Since I have had GHI, I have been to two different in-plan dentists and both have not worked out for me. Considering what every other dentist says about GHI, it makes me think they are crap.

The first in plan dentist was Dr. McClure on Utica. The place seemed dusty/dirty which I found gross for a dentists office and I got sick both time I went. So did "she who will remain nameless", so it is not just me being picky. I have been to the dentist so many times before, I was never sick afterwards accept there. Not only that he tried to talk me into like $6000 worth of braces at his friends practice, something no other dentist has ever mentioned me needing.

Needless to say I stopped and went back to my family dentist in Kenmore which I liked much better. Sadly, they did not take GHI, so after one checkup and a filling I decided to try another in network dentist, figuring it can't be all bad.

I tried "Advantage Dentistry" on elmwood in Kenmore and they totally fucked up my teeth. Not only did the dentist give me a shitty cheap metal crown which I am allergic to, he fucked it up so bad that food gets stuck under it, a month after I got it, a piece of the cement got lodged in my gums, he accidentally drilled/chippped the tooth behind it which now needs to be repaired, as the chip, led to a hole, which became a cavity. Then there is the orange tongue drama started right after I got the crown (e:paul,54192) . I went back for a cleaning and complained about the orange tongue, the metal taste and the fact that my gums were receding around the new crown wherever the metal was sticking out. They said we could monitor it for next time. Maybe it was just a reaction to the cement?!

Even the ADA site says, "While porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations are highly biocompatible, some patients may show an allergic sensitivity to some types of metals used in the restoration." Well, I am one of those patients! What a surprise considering I am allergic to just about everything and told them that at the onset.

I hate that place so much. Not only that, they kept trying to get me to get mercury fillings which have the exact same kind of metals.

So I decided to try another out of network dentist. There happens to be one right across the street from me and it the office seemed nice and high tech, clean, and they don't do mercury dentistry. I thought it was a perfect match. Problem is they don't take GHI and GHI covers such a small part of the bill. I don't understand how this works. I had a dentist check up that cost $75 and GHI will only cover $19 despite my supposed $2300/year allowance. Here you can see their 2009 health benefits breakdown

No wonder the in network dentists are so shitty. They are basically doing an examination for $19.

To me it seems its not worth having dental insurance. Whatever someone (I or the state) has paid over the last 5 years must be more than I am getting out of it. I am going to see if I can cancel it and just buy private insurance or just pay out of pocket. I mean in the long run, I think they are winning.

According to this 2001 article (I know out of date but it was all I could find) the state is paying for the benefits and really they only pay the in network dentists the amount they reimburse me, meaning they work for nothing, which to me translates to shitty dentists.

The reason for the disparity in access to par dentists is clear: the State refuses to pay more for employee dental benefits and as a result, the fee schedule is so low that par dentists leave the plan when they no longer have to compete for patients. You must remind our members that New York State pays the entire premium for dental benefits. Despite widespread belief to the contrary, PEF members do not contribute to the premium and union dues do not pay for dental benefits either. It is the State's own decision to hold down its costs that prevents the fee schedule from being more realistic and making the dental plan a program acceptable to more dentists.

I would rather get involved in a group plan that we all contribute to but has better coverage.

I have left the network twice and each time the other dentists are way better and can't believe any other dentist would accept GHI. Its just now I have $2000 worth of work scheduled, $1200 of which is fixing the fuckup (broken crown, massive gap between teeth, chipped tooth) from advantage dentistry, argh! I almost want to sue them but its not worth the lawyer for the amount of money.