The $500 Crown and the $1500 Argument

Dr. Nicolas Porter
Founder Risas Dental and Braces

By: Dr. Nicolas Porter

Last night as I was reviewing the operations of the business, I felt curious to find out if there was a site online that could tell a patient how much they should expect to pay for dental services. 

After all, this is the number one thought on a patient’s mind as they enter one of our offices.  Yet we, as dentists, have done a tremendous job at hiding or withholding the prices for our services so that patients only find out at the moment when the treatment plan is presented – after you’ve invested an hour or two at the office and just want to be done!

Not at Risas.  Nope!  I teach our doctors to address the money issue very early on in the conversation.  It’s respectful to be up front with people.  I know, some want to proclaim that this method somehow insinuates that we are, “only interested in money and not the patient.”  However, nothing could be further from the truth and you’ll sense that when you visit one of our offices and get a feel for the warm treatment you receive from start to finish.  

But back to the point!  The answer to my question about why prices are hidden came to me as I googled, “How much should I pay for a dental crown?”

Several sites popped up and I clicked on the one that seemed the most legitimate.  I read:

•             A dental crown made of porcelain fused to metal ranges from $500-$1500

•             A dental crown made of all porcelain ranges $800-$3000

The entire time I’m reading the article I’m thinking, “The enormous cost isn’t even the issue in this study.  What’s most concerning is the RANGE!  How can one dentist charge $500 and another dentist charge 3-4 times that amount?  What on earth is going on in our profession?”

I get asked all the time, “Why does dentistry cost so much?”  Ready for the answer?  Are you sure?  Ok, here it is!

Dentistry costs so much because YOU allow it to cost so much! 

If you had a friend that you’ve known for years that is a pool contractor and you go to him in need of a new pool, would you be willing to pay 3 times the cost of that pool or would you refuse and go somewhere else?

Of course you would refuse and, while this example is a little dramatic, the same thing happens to patients when their dentist, who they’ve visited for years, raises the prices by 10-20% even though he or she is already double the price of the dentist down the street.

Dentists that charge more than others always attack the quality of the procedure.  They point out, “My crown is better than yours!”  And, how are you to know?  After all, the fees are hidden and no one talks about this stuff!

I’m going to reveal a big secret that most dentists don’t want you to know.  Ready for it?  Ok… First, all crowns get sent to a lab to be fabricated so the quality, in many ways, is up to the lab technician, not the dentist.  Second, the cost of a crown to fabricate in a lab ranges anywhere from $100-$200 and guess what else?  The $100 PFM crown is usually the same as the $200 crown!

A crown at Risas costs $480-$650 depending on the material used which means we are below the lowest price range on both types of crowns. It’s my opinion that this is still a lot of money for a patient to pay and as the owner of multiple offices who serve thousands of patients every week, I am always looking for ways to make it more affordable for patients and maintain the quality that I’d put in my own mouth.

Each dentist has the freedom, just like any other service business, to price each procedure as they see fit. There is no true guide except that of seeing what your patients will and will not pay for a procedure. This is capitalism and it works because you choose to pay the price that’s charged – usually without asking and likely out of simply being in the dark about the things in this writing.

I made the choice to charge less for all procedures. It’s as simple as that. Dentists who charge 3 times that amount do so because they think that’s a fair price for their services. It’s a choice – there’s nothing more to it. Any dentist who tells you differently either doesn’t realize that’s what he/she is doing or doesn’t want to admit it.

The biggest problem in dentistry is that 99% of dentists think between the cheeks instead of between the ears.  My mission in life is to help dentists think like a patient like we do at Risas.

I realize that I am exposed in my position and attitude about this topic.  I’m passionate and vocal about it because I’m a product of the neglect having grown up without dental insurance and suffering with dental problems that most dentists never experience.  As a dentist, I can help change things – to right the wrong – even at the cost of ridicule from peers.  I’ll always have you, my patients, on my side and that’s enough for me.     

Until next time, keep that chin up!