If you live in Parma Heights or the surrounding areas, then you’ve probably noticed dental chains like Aspen Dental popping up everywhere. You can easily spot one of these large dental chains that have become so common in the past few years – bright, fancy places that make promises of quick, easy dental care or dentures in a day. But did you know that these corporate chains are not a good option when it comes to your oral health? Just as you wouldn’t trust a factory type chain with your physical health, you shouldn’t trust your dental health to one, either.
Dental Chains
We’ve got five reasons why dental chains in Parma Heights, Ohio, are not your best bet. Read on!
Profits, Not Patients
One of the biggest problems with large dental chains is that they tend to look upon dentistry as a commodity, not a service. This is becoming a growing concern for many patients who have used such chains for their oral health care only to find themselves being treated as dollar signs instead of as individuals. Unfortunately, this is what can happen when a health care service is turned into a corporation.
A study conducted by The Cent
er for Public Integrity and Frontline in 2012 found that even employees of such chains see this as a problem. Many corporate dental practices are notorious for placing emphasis on profits over patient care. Although sales and profits certainly do have their place in the business world, this type of mindset is not desirable when it comes to your health.
Assembly Line Dentistry
Dental chains and implant centers often run special deals offering you care at a significantly reduced rate than what you might expect to pay at an individual dentist’s office. This can seem quite appealing at first, but the appeal lessens once you realize that the reason they can offer such discounts is the same reason Walmart can- they emphasize quantity above all else. When volume is the name of the game, quality of care can be lost as such places try to move as many patients as possible through their system each day.
Inexperienced Dentists
Due to the high-pressure sales environment of large dental chains, many such offices experience a high turnover rate, which can leave patient care in the hands of less experienced dentists. Dental chains also like to pull in dentists straight out of college with promises of higher salaries and student loan debt assistance, and while a provider right out of dental school is well trained, he or she will not have the necessary experience needed to provide patients with the dependable care they need.
Limited Choices
Because large corporate dental centers are built for efficiency, patients typically are given fewer choices when it comes to their care. All dental center treatments are performed in-house by only the center’s own dentists and support staff, which also gives the patient no say in who will handle her care. When you use a dental chain, you also don’t know which dentist you’ll be seeing from appointment to appointment, so you might end up with someone who is not a good fit for you.
Patient Pressure
With all of the emphasis on profit, volume, and sales that these dental centers focus on, the inevitable outcome is a patient who feels very pressured. Care providers at such centers are taught to sell their patients on as many treatments as possible, and that can leave the individual patient with a bill for thousands of dollars worth of dental work he or she may not have even needed.
Quite often patients who choose large corporate dental chains for their care find themselves shuffled into the business manager’s office and pressured to make big decisions on the spot so that a contract can be signed quickly, which doesn’t exactly foster a feeling of good will between provider and patient.
Although there are plenty of people who have received competent dental care at a large corporate center, choosing such a provider can really be a sort of Russian roulette. You don’t know what you’re going to get until it might be too late. When it comes to your dental health, you’re much better off sticking with a small, independently owned dental office that will give you the individual time and attention you deserve, without any pressure to spend more money.
Contact Doctor Wolnik!
For an alternative to dental chains in Parma Heights, contact Dr. Wolnik or give us a call at (440) 888-5055 to schedule your dental appointment today!
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