This flurry of incoherent posts brought to you by A Trip To The Dentist. 'Twas a planned day of non-productivity, on account of I had three teeth laminated in the middle of a Monday, and I'm still groggy*.
I haven't actually seen the bill yet, but as I understand it the procedure is priced per tooth. Which makes sense from the perspective of having defined billing codes for insurance, but:
The actual cost involves a substantial amount of fixed overhead in time and materials, plus a few minutes and a tiny amount of material per tooth.
So, if it's structured for the convenience of accountants, having three teeth done in one session is billed at three times the price of a single tooth, while the actual cost is perhaps (total WAG) 20% more than a single tooth.
That's what happens when you let bureaucrats define the billing system.
* Yeah, yeah, it doesn't work that way. Technically, only the right side of my lower lip is still groggy. But having my mouth poked at is stressful, and I need unwinding time before I can start making sense again.
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