Most of my life, I never had a need to see a doctor to treat anything serious. I have to admit that I do not even have a family doctor, since the last one retired about 15 years ago. He took my last blood pressure readings, blood and urine for testing. It was so long ago. I passed with flying colors, so I do not feel any urgency, although I am reminded that I am playing with fires and that preventive medicine and regular checkups should be order of the day. I have developed a healthy fear of doctors. I Imagine that if they would find out anything about me, how that could disrupt my life. Is there bliss in my ignorance? I am not sure, but since I am a procrastinator, I am always putting off finding a new family doctor. Few months ago, I walked into the neighborhood family clinic and enquired about making an appointment. The receptionist asked me to fill out new patient’s health form with my details and reasons for my visit. The process was clearly uncomfortable for me. Receptionist told me that they selected and accepted new patients with references. She said they would contact me by phone. They never did. I have admit that I was glad not to hear from them. Just looking at the people sitting in the waiting room, it made me feel really uneasy. I was glad to depart from there very fast. I have to admit that I have my reason to have a health check up now. I do not consider it urgent.
In spite, my fear of doctors, I have a family dentist. With my wife, we try to see him at least once a year. I do not have a dental insurance but my wife does. Each visit to the dentist just takes a healthy bite from my pay cheque. The dental office takes your money with a style and smile. These professionals have learnt the business side of their profession over the last twenty years. They used to have small and cheap looking offices in non-prime rental locations. They were usually located on the second floors of strip malls plazas of economy style office-buildings. The dentists’ names were always on their shingles, and they operated mostly as one-person operations. My dentist of the older generation in Toronto retired in early nineties with the building that was torn down at to make a room for new development at Bay and Bloor Subway station in Yorkville. He was working alone, attending patients, answering the phone, when his answering machine was not on. His wife was his only administrative help. At the time, he also did the dental-cleanings. If I can recall correctly. There was not much emphasis about the cleanings. I never heard about whitening then. Only, specialist that, he introduced me to, was a periodontist. His office was a block down the road. The dentist or his wife prepared and mailed their services statements. They were typed on an old IBM Selectric typewriter. The statements we received hardly ever exceeded $100.00 in the total amount to pay. The charges were so much reasonable and affordable to pay. The credit cards were not accepted then by the profession. The required payment was by a cheque from the insurance company or the patients paid the bill by mail. I hardly ever felt any pain from his treatments. Have to admit that sitting and waiting in his simple waiting room, while reading old newspapers and magazines raised some levels of anxiety, about what was coming. When he retired about ten years ago, his office closed for good. There was no continuity since he did not have a son or daughter to carry on the dental profession under the same name. The advertising was allowed only at the time of office opening.
We have visited new one, the same dentist for past 17 years or so. It is all a brand-new experience. His dentistry is located on the store-front of a large plaza, next to a brand-name restaurant. Prime and expensive retail location. The office makes an impression of overseas spa-resort, rather than a place for personal discomfort. Use of the latest technology is visible. Patient’s education programs are available on a large screen tv in the waiting room. There seems to be so many people working there. Assistants, hygienists, an office manager. The office makes an impression that it is clearly overstaffed. The doctor alone seems to have a lower status than his office’s brand-name. It is how they do the business these days, since there are always so many new associates willing to work for established clinic. They also seem to come and go. One dentist I know has recently completed a post-graduate business program at the local university. All these bells and whistles have their price for the patients. If you do not have a dental insurance coverage than receiving a bill can be shocking news. It has been said that people dislike dentists, but I would add that it must be because of those high bills that many can’t afford. My recent cleaning with two sessions came to over $400, and the hygienist recommended visits every 5 months. Cleaning done by the previous family dentist cost me just about $40.00. I will allow for the inflation factor, but clearly new prices are just reflections of new costs and new ways of carrying the profession. Their marketing and advertising are also part of the costs, but there are no economies of scale to keep the prices down. I can clearly see how dental offices are always compelled to advertise for new patients. Their advertising flyers are always in my mailbox. Lately, Internet is another preferred media to recruit new patients.
Which the medical profession is more financially rewarding in Toronto, and anywhere in Canada is a subject to a lengthy debate. Last time a dentist confided to me that he should have been a different type of doctor, not a dental one. Apparently the financial stresses of running a business can be overbearing. He told me in private that since his sold his professional office, he works for well-known clinic now, and he is more than happy. His net pay is about the same as before, but he has more free time for family and mainly less stress. The success in the profession is not defined how good you are to your patients, but by those visible luxuries you can accumulate from the business side. The dream of every dentist is to own as many clinics as they can and employ other professionals to take care of clinic’s patients. It might be sad to admit, but new dentists do not dream of becoming great doctors, but great business people. Very few of them succeed with their goals. To start with, they have to operate in several clinics in the same time. For business reasons and for branding, the dentist’s name becomes less important and it is seldom ever used today. Most of time, the professionals will come up with their brand names that are related to their locations. There are many ambitious business dentists. With their work, they rotate among two, three or more office locations per week. It must be personally very tiring to drive distances over the city, if you have one clinic in Scarborough, second in Mississauga and third somewhere in Toronto. They have to be available there during posted hours. It is what many motivated clinics’ owners in Toronto GTA do these days.
Medical clinics and dental offices seem to be on the same path for part of the process. They both have goal to improve and keep our health. The dentists are paid entirely out of patient’s pockets or by private insurance companies. Highest dental bills are for cosmetic procedures that are clearly avoidable and never reach catastrophic proportions. Our medical bills are paid Government run insurance and we never see them, regardless of their size. US based customer of our company, recently asked for delay with paying of their bills. A family run company was stricken by a serious illness of the company’s president, founder and owner. The family had to pay a large amount of $ for transplant operation and consequently was unable to pay our bill on time. Our basic medical care seems to be rationed as I have experienced myself. Perhaps they had more serious patients than me to take care of. I am sure that I will receive great care, if I have to go to an emergency department of our hospitals.
Find conveniently located dentists on subway line all over Toronto; uptown, downtown, midtown or in suburbs with Internet, the search is the best!