Dear Editor:
Re: Renegade dentist gets three month jail term, Burnaby NOW, Oct. 16.
I think there must be dozens of them, and more to come. I wish I could find one. I believe a large part of the reason they exist is because of the outrageous fees dentists are forced to charge by their association. It is my understanding that they are told the minimum that they may charge for a procedure. This no doubt works for established practices, but what about start-ups whose solicitations I see in the paper every day?
In my own case I was quoted a price of $3,000 to repair one tooth, maybe a three-hour job. Try and justify that. As a pensioner that represents almost three months' income, and I need work on about five more teeth. I'm sure there are hundreds of people in serious pain due to inability to pay these unconscionable fees. The reason of course is dental insurance, where the sky is the limit. I would guess that this situation is just the tip of the iceberg and affects a majority of the population. People will seek relief wherever they can find it. Apparently in the operations that they bust, they found unsanitary conditions. Who inspects the so-called legitimate dentists for sanitation?
Russ Leach, Burnaby
