I love my dentist. I’m not wanting to switch offices. However, I’ve wanted Zoom Whitening for a while. It’s out of my price range. While driving back from the grocery store, I noticed an advertisement for a dentist offering free Zoom Whitening to new patients. Is it okay to just go for the one appointment and then switch back to my dentist?
Chloe S. – Atlanta
Chloe,
My first thought is the dentist is probably not offering Zoom Whitening, but professional take-home whitening. However, I’m not certain. With Zoom, you do one appointment, with a few quick sessions under a light and you’re done. With the take-home trays, you’ll wear the trays a little while each day for a few weeks.
With either procedure, the dentist will require and exam and x-rays. If you have insurance that covers that, it likely only covers that so many times a year, so call the office and find out exactly what they will require for you to get the whitening special. Then check with your insurance to see what will be covered and what won’t. Otherwise, the free teeth whitening could cost you several hundred dollars.
As for the ethics of going to the dentist for one appointment only, that’s something you’ll have to decide in your conscience. It’s obviously not why the dentist is offering the special. He may be a new dentist just starting up his practice and trying to draw in patients.
Your best bet may be to speak with your current dentist and see if he’ll let you do a Zoom procedure with payment plans. I’m sure he’d be willing to work with you.
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