1) My insurance didn't pay so it is the dental office's fault right?
Now, to be fair, there are times that as a patient, you have to step back and understand what is really frustrating you. For example: Your insurance didn't pay for a procedure or office visit. You then march up to the receptionist in anger and yell at them about it. We all have insurance issues. We can't say this enough, but it is NOT the doctor's office's fault. They are usually doing everything they can to maximize your insurance and bill out the correct codes for you. At the end of the day, the office is doing this as a courtesy to you and it is not required for them to do so. When you get angry with them, you are essentially getting mad at the middle-man. All offices cannot control what or how your insurance pays for a particular claim. If you really want to get to the root of the problem, you need to talk to your human resources manager or the insurance company themselves. We can assure you that most doctor's and dentist's offices are trying their best to help you.
2) The receptionist is rude or seems rushed. Is the doctor the same?
A big pet peeve of ours is when you call any business and the front desk person seems rushed and doesn't answer all of your questions. Again, it is human nature to believe that the dentist or doctor must be the same way. Please do not make these assumptions. Again, the front desk person may be having a hard day (which is no excuse) and most likely the doc doesn't really know about it. If that person is normally helpful, please don't let this deter you from seeing that doctor. Everyone has bad days. But if it continues happening, then discuss the issues with the doctor.
3) I read good/bad things on the internet. How much faith should I put into what I read?
We have seen people not see a particular doctor or dentist because of reading reviews on the internet. We cannot say enough that you need to read reviews on the internet with a grain of salt. We personally buy products based off of reviews posted on Amazon, but we are talking about products, not people. When looking on websites that post reviews about specific doctors or even some companies, you will notice that most of the reviews are negative. That is because it is again, human nature, to complain about something when you are angry. You are a lot less likely to take the time to go on the internet to write a good recommendation than you are a bad one. Please take this into account. This is the same for "word of mouth" referrals. Most of the time, these are great to go by, but again, please take everything with a grain of salt. Everyone has different personalities, with differing needs. This is the same for testimonials. You may be deciding on which periodontist to see and you read rave reviews about them. Do you really know where these are coming from? For all you know, these could all be made up or there could have been a lot of editing. Please keep this in mind.
What we hope we are getting across is that, you need to make up your own mind about who you are comfortable with and who you trust. Also, if you do like a particular doctor, but not their staff, talk to them about it. Customer service is key in any business and any business owner will be happy for the chance to improve, including us!
4) Why don't you have clinical cases or videos on your website?
When you go through my website, you will notice that we do not post before and after pictures, nor do I put in direct videos or long explanations about what the procedures entail. I think you can get into information overload on the internet and this can lead to misinterpretation and unrealistic expectations both good and bad. During your appointment, we will discuss in detail the specifics of your particular condition and your treatment options. This is the time to have all of your questions answered. We would much rather spend more time during your appointments discussing your concerns, then have you read incorrect or misleading information on the internet.