Root Canal Treatment referrals - new consultation and fees?

[Nuurves]

Apologies if these are silly questions, but if you're referred to an endodontist (as an option) by your dentist:

1. Are you always going to have to pay for a consultation (despite you've already been examined by your dentist and said details would be forwarded on to endodontist), as endodontist will examine your condition?
2. Are you normally charged the listed fees per the specialist practice or would there be lower rates? I suppose it's different, but what are your experiences?



Thanks

 

[Dr M]

Since it is a different practice and an endodontist is a specialist dentist, you will pay specialist fees and unfortunately will have to go through a new consultation process. Any discount is only given if the specialist decides to give discount.

 

[Nuurves]

Thanks for your reply Dr M.

I assumed that will be that case - having to go through a new consultation process.

Regarding the fees - I suspect it'll just be the specialists' fees as stated on their website for all clients; without any favorable rates. In any case, I suspect the lesser profit the specialist practice makes will be as a result of having to pay the referring dental practice the fee for that referral? So no benefit for that client.

 

[Brause]

Apologies if these are silly questions, but if you're referred to an endodontist (as an option) by your dentist:

1. Are you always going to have to pay for a consultation (despite you've already been examined by your dentist and said details would be forwarded on to endodontist), as endodontist will examine your condition?
2. Are you normally charged the listed fees per the specialist practice or would there be lower rates? I suppose it's different, but what are your experiences?



Thanks

I recently went through all this in Canada. My endodontist did not accept the regular dentist's X-rays, and took his own. Both X-rays were 30 were taken mins apart - and were essentially identical. Find them attached.

Tomorrow I am seeing a periodontist who accepts X-rays from other doctors. But his office conveyed to me five times already that the first consultation costs $275, payable at the desk.

To add insult to injury, every tooth my endodontist examines, "needs" a CBCT scan, X-ray, and pulp test. It was the receptionist who aggressively wrestled with me about that. That's $435 CAD every time he looks at ONE tooth...which may take 3 minutes.

When I asked the other admin assistant for a discount, she said "we cannot do that". The endodonist then performed a 12 minute pulpectomy...and charged $1049 CAD [this is no typo].

My regular dentist examined me for over an hour and took an X-ray recently. He charged nothing.

It all depends on the clinician's attitude...to say it nicely.

 

[Nuurves]

Thanks for sharing your experiences Brause!