A dentist visit in Midtown Manhattan left one patient fuming for financial reasons.
Here's what to know
In a post on Reddit, the patient explained that they had returned to a longtime New York City dentist after spending several years away from the area due to COVID-related work-from-home policies. Upon their return to their former dentist, the original poster noticed several unfavorable changes to the office's policies.
The OP shared how fluoride treatment had once been included as part of their twice-yearly cleaning visits, but the practice now charged an additional fee for fluoride treatment. Worse yet, the OP described how the employees waited until the middle of the appointment to inquire about whether they'd approve the charge.
"It's def janky as you are in the chair mouth open, and it's like 'Would you like to have the fluoride application,'" the OP wrote. "It def reads exactly how it sounds, do you want fries with that, for an extra $2 you can upsize your order!"
Once their visit was done, the patient went to the front desk to pay for the fluoride treatment, which came to $42. When the OP took out their credit card to pay, they were informed they had to pay a 3% fee for using a credit card.
Annoyed, the OP then tried to pay the $42 fee with a $50 bill, but that too was shut down when the front-desk personnel said that they did not have change. According to the OP, at this point, their attitude shifted.
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"You are up charging now for fluoride, it's $42, not an even amount, you charge a fee for credit cards and you don't have change for those paying cash?" the OP recalled saying.
After paying by card, the patient said they asked the office to cancel their future appointments. Later, the office contacted him to say that they had changed their credit-card-fee policy, but the OP told them that they wouldn't be returning.
Turning to Reddit to vent their frustration, the OP asked, "Is this the new norm, is everyone now having to pay for fluoride? Are your dental offices charging a fee for using a credit card?"
What the comments said
Many commenters shared the OP's frustration.
"My office started charging for fluoride," one commenter chimed in. "Insurance no longer covers it."
"It sounds like your dentist got bought out by private equity," added another. "They are notorious for their fees and upselling. Everything you said is textbook PE predatory tactics. You are right to move on."
Other Reddit users focused on the credit card fee. One commenter argued that if businesses were going to separate credit card fees from the listed price, "CASH customers should have been receiving DISCOUNTS all this time."
Where can I learn more?
These articles explore other challenges surrounding the dental-care industry.
• Scientists warned that traditional orthodontic treatments may expose patients to hidden microplastic risks.
• Researchers found that common dental practice can add to patients' microplastic exposure.
• Doctors cautioned that popular dental floss brands may contain toxic forever chemicals.
• Everyday brushing might have caused a common household item to release microplastics into the body.
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