gracias

gracias

After my first email, Dr. Yuen telephoned me in Miami to confirm our emails, prices, payments, etc. They further reserved a hotel near their office. So far, so good.
Their office at 319 Shell Street is OK. During the exam, Dr. Yuen uses a digital SLR cameras to take many pictures of your mouth. Pictures are then transferred to a laptop he uses during his conbsultation. As he wanted to have a full panoramic Xray of my dentition, (which later proved unecessary), he had his personal chauffeur drive me in his new late model large BMW to a specialized lab. in another part of town.
Seating on the back seat of the luxury car, I suddenly remembered two quotes. The first one is from ¨Click and Clack, the Tappets Brothers¨ of the ¨Car Talk Show¨ show on Public Radio: do not do business with a car repair shop that has the color picture of the owners boat hung on the wall. Price will be too high!. The other quote is from a book – Swim with the Shark ¨Without Being Eate Alive¨ by Harvey B. Mackay: ¨ Never sign a contract in an office with a hanging big gilded chandelier. Price will be too high!
On my return from the BMW ride, Dr. Yuen was ready to start the laptop computer slide show – The presentation was thorough and essentially a confirmation of the Miami dentist diagnostic. While talking, Dr. Yuen would enter some prices on a computer work sheet and scribble on a piece of paper. Prices were higher than first quoted. (price quoted for root canal is for ONE root. If your molar has three roots, you´ll pay three times the quoted price) Ridiculous high prices by Peruvian standards and just slightly lower or close to average stateside and Western European prices. He refused to provide me with a print-out of the computer worksheet and I had to scribble a few figures on a piece of paper. Dr. Yuen continued his presentation by declaring that my existing crowns and two small fillings should be takem off and replaced with new crowns or new half crowns The presentation had all the features of a high pressure sales pitch that reminded me of a time share sale meeting in Orlando. I was asked to decide immediately on the crown replacements, giving as a reason that anesthesia could be done on two adjoining teeth at the same time. Moreover, Dr. Yuen insisted that the procedure (root canal) be started immediately. His father does the root canals in the back office)

The most revealing episode came when I told Dr. Yuen that I would not proceed with the procedure. He asked me to pay US $40.00 for the panoramic XRay, plus US $50.00 for the ¨sale pitch-consultation¨, for a total of $90.00 in US Cash. They insisted for clean notes and returned for exchange two $10.00 bills that had a little 16th of an inch tear at the bottom!

Dr. Yuen makes good use of his digital camera and laptop as an examination tool and sales prop, but I have seen more advanced imaging technology in the regular (run of the mill) of US and Western European dentist offices. It also seems that most such dentist offices are equipped to take the XRay needed with no need for a chauffered BMW transport to a specialized Xray lab.

Dental work done in Doc. Yuen office is probably fine as indicated by the feedback of other patients. I passed because trust was lacking after the sale pressure for immediate decision and the attempt to dazzle the client with the vivid pictures of the laptop slide show.

Fortunately, I had another dentist lined up. More to report after all my dental work is completed by January 23