grannybunz

I am rather worried at the moment. I believe my husband has signed a contract for dental work which is way OTT.

Unfortunately he broke a tooth and had emergency care at his dentist who promptly removed that tooth and an adjoining one - said it was necessary.

Husband was in a lot of discomfort so agreed but now he is being asked for a vast amount of money for a bridge and signed a contract. Also he is very embarassed about the gap.

Our mutuelle won't cover even a quarter, though it is good and we pay a lot each month.

Anyone else had similar problems - if so what did you do and what would you advise??

PS He is bi-lingual so there was no possibility of language confusion.

Peabrain

Dear Granny B,

All will sympathize I have no doubt. Dental treatment can be ruinous; a crown will be at least €500. However, since the medical profession is not state-run, dentists are open to competition, so there is nothing to prevent your hubby from going to get a second opinion from some other dental surgeon. Normally your dentist should have given your husband an estimate of what the work was going to cost, just as a builder would, and you either accept or refuse it. You can also fax the estimate to your mutuelle for their agreement. Did your other half do this? If he signed an estimate, I don't see any way out, but if none was produced, then there should be some wriggle room (out of the dentist's chair). After all, that's the point of the estimate, so as one can ask for a second opinion and have it costed.
What sort of sum are you looking at?
Dentists can be cheeky. I had a couple of teeth crowned and needed two temporary false ones, for a week. Cost: €100 each for two stumps that were chucked in the bin (I trust) after a week.
I doubt whether this helps but all the best anyway,
PB

grannybunz

Hi Peabrain

He signed the estimate on the spot. I went ballistic!

The dentist - who he knows and used to trust, wants €4000.00+ for a bridge for two front teeth. It will end up costing him just under €3000.00.

I have suggested that when he next goes (one month between appointments) he askes for a complete breakdown of the costs, including the dentisit's profits!!

Needless to say I and I suspect he, will be finding another dentist.

I wonder if it was the "All expats round here are rich syndrome". We aren't!!

dennerlymum

cost for a 2 tooth bridge shouldnt be more than 1000 euros... our expensive dentist says 1000; Ive heard 700 ... 4000 seems very excessive

Peabrain

I'd go back and ask. It may because the bridge is necessary because of the circumstances; apparently an accident. These people are not usually crooks and as businessmen may be open to negotiation.

grannybunz

Thanks for your thoughts everyone.

To update, yesterday he contacted our mutuelle who have confirmed that they find the estimate excessive.

I have also contacted a friend in another part of France who works for a dentist.

She too has confirmed that it is well OTT.

So tomorrow he is going in to have a face to face conversation and ask for a reduction. Trouble is there are only two other dentists near-by, one we know is not satisfactory and the other has no appointments for 6 weeks.

grannybunz

Hi everyone

My husband decided to go ahead with the treatment because he had signed the contract. BUT I am afraid the so called trusted dentist messed up big time so he still has not got his bridge - only a very temporary repair. He is now saying that there is this and that treatment to do - never mentioned before and is expecting him to turn up for appointments at ridiculous times like 7.30 am.

I, and now we, are completely convinced the dentist is working some sort of dodgy do.

So we have been recommended another dentist who works about 30 minutes away, explained our problem to her and she has agreed to see husband next week but wants his x-rays which first dentist has refused to hand over. I know X-rays etc are the property of the patient so not quite sure what to do.

We have contacted CPAM and are going to speak with our GP.

Goodness, it sounds like we are both some sort of hypochondriacs/ conspiratory theorists but at the moment we think we have just ended up with a bad'un and want a way out. could happen anywhere I guess

EuroTrash

It certainly sounds irregular - bodged work, overcharging, 7.30 am appointments and won't hand over the xrays when asked!

Do you have protection juridique with your house insurance? There is a lot of money at stake and this sort of problem is, I believe, exactly what protection juridique is suppposed to be for.

grannybunz

Hi ET

Yes we do - just hope we don't have to use it!

grannybunz

Resolution - methinks

Husband visited the other less-local but more sympa dentist this morning who confirmed that he was being overcharged. He still didn't have the x-rays but she has ordered more and said he didn't need nearly as much work as was proposed.

She has undertaken to make all necessary contacts and says all will be well soon. She added, as an aside, that unfortunately some "people" do try things on especially with non-locals and she deplored the situation.

Guess where future appointments will be made?

dennerlymum

great news!

Garonne

That's good news You will still be billed by the original dentist in accordance to work carried out thus far. Incidentaly, in fairness, the botched bridge causing him to remain with the temporary will have been the fault of the lab and not the dentist. (This is frequent with crowns, dentures and bridges). The 7.30 appointments will have been because his list is full and as he took your husband as an emergency because he was presumably registered with him, this will have been his option: to offer the treatment out of surgery hours. Their books are usually chock-a-block which is why many are not taking on new patients and even those who do will have to wait several weeks/months normally for an appointment.