Drs Nicolas and Asp dentists

Sorry to hear your grief absmur, hope others can learn from your misfortune - too late for you unfortunately. I had toothache and have attended Dr Madhu in Karama (found him from this forum, big thanks!) for the last few weeks for root canal treatment and ceramic crown, total cost AED 3500 which is comparable with my UK private dental practice. I got prices from him before we went ahead with treatment. I have BUPA medical excluding dental but emergency dental is covered up to 800 USD, still have to submit the bill to them for refund, no guarantee I'll get it back but if not I can live with it - I'd be looking at no hols too if it was a 10,000 bill. I always say the most painful thing about the dentist is the bill. Ive just paid the exact same amount for the same procedure at Dr Joys. I did think that perhaps them being based in Jumeira i might have paid more but phew ! glad to read that i wasnt ripped off !

Let me add my experience with Drs N&A... they are very expensive but I do not think you get what you pay for... DH went to get a tooth extracted - it was a mess and he was in pain for two months after that! DS does braces there... the dentist does regular checkups which is included in the package, but I was surprised and shocked when I took DS to another dentist for cleaning and one cavity, he discovered SIX cavities that were quite obvious to him as soon as DS opened his mouth! I would have expected the orthodontist to at least mention the cavities to me!!! but nothing, nada...

Hi, My husband and I have been using Dr N & Asp and have absolutely no complaints. On the medical side and also in terms of explanation of treatment plans & costs. I am sorry the OP has had a different experience. We have tried a few other dentists here and a lot of 'cowboys' in my opinion. Yes, Dr N & Asp are more expensive for some treatment but, like everything in life, you get what you pay for. It is the patient's responsibility to check with their insurer definitely. Typically, the dentist will say when things may or not be covered. My husband has had extensive treatment at Dr N and on all occasions they have explained everything, given different options if appropriate, provided a full treatment planned (which both parties sign) and so on. He is currently getting an implant, and part of it will be covered by insurance, as it is restorative following on from surgery, and not solely cosmetic. His surgeon and the various other specialists involved have all been excellent and do not charge if he just needs to see them for a brief check-up or discussion relating to his treatment. They have been very fair and professional. What I have also found excellent is the way the various specialists all work together for you and it is clear from your conversation with say your implant guy has had detailed conversations with the person who say did your CT scan and your general dentist and so on. Maybe its just the dentist & specialist you get? Or indeed choose. We did do a lot of research before going there initially and choosing which general dentist to visit, never mind when deciding which surgeon and implant specialist to use, as there are several at the various Dr N & Asp clinics. It's like everything else, you do need to do your research, especially when it comes to your teeth. To be honest, this is nothing different to what I have done in the past in the UK if ever I have needed anything more than a normal check-up. Just my story, which is the absolute opposite of the OPs. I do hope you get it sorted out. S

Sorry to hear your grief absmur, hope others can learn from your misfortune - too late for you unfortunately. I had toothache and have attended Dr Madhu in Karama (found him from this forum, big thanks!) for the last few weeks for root canal treatment and ceramic crown, total cost AED 3500 which is comparable with my UK private dental practice. I got prices from him before we went ahead with treatment. I have BUPA medical excluding dental but emergency dental is covered up to 800 USD, still have to submit the bill to them for refund, no guarantee I'll get it back but if not I can live with it - I'd be looking at no hols too if it was a 10,000 bill. I always say the most painful thing about the dentist is the bill.

I must add that all costs at Nicolas and Asp in Healthcare City have been explained very well, (DS's having orthodontic treatment). Everything has been in writing and I had to sign off on the quotes.

I'm sorry but am I not the only one that would think an implant would not normally be covered by insurance? Most implants are cosmetic, thus not covered, except perhaps after an accident.

I had to reply to this. There is what is called "treatment plan", where the dentist explains everything in steps, including the cost. He/she also gives alternatives and the cost. In the UK the treatment plan and cost estimate should be written and signed by both the dentist and patient. There is nothing called "on spot" implant. They definitely can't say its covered then say its not, and it is not your problem to check if it is covered or not. Insurance paper is sent for approval before the procedure, this is the duty of the practice. If they say its covered then it is. You have every right to refuse payment. This sounds like a scam. Just tell them you want to file a complaint to the DOH and see their reaction. But Dubai is NOT the UK so the same rules do not apply. Hardly anything gets put in writing... And as all insurance policies are different then it is not up to the dentist to know who is covered for what (although I agree he should not have said it was covered if he was not 100% sure of the OP's insurance, that was naughty). And a lot of insurance companies do not approve first, so not necessarily the duty of the practice to submit anything to anybody. We were with BUPA and you got what you wanted doing, paid for it and then claimed back so it was our responsibility to check what we could claim for... Unfortunate and a bit unfair though it is, as the OP says, it is an expensive lesson on the way some things work.

Ya here u really need to ask urself all this information and than they will give it to you because they have to but on their own they wont. Ive had drs telling me that im the only one who asks soo many questions and i simply say that im paying for their time and i better get my money's worth else i can just resort to google Its the same with most docs. I had last time a doc telling me i need to take omega 3 capsules so went to pharmacy and got schocked abt the price so went right back to doc and asked him if he cant maybe give me a prescription for it. And yes there u go.. Within only few min i got my omega 3 all free which saved me over 1000 dhs But ya its a hard lesson to learn that we can never count on them, we r the ones who need to simply act like a toddler and ask a million questions until we r satisfied.

Ohh man this sounds horrible. I have this habbit of always making sure i know about all costs even including the hidden emergency costs so i dont get any surprises But ya i was also in a shock when i went with my almost 3yr old who has quite bad front teeth and they told me it would be around 20k to fix his teeth since he would need full anesthesia and first to drag myself to jumeirah n see the guy who will put him under so we can have a full evaluation. So ofcourse that would again cost extra We freaked out. I mean seriously 20k for a 3 yr old teeth *_* We decided to wait n do it back home in a fraction of that price

I had to reply to this. There is what is called "treatment plan", where the dentist explains everything in steps, including the cost. He/she also gives alternatives and the cost. In the UK the treatment plan and cost estimate should be written and signed by both the dentist and patient. There is nothing called "on spot" implant. They definitely can't say its covered then say its not, and it is not your problem to check if it is covered or not. Insurance paper is sent for approval before the procedure, this is the duty of the practice. If they say its covered then it is. You have every right to refuse payment. This sounds like a scam. Just tell them you want to file a complaint to the DOH and see their reaction.

thats very unfortunate. a good Dentist will and should take their time and explain all the treatments and costs and alternatives. Im currently having a lot of treatment done at Dr Joy's in Umm Suqueim under the care of Dr. Irene Elsa Noble An extraction and an implant. she explained my options based on costs and after care. so there are no hidden surprises.

Sorry you went through this but you should have checked with your insurance first before going for any treatment and not just assume that it would automatically be covered.

Sorry to hear what has happened but as unfortunate as the situation is, I'm afraid it is for you to check your insurance policy and know what is covered and what isn't. I really don't see that you can pursue it with N & Asp as it isn't their responsibility to give you this information. I agree that N & Asp aren't the best people at giving out information and they are expensive. I had an implant there and temporary crown fitted about 3 years ago at a cost of 14,000 and was told this included the permanent crown. When I went to the desk to pay I was informed that the permanent crown would be an extra 5,000 !! I had been quoted the wrong price but they wouldn't back down. Temporary crown is still in place ! I am now going to go to Dr. Madhu in Karama as he has been highly recommended by so many ladies on here. <em>edited by amelia on 04/07/2012</em>