The level of confidence is changing in dentistry because of the emergence of dental chains. In today’s world, unfortunately there are some dentists that are simply out to cash in on their patients. Dental chains are known for recommending unnecessary procedures to their patients for the sake of increasing their bottom line profits.

The ADA News, the official publication of the American Dental Association published an article by pediatric dentistry Jeffrey Camm describing a disturbing trend he called “creative diagnosis”-the peddling of unnecessary treatments.  Dr. Camm went on to say that there were several instances where dentists recommended a procedure with the thought it’s covered by insurance so it’s not hurting the patients.  At Southport Dental we will only recommend dental procedures that we feel you truly need!

Up-selling in dentistry isn’t anything new it’s just becoming more of a phenomenon since tuition is on the rise and many dentists are taking jobs with chains.  Many of these dental chains have turned dentists into salespeople.  In recent years several chains have been sued over allegations of unnecessary fillings, extractions and root canals that were covered by Medicaid. Several other chains have been sued over similar allegations.

The word to the wise is just be cautious when seeing your dentist or a new dentist that you feel may be recommending excessive procedures.  It doesn’t hurt to seek a second opinion on dental care. Dr. Ryan Mills and his staff are dedicated to providing you and your family the highest quality dental care.

At Southport Dental we are committed to providing a warm, stress free environment in which our patients are treated as family. Only necessary procedures are recommended, in other words, no one is pressured with “up selling.” When considering treatment, patients are clearly presented with pros, cons, and all available options.

We are accepting New Patients! Call us at 317-494-7366 to schedule an appointment.