What are the biggest dental rip-offs?

The office manager at my dentist tried to write a recommended dental rinse for $45 and a 3 month cleaning for $95 (neither are covered by my insurance) in the necessary procedures section of my charge form. In my opinion, that's a recommendation, not a requirement, right? What other items has your dental office tried to hard sell you on?

What are the biggest dental rip-offs?
they drugged me up and gave me an electrical toothbrush that ended up costing me $130. they lied and said it was for my wisdom teeth extraction. smilecare are a bunch of bastards. stay away.
Reply:Any damned thing except toothpaste, toothbrushes and dental floss, AND extractions is a waste of money and only postponing the inevitable in dental work.
Reply:$17 dollar toothpaste for sensitive teeth!
Reply:the TMJ joint scam. The quack-scammer tells you that your jaws do not come together exactly as they should. He gives you a little bent piece of something to put in your mouth permanently, and charges $600 for it, plus another $2000 for phony electronic tests that supposedly diagnose the magnitude and location of the "problem" that in fact does not even exist.


THESE PEOPLE SHOULD BE PROSECUTED AND SUED.
Reply:I'm a dentist.





I have to say, we encounter patients like you almost every day, and we laugh at you behind your back.





Not because of your poor dental health or even your non-existent dental health I.Q., but because of your untrusting skeptic attitude that will ultimately harm you.





People like you think you have the inside scoop on everything and thus nobody can pull the wool over your eyes. Hence, anything that doesn't make immediate sense to you (based on your perceived knowledge about all topics--including dental medicine) is viewed by you as an attempted rip-off.





Do you know how much money we make by performing routine work (e.g. fillings, root canals, crown/bridge, dentures, extractions, etc.?) We make a hell of a lot of money. We dentists make so much money, we're notorious for it. When people think of the word "dentist", they think of a guy who works 4 days a week and makes more money than he deserves.





So why in the universe do you think we need to sell you a $45 bottle of Peridex (or whatever rinse it was) and scaling/root planing if you didn't actually need these things?





That's probably why your mouth is such a filthy sewer that it requires 3-month check-ups and antimicrobial mouth rinses: your infinte knowledge about dentistry tells you that brushing alone is adequate, and that a doctor recommending dental work other than basic fillings is trying to sell you something as unnecessary as vinyl siding for your house.
Reply:Try FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS just to have a single tooth pulled out. And have it pulled under only one shot of local anesthetic just because the department of public aid refuses to pay the steep cost (p.a. actually said dentists DO overcharge). Try having what's called 'soft teeth' that crumble away no matter what you do, no matter how careful or how meticulous you are about brushing, and letting dentists tell you they absolutely refuse to help you except to happily rip them all out, and then tell you oh sorry, I won't even help you with the dentures because your insurance doesn't cover it, and because you can't afford it on your own. Money first, help later. So, you who responded just before me, I have investigated my insurance, my dentist, even itemized my bills.. guess what? It is YOU who are the quack, it is your profession that is the most inhumane of all. My God, people develop abcesses in their teeth, and the infection goes into their brains and kills them because YOU wanted the money in your hand first if the insurance doesn't pay it. Your profession hurts people instead of helping. I asked to be put under for a tooth extraction because I had a long history since I was a young child of resistance to anesthetics (shots). No matter how many shots I got, I still felt extreme pain and nearly passed out when they pulled it. I broke out in a sweat, heart rate went through the roof, and I couldn't breathe from the pain. Guess what? Dentists wanted the money first before they let me even be the least bit comfortable. Go away, you foul excuse of a dentist. Moneygrubbers like you are the literal cause for my dental phobia.