Why Are There Price Differences Between Different Dental Practices?
Hi, I’m Dr Peter Poulos, your Sydney Cosmetic Dentist here at Bondi Junction in Sydney.
This morning, I met a new patient, Olivia, who recently moved here to Bondi Junction from Brisbane. During our consultation, she asked me, “Peter, I’m some research on a smile makeover, and I’m getting different quotes from different clinics, and the prices do vary a fair bit, why is that?”
That was such a brilliant question, so I thought I’d make a video of what I shared with Olivia.
When it comes to the price of a treatment, it comes down to two factors, a patient-motivated factor and a dentist-motivated factor.
First and foremost, a dentist has to understand what the patient wants, and balance it with what the patient needs, and then present the right treatment plan for the patient.
Very often, dentists are scared to present the ideal treatment for a patient. They think that they need to essentially cut corners and create a treatment plan that they think the patient’s going to accept or afford. What ends up happening is that the short cuts or cost cuts render the treatment incomplete and the patient is not happy!
At Sydney Cosmetic Dentist, our focus is to present first and foremost, the most ideal treatment plan for a patient, irrespective of the cost. Because the short-term financial saving can cost you BOTH financially and biologically down the track, and that’s something that we explain to our patients all the time.
So first and foremost, it comes down to treatment planning. Often, the treatment plans that are offered by dentists is a direct correlation to the understanding that dentists have on how to perform the treatment which will then create a difference in prices.
So the more detail in the process of your procedure, the more checks and balances that are involved, the more skill, the more refinement in a treatment process and ultimately the more predictability in a treatment process, all account for a higher cost.
Then we consider intrinsic treatment factors…
Say if we’re talking about implants, there can be a number of different implant types that we can use. There can also be different types of implant procedures that we can do. For example, sometimes you can simply place an implant, other times you need to extract the tooth, then place an implant. Sometimes you need to extract the tooth, do a bone graft and leave it, then place an implant. Or sometimes you need to do all of these things at once. So at the end of the day, the type of treatment will also influence the cost.
Sometimes people will come and say, “Oh, I’ve been quoted X amount for an implant, but you’re quoting me Y.”… “Well, why do you think that is? The first treatment plan gave you a limited scope of work, and we are offering you the most ideal scope of work for long term stability and function.”
So there is a difference in treatment explanation and interpretation between dentists. We break this down further with our Smile Makeovers.
Our Perfect 10™ smile makeover consultations are a presentation of the entire process with customised details that are relevant to that specific patient. It is a refined and predictable process that I have developed over the years to give you the best result in the most efficient pain free experience without the variables! That in itself is priceless.
So with my veneer process you are paying for Predictability, Results and efficiency through experience..
Then there’s further intrinsic factors within the process that impacts the cost. Materials and the choice of restorative materials is important. There are certain materials that are better for certain cases and we deliberate on that with our patients.
Next, you have the critical aspect of skill that the technician brings into process. Some technicians have limited skills, while other technicians have more advanced skills. The more advanced technician means fewer mistakes, and a more predictable procedure. So the skills of the technician whom I choose and oversee will also impact the price.
Then there is how much time is invested in producing the most ideal outcome for the patient. I for one, am heavily involved in the design and fabrication of your veneers and overall smile makeover at every stage. During fabrication I oversee how my master technicians will deliver the final product. This ensures our patients get the most optimum outcome with the least amount of visits. This heavily involved process means there’s more time invested by my for your result.
So in summary, there are seen and unseen factors that can impact the final price of treatment. Including the scope of the treatment plan, the level of commitment by the dentist to the treatment, the materials used, the skills of the clinician, the skill of the technician and the time invested for the whole treatment.
I hope this video gave you a sense of why different practices charge differently for what appears to be the “same” procedure. If you’re looking to get a smile makeover, we would love to look after you.
Simply call us on 02 9369 1236 or send us a DM on Instagram and Facebook. And we’ll be in touch to help you organise a smile consultation. See you in the next video.
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