Why does it take so long to get a dentist appointment?
Question:
Answers:
That is their plan. They want people to suffer as long as possible. That way, when your day finally comes, you are in so much pain that you are willing pay anything for them to relieve your pain. Even with crummy services, you are willing to pay a premium.
they are very busy people with lots of patients. i have found that if you establish yourself as a regular patient with a dentist the office staff will work to get you in when you really really need a dentist in an emergency.
Try a different dentist. Mine can usually see me the same day I call... or the next day, if I prefer!
if you notice the Dentist got 4 or 5 rooms full of patients working on them at the same time, this is why you waste the whole day there so he can upgrade his Porsche to Ferrari.
It really doesn't take that long, the problem is that everyone
wants to come in at 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m. and there are
only limited amounts of time like that, and trying to get
everyone in at those times would be impossible! Plus we
schedule our patients for their next 6 months cleanings as
they are leaving so they get their choice of times first. If
you can be more flexible with when you can come in, we
can generally see you within a week for a non-emergency.
We even put patients on a cancellation list so if someone
cancels we can try to fill it with someone else who wants to
come in. The other part of the problem is patients who don't
show up for their appts., and don't call and cancel, so their
appt. time is wasted.
Well...if you are picky for appointment times, then you have to wait. If you can come in the middle of the day, usually you can get in quicker. Problem is that they can't leave too much space open for "quick turn around" appointments because if they don't get filled, the overhead is higher when there is nothing to do. Thus, your prices eventually go up. Also, if you are not established and you call with a toothache, unfortunately you are not priority since established patients have already gone through the "new patient process". You have to go through that even if you have an emergency. Sucks I know, but if you aren't picky on times and dates, it probably isn't as big of a problem.
It depends on a few factors. If you are on an HMO plan the facility gets paid a monthly capitation. Often the offices (against the contract) will bypass members on HMO’s for cash paying or PPO plans, they make more money that way.
Please note this is not the HMO’s fault as they have a clause written into the contract which is supposed to prevent facilities from doing the above.
Another answer is simply they are overbooked. There are not enough dental offices in the area to accommodate all of the people.
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