united-states
Dentist billing question
<p>Back in 2021 A family member went to dentist to get two implants, there was a consultation and plan proposed to which there was paperwork and signature (required)- the plan was long - there was a missing tooth that started to move into the implant area so it needed to be moved back out and that required braces once the braces moved the tooth out of the way the implant could be put in. The process was agreed to and started June of 2021. The treatment plan was started and signed -total cost was 8,000.00 for braces and implants. Payed for the first part the braces 3000.00. Fast forward to today the braces are almost done so the person in question asked for the next part of the bill, the implants part, and expecting it to be 5,000.00 but is given a new bill with 9,000.00 for the implants. I’m not even sure they were going to disclose the fact that the procedure had almost doubled in price. Can they just do that? This is not just a few hundred dollars it’s 4,000.00 additional dollars.</p>

<p>This is going to depend on what your agreement with the dentist said. If there is dental insurance, and the dentist is &quot;participating&quot;it may also depend on the wording of the policy..</p>
<p>In general, advance statements of the cost o medical procedures are only estimates, and are not binding The patient is generally responsible for any added costs.</p>
<p>This may be modified by the terms of any agreement with the provider, but usually is not. The terms of an insurance policy may limit provider charges. This is common for medical insurance, but not so much with dental insurance.</p>

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<p>the procedure had almost doubled in price. Can they just do that?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Based just on the information you provide here, the answer is no. The original <em>total</em> --rather than <em>estimate</em>-- of $8,000 is binding. Even if it were an estimate, the increase seems unreasonable and likely invalid.</p>
<p>The dentist fully knew about your relative's issue(s), how long the process would take, and that your relative followed the dentist's directions as scheduled. By default, the dentist is not allowed to belatedly alter the terms of the contract without your relative's consent. Just make sure that your relative did not inadvertently consent to something like that in the contract.</p>
<p>The dentist's belated increase sounds in violation of the statutes against unfair and misleading practices.</p>
