Asking private dentist for a discount?

[MaccaPacca81]

I had a accident last weekend and shattered multiple teeth and l need extensive dental treatment to get everything fixed.

I've seen a private cosmetic dentist who comes highly recommended by friends and the bill comes in at a whisker under £5000.

That is a hell of a lot of money. Would it be too cheeky to ask for a discount here? Or do I just need to suck it up?

I would consider checking price with some other dentists but personally unless extremely overpriced I would value the recommendation of friends for extensive dental work.

Hope you're ok.

This is not the time to be asking for discounts from dentists. They’re not short of customers due to lockdown and due to having to clean and aerate their treatment rooms between patients they are seeing a lower number of patients each day than usual. Ask for a payment plan if you must.

Sorry to hear about your accident, hope you’re ok.

Unfortunately private dental care is very expensive so I’m not sure how likely it is you’ll be granted a discount. Although you can certainly try! Have you asked for info on payment plans to spread cost?

It also might be worth consulting another dentist to see how the quotes compare.

I think you're right...I need to suck this up. The timing is terrible as although I'm lucky enough to have the money in savings, we are moving house and every penny counts at the moment.

I cant look at myself in the mirror right now so need this sorted asap.

Would you ask a plumber or electrician for a discount on extensive work to make your home safe?

Why do you think the dentist, who has studied on a rigorous university degree for upwards of five years, and done additional training, should give you a discount ?

You're paying for their expertise, skill and knowledge.

They are a private cosmetic dentist, thats unfortunately what a private cosmetic dentist costs

It would be worth discussing the price with the dentist, as there might be changes that can be made to make it cheaper without affecting the result too much.

Or you could shop around.

Hiya, I had to go to a specialist for a root canal which cost around £1000k! Which is an insane amount for a root canal I realise but I trusted the award winning dentist. I asked if I could have a discount at all because it was super expensive... theres no shame in asking and to my surprise he offered a £200 discount if I paid in cash.

If you are shy about asking maybe say, will it be the same price if I pay in cash as I've found the quote quite hight.

Also I would recommend asking the dentist directly rather than receptionist - which is what I did.

Good luck!

You could try asking the dentist directly if you could get a small discount if you pay in cash. They may give you a 5% discount if they get it into their account right away, as opposed to saving them self £250 but having to wait 24 months to receive full payment via a payment plan.
As they say here in Glasgow "Shy weans get nae sweets"
shy children get no sweeties