Question:
I didn't connect with my new dentist so I asked for my X-rays to go
visit another. they said they have to make copies , to give me. Are
they going to try to charge for them? Is all this have to due with the
occasional litigation?
Any hints how to deal with this?
Answer:
In my experience, you shouldn't have to pay anything.
You've
*already* paid for the dental x-rays. They are your
property, even though they're aways kept with the dentist.
When changing dentists, (I have only done it twice in my
life) -- I asked the one who had my file to forward it on to
my new dentist, and I gave him the address. No dentist will
actually give you your own x-rays to carry away on your own.
You might lose them -- or they could accidentally get
destroyed and these things are way too valuable. Instead,
your old dentist will forward those files to your new
dentist -- at his/her own cost. That's the way it's done
here.
Valuable to whom? I ran into this problem when I wanted to carry xrays from
a hosp to an M.D.The hospital gave me a really hard time but finally
relented. You'd think I was borrowing the Hope diamond.
Am I wrong? Is there something I am not understanding about this xray
business?
I would suspect that if you were going to be charged, the dentist would have
told you. Call the dentist to ask if you are concerned.
I was speaking of *my* experience, not making general rules
across the board.
In my case, when switching dentists, the x-rays were
included along with the entire dental file, noting
extractions, damaged jaw bones, reactions and sensitivities
to various painkillers, freezing, etc. Hell, the entire file
was about 2 inches thick, went back almost 30 years and
included *all* x-rays taken during my time with that
particular dentist. I did not want responsibility for
trotting that file around, nor was the opportunity offered
to me. I merely shopped around for a new dentist (former
one retired) and the retired dentist happily forwared my 2"
file deep on to my new dentist.
OK -- I suppose you *could* insist on taking control of your own
x-rays and your entire dental file ... but really, who'd
want to? For what reason?
Anyway, I suppose so's my medical file my own property --
yet recently, when my gynecologist retired (all these darn
docs are retiring on me all at once!) -- he did not give me
my file to take with me when I shopped for a new OB-Gyn.
Again, this file is an inch or so thick and includes several
mammogram x-rays and a lot of personal stuff. Valuable
stuff to docs who may have to take care of me down the road.
I was told to have my new OB-Gyn get in touch with the
hospital where the old OB-Gyn worked from -- and they'd
forward the file to the new guy. Which is what I did. (We
have government funded medicare in this country -- maybe
that's the difference -- though that gov't funding doesn't
cover dental care. I have to pay for that entirely on its own.)
