In case of objections from the clinic, write a statement to Rospotrebnadzor or the prosecutor's office.
No. 3. Changes old fillings for no reason or removes a tooth just for implantation
How to prevent. Old fillings need to be changed only if they have lost their tightness or are severely worn down in height. Implantation is indicated only if a tooth is missing, and while it can still be cured, it must be preserved by all means. A good doctor will try to restore a tooth, even if only one wall remains. Today there are all the possibilities for this - for example, indirect tabs.
What to do if you are the victim of a medical error?
They offer a loan for treatment
If, after an examination, they announce a serious diagnosis to you and insist on immediate and expensive treatment, most likely they are trying to cynically scam you. Especially when they offer to apply for a loan right there in the clinic for this therapeutic event. Keep in mind that if a dental center constantly employs a specialist in issuing loans, this is an obvious signal that you are in an organization whose goal is primarily to pump money out of patients, and not to treat them.
How to protect yourself
Just stay away from this establishment.
How to avoid being scammed at a dental clinic
Contact trusted clinics
You need to follow the banal advice - rely on reviews from family, friends and colleagues. This way, you will most likely end up in a trusted clinic and in the hands of a good specialist.
Compare prices for services in different clinics
You should compare prices at different clinics or use aggregator sites that offer such comparisons to find out what the average price is for the service you require.
Check licenses and certificates
Before contacting a clinic, you need to study its website: in premium-segment clinics, the high price of treatment is due to the use of top-class materials and innovative techniques, the presence of very highly qualified specialists on staff and often unique experience who develop their own treatment methods. On the websites of premium clinics you can find certificates and diplomas from manufacturers, certificates of advanced training for doctors.
Favorite trick: intimidation
Intimidation is one of the most sophisticated tricks used by dentists. For example, you come to an appointment with a specific problem. The doctor examines you and says that your problems are hundreds of times greater. If the patient begins to hesitate, the dentist begins to moralize and intimidate the patient, telling horror stories about what could happen if his recommendations are ignored.
Imposing additional services
Sometimes an unscrupulous doctor can convince a patient that it is necessary to carry out expensive procedures that cannot be avoided. For example, during ultrasonic teeth cleaning, the doctor can also remove tartar and then coat the teeth with fluoride varnish. Because of this, the cost of cleaning can increase several times.
And when treating caries, instead of just putting a filling, the doctor may begin to remove the dental nerve or even the entire tooth. It is best to come to the doctor for a consultation and pay only for it , informing that you will undergo treatment in a free clinic. Then the doctor will not need to impose unnecessary treatment on you.
What to do and how to terminate the contract
According to the senior managing partner of the law firm PG Partners, Pyotr Gusyatnikov, it is possible to terminate an unplanned contract.
“ But if a credit institution is involved, the matter will become much more complicated, because the bank is a third party that is not to blame for anything. They received an application for a loan - they responded to it, ” explains the lawyer.
He reminds you that you can’t just stop paying your debt or blame the bank. The only organization you can make a claim against is the clinic.
— You can continue to repay the loan and demand a refund from the clinic, citing termination of the contract. The procedure for terminating a contract, as a rule, is spelled out in the document itself; it often states that the contract cannot be terminated ahead of schedule , says Pyotr Gusyatnikov. — But in practice, in court, the patient can terminate the contract and demand a refund of the remaining amount. But you will have to pay for the services actually rendered, if they were provided at the time the decision to terminate was made.
According to him, in order to terminate the contract, you should first contact the clinic and try to do this by agreement of the parties. As a rule, bona fide medical institutions agree to this subject to payment of actual expenses incurred. But, if the clinic refuses to cooperate, there is only one option - to go to court.
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- In addition, this is one of the few cases when I advise you to also contact the police with a fraud report. As a rule, reputable clinics do not use such schemes, so attracting the attention of law enforcement agencies can encourage the establishment to return your money, explains Petr Gusyatnikov, senior managing partner of the law firm PG Partners.
There is only one way to get rid of an imposed loan: if the clinic returns your money for services not provided and with this money you repay the loan. You cannot simply take and refuse the loan, since you signed the documents yourself, realizing the consequences of your actions.
Pyotr Gusyatnikov reminds that anyone can become a victim of selfish doctors. To minimize this risk, don't believe everything your healthcare provider tells you. Any diagnosis must be double-checked in several places, prices and treatment plans must be compared. Moreover, you should not believe the terrifying diagnoses that arise out of the blue. If you do not have serious chronic diseases, you feel normal and came to the clinic on your own two feet, most likely you are not doing that bad.
— It is better not to agree to a free examination over a telephone call or invitation from a person unknown to you. You need to contact medical institutions and choose them yourself, the specialist recommends.
