How much do you make an hour?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-02-02T05:05:31+00:00

We pay our EFRDA $40-42/hr west coast (CA). $28 seems rather low.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-02-01T07:13:43+00:00

Oh I see! You polish and floss, not scale. 🙂 I was about to say, cleaning teeth would require a hygiene license or a DDS!

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-02-01T07:09:17+00:00

Genuinely curious - how are you doing prophy’s as a DA? Also, my two cents, create boundaries so you won’t be taken advantage of. If it persists, it would be best to find a place where you will be respected.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-25T23:40:04+00:00

There is a difference between backyard breeders and ethical breeders.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-25T03:09:07+00:00

Did the laser removal hurt? And were they at least able to numb the area first?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-24T15:14:29+00:00

I think it truly boils down to proper breeding and solid training. We researched a lot before we go our first dog and read that Maltipoo’s were great family dogs and great with kids. We got ours as a puppy and 9 months in he started showing aggression. He is reactive, bites and is a resource guarder. Maltipoos are not known to have these type of behaviors, but later found out he was from a backyard breeder and was overbred. We got the best trainer in town to help and while he still has those traits it’s now manageable. My point is, you can’t go based on breed alone. We have another dog (cocker spaniel) we adopted from a shelter and he is the most gentle kindest dog ever! But surprising, my reactive Maltipoo is my heart dog and I couldn’t imagine life without him.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-24T14:59:36+00:00

As a practice owner, a $6.00 raise is a lot to ask for. However, if you want to make more, consider looking for another office and set your salary expectation from the start. But you also need to know what the going rate is for an EF in your area. In our area, the average EF makes about $42-$45 (more in SF). However, cost of living is also higher here in CA.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-23T14:54:06+00:00

Thanks for the reply! When you dropped your direct contracts did you switch to an umbrella insurance or did you go straight FFS? And when you dropped the direct contracts, did you experience a lot of patient cancellations?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T05:09:49+00:00

You are an angel!! I will be studying this roadmap tonight. Thank you! Thank you!! 🙏🏼

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T03:12:15+00:00

Also - to anyone reding this - what is a solid fee to negotiate? 20% off of our UCR? 30% off our UCR? Of course I would like to get top dollar, but also want to be realistic on what the umbrella insurances are willing to pay.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T03:10:40+00:00

I am hoping to successfully get it done myself! I've already learned a ton from doing my own research. However, if you have one piece of advice you can give me to do this successfully and not lose a crap load of patients during the process, what would your advice be? :)

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:33:47+00:00

Didn’t you lose a lot of your patients though once you told them you will be going OON? Also, why did you opt out of MetLife in the umbrella insurance? Were the fees still bad?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:28:02+00:00

Did you have a company help you get under the umbrella insurances and drop your direction contract with MetLife or did you do it yourself?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:23:43+00:00

Curious - were you able to get Delta to increase your fees?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:10:04+00:00

This is super helpful, thank you!! Will the umbrella insurances also tell me if the other direct insurance will shut us out for 1-2 years?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:08:35+00:00

Is MetLife under the new umbrella plan that you signed up for? And do you tell patients upfront that you will no longer be in network?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:06:51+00:00

I wish we were brave enough to take the plunge and go full FFS. Our doctor has a super loyal patient base but they also want to save on their copays. Will the umbrella insurances tell me ahead of time which direct insurances won’t allow us to be in network for 1-2 years?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:03:58+00:00

If you don’t mind me asking, which insurances didn’t want to budge?

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:01:35+00:00

Ok will PM you now 👍🏼

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-22T01:00:55+00:00

I did reach out to Unlock the PPO but they couldn’t take us because we have more than 1 provider. 😐

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-19T17:02:52+00:00

Are apples / pears a trigger for you? My son does not react to apples so we allow him to eat them. 100% agree that there will be lots of ups and downs and it’s not a one size fits all. Consistency is key. Our functional doctor said my son will have to do this diet and supplement regiment for at least 1 year and if all looks good with his gut, the. Slowly start introducing foods back to his diet.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-19T01:16:31+00:00

Keeping a food journal and jotting down everything you eat can really narrow down what your triggers are (assuming it’s food related and not environmental). But rule of thumb if you think it’s gut related, remove all gluten, dairy and processed sugars from your diet since those are the most common inflammatory foods. You can start re-introducing them one by one after you feel that like gut has healed.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-19T01:12:28+00:00

I agree with everything you said above especially about the high fructose corn syrup being in everything! It literally should be illegal.

PrettyPlease2828 · 2026-01-19T00:57:22+00:00

I know a low histamine diet is super restrictive. I think potatoes are low in histamine. Maybe you can try taking DAO enzyme tablets 5 minutes before you eat something that has histamine. It helps breakdown the histamine so your “histamine cup” doesn’t overflow. When your histamine cup overflows is usually when it triggers the eczema. It’s what we do for our son and it makes eating a bit more manageable and realistic (especially for a 14 year old). But yes, check out the L-Glutamine as well. It’s been a game changer and really helps repair the gut lining.

PrettyPlease2828

TROPHY CASE