My dentist drives a corvette convertible with the plate "OPN YDR"


I've always assumed this to be a reference to my wallet.

On the other hand to become a dentist is also ridiculously expensive here, with three years pre med plus dentisty course fees after that... I expect it takes a while for them to clear that debt before they start to rake it in, and there has to be some sort of up side to spending your days looking at other peoples nasal hair!

They also have to buy into an existing dental business or start one from scratch, there must be a considerable capital outlay involved.

I completely agree - let's say that a typical practice has 2,000 patients, each being billed (including insurance payments) an average of $2,000 per year... that's a practice income of $4m.

A not unreasonable amount when you start to look at all the overheads and expensive hardware and staff that have to be paid for out of that.

I'm sure there must be. The periodontist I go to shares a purpose built and not small 2-storey building with an orthodentist (sp?). Neither dentist is cheap. But they do have a big building, at least ten staff in the case of the periodontist, and lots of very expensive-looking equipment.

There is no doubt though that dentists make lots of money. This can been seen from the National Defence pay scales. DND has to be competitive with the outside, or they won't get any doctors or dentists. The medical/dental officers make more than the generals.

So they should. They're more useful.

Sounds like a Generalisation to me


.

Ho ho.

If you want proof, though,

http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dgcb...or-ofr-eng.asp

i am a dental hygienist qualified in the UK. love living in NS, but working as a hygienist here not good.Pay is much less and we are given no respect by our bosses. we do all the work, the xrays, check the teeth and dentist comes in to do a quick checkup and gets all the money. patients dont appreciate what we do, they complain, turn up late, text on their phones just because they have dental insurance. I get so sick of patients asking me if things are covered by insurance, how do i know?? There is so much more decay here because ppl eat and drink so much more sugar , drinks, sweets etc, kids have so much tooth decay. there is no education for kids on diet because it makes the dentist $$$$.
brits seem to have the stigma of having bad teeth just because they dont all get braces and whiten them, not true, canadians have more decay , crowns, root treatments.
The good old nhs is not bad, hygienists here get longer apps to do a more thorough job, i have to say that i can now work to a better standard than i did in the UK. But dentistry here is all about making money, sad fact .

Does the Canadian NHS cover the cost, or do you have to have seperate insurance?

My mate was telling me that his family are covered and if he gets any charges he gets it back. I don't know if this is through a private dental plan, or through his place of work.

Most likely a private or company plan. Dentistry in Canada is private practice.

There's no dental coverage under state funded plans in Canada "the Canadian NHS" (except emergency repairs for the desperately poor). Individuals may have coverage through a work related plan but there's usually a co-pay and limits on coverage for any specific treatment. Dental care is a significant cost for families.

What would br the anual cost of insurance for a couple living in Alberta? And does it go up if you claim on it?

I can't tell you, I haven't had any sort of medical or dental coverage for 20+ years.

I pay a whopping $6 (six) per month for my dental coverage on my employment benefits. Then anything beyond a clean and check up I figure I pay about 20-25% of the cost. (nominally 80% coverage, but some procedures are charged more than the association rate that the insurance company pays out to)

Luckily there is also "accidental dental" coverage that paid out 100% for replacing a couple of teeth after a bike accident a few years ago. Even at 80% coverage that's not a bill I would have fancied. (about $4k total)

Some things however are excluded from coverage, most notably orthodentics, and probably other cosmetic proceedures (veneers etc).

Im sure you can get quotes for independent insurance coverage from the likes of Alberta Blue Cross, I would expect family coverage (including medical) to be several hundred a month.

Most densitst offer "easy pay" credit plans for those without insurance to spread costs over an affordable period, but a job with benefits sometimes a good thing...

Not sure. I benefit from my wife's company plan. I think she pays some PAYE contribution to it. The coverage is not unlimited.