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Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

theatlantic.com

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Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#311

Post by duckmysick »

WalterBright wrote: post #225
corry wrote: post #136

Ah this article put the finger on why I don't trust my 'new dentist': The operation is just too slick from a business POV. As someone familiar with SaaS or in general this kind of recurring business model, you can sense all the little operational policies and procedures designed to increase your LTV. It's a well-oiled machine. Without fail, the hygienist recommends cleaning not once every 12 months or even every 6 mo…

When I was 21, my dentist recommended removal of my wisdom teeth. I asked why, he said because they are difficult to clean, and so I'd lose them anyway by 30. I switched dentists. I'm old now, still have those teeth, and they are the healthiest teeth in my mouth. If you want to keep your teeth, 1. get an electric toothbrush 2. brush for the full 2 minutes, twice a day 3. floss twice a day, gently (overdoing it will e…

Anything particular I should look out for when picking an electric toothbrush?

Also, I'm intrigued by the rubber pointy tools. Are those the gum stimulators with replaceable tips?

Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#312

Post by jessaustin »

freedom_dev wrote: post #307
jessaustin wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IANAD, but I work at a dental clinic, so I certainly empathize with your complaints. If you don't mind a few suggestions? If you have a certain profile of patient who often break their appointments, you can simply double-book a certain percentage of them. That is, if you need to schedule three such patients, have two come at 1 PM and the third come at 2 PM. If you expect that one will break, you'll still take care of…

Thanks for taking the time to write the suggestions! I work in Europe so the situation is somewhat different here as insurance is used by a very small percentage of patients compared to the US, and I'd say 99% of other offices do not make patients pre-pay, so some of those policies, while probably very good in the US, do not fit our situation very well (the double-booking one I will probably try, though..I've always…

I work in Europe so the situation is somewhat different here as insurance is used by a very small percentage of patients compared to the US...

I'm jealous of this. Most of our problems come from dealing with insurance.

...99% of other offices do not make patients pre-pay...

This is interesting. By "pre-pay", you mean "pay on the same day that work is done"? Expecting payment afterward seems destined to lead to an untenable collections situation, especially with poorer patients.

Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#313

Post by nonameiguess »

dlp211 wrote: post #236
WalterBright wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was 21, my dentist recommended removal of my wisdom teeth. I asked why, he said because they are difficult to clean, and so I'd lose them anyway by 30. I switched dentists. I'm old now, still have those teeth, and they are the healthiest teeth in my mouth. If you want to keep your teeth, 1. get an electric toothbrush 2. brush for the full 2 minutes, twice a day 3. floss twice a day, gently (overdoing it will e…

0. Be born with the right genetics. There is this idea that the only thing you need for good oral health is to simply do the maintenance. This couldn't be further from the the truth, and an honest dentist will tell you so. There are plenty of folks that take exceptional care of their teeth, yet still have issues and there are plenty of folks that don't take care of their teeth the way their dentist recommends and sti…

1. Be born (and stay in) the right part of the world, too.

I'm fairly lucky to be in my 40s with all my wisdom teeth intact and zero cavities, in spite of not flossing, never seeing a dentist, and only brushing once a day with a plain toothbrush. That is clearly genetic, since out of my entire immediate family, one sister has had one cavity and that is it for all 6 of us.

But we've always lived in first-world cities with fluoride in the water. My ex-wife had impeccable dental health for a long time until she did a military deployment to Djibouti for 12 months, and came back with 8 cavities. In the 15 years since then, she's never gotten another.

Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#314

Post by julian_t »

I'm lucky in that we have a good friend who's a dental surgeon, so we're confident in getting good treatment.

But someone is setting up a practice in my area (South London) that fits with what a lot of people here are seeing: he's opened three surgeries in the immediate area, there's lots of advertising for expensive procedures, and he drives a Lamborghini. All that has got to be paid for somehow.

Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#315

Post by geoduck14 »

WalterBright wrote: post #225
corry wrote: post #136

Ah this article put the finger on why I don't trust my 'new dentist': The operation is just too slick from a business POV. As someone familiar with SaaS or in general this kind of recurring business model, you can sense all the little operational policies and procedures designed to increase your LTV. It's a well-oiled machine. Without fail, the hygienist recommends cleaning not once every 12 months or even every 6 mo…

When I was 21, my dentist recommended removal of my wisdom teeth. I asked why, he said because they are difficult to clean, and so I'd lose them anyway by 30. I switched dentists. I'm old now, still have those teeth, and they are the healthiest teeth in my mouth. If you want to keep your teeth, 1. get an electric toothbrush 2. brush for the full 2 minutes, twice a day 3. floss twice a day, gently (overdoing it will e…

Can we get an actual dentist to weigh in here?

What techniques are most helpful? I see plenty of armchair mouth experts (I, myself almost spoke up, too), but I'd like to give space to someone who went to school for this stuff.

Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#316

Post by bombcar »

guerrilla wrote: post #304
bombcar wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heh I thought you were going for a 2. "there is no step 2" joke, or suggesting that you could just remove all your teeth and then have no tooth problems anymore.

I mean yeah the solution is pretty much to eat zero sugary and acidic things... but that'd be a hard life these days.

I'd love to see a section of the store or even a whole store dedicated to "no added sugar/sweeteners". It is really hard to find a surprisingly large amounts of food that don't come with sugar or corn syrup.

Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#318

Post by bombcar »

noduerme wrote: post #309
bombcar wrote: post #264

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of people getting "THIS LEG" tattooed on the leg to be removed, perhaps something similar with a stick on tooth decoration could be worth it.

I used to live in Spain, and I remember being shocked when my doctor told me how common it was for people to have the wrong leg or kidney removed there. She was originally American, and implied there was a strong inverse correlation between the cap on malpractice damages and the number of incorrect organs/appendages detached. Honestly, although the American medical system is the pits, it gave me a better opinion of A…

There was some pretty significant pressure against having doctors use checklists (like pilots have) - but it has also decreased errors significantly (both in aviation and in the medical field).

They also act as a form of documentation; I highly recommend checklists whenever I can.

Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#319

Post by loonster »

WalterBright wrote: post #255
WalterBright wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was 21, my dentist recommended removal of my wisdom teeth. I asked why, he said because they are difficult to clean, and so I'd lose them anyway by 30. I switched dentists. I'm old now, still have those teeth, and they are the healthiest teeth in my mouth. If you want to keep your teeth, 1. get an electric toothbrush 2. brush for the full 2 minutes, twice a day 3. floss twice a day, gently (overdoing it will e…

BTW, mouthwashes don't do diddly squat. I tried every one of them, including prescription ones. A waterpic is only of marginal utility.

Try Xylitol. Place 1/4 - 1/2 tsp in your mouth. Let it melt and swish it around. Spit. Can also brush with it.

Re: Dentistry is less scientific and more gratuitous than people think (2019)

#320

Post by jdhawk »

duckmysick wrote: post #311
WalterBright wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was 21, my dentist recommended removal of my wisdom teeth. I asked why, he said because they are difficult to clean, and so I'd lose them anyway by 30. I switched dentists. I'm old now, still have those teeth, and they are the healthiest teeth in my mouth. If you want to keep your teeth, 1. get an electric toothbrush 2. brush for the full 2 minutes, twice a day 3. floss twice a day, gently (overdoing it will e…

Anything particular I should look out for when picking an electric toothbrush? Also, I'm intrigued by the rubber pointy tools. Are those the gum stimulators with replaceable tips?

The cheapest sonicare works 99% as well as the most expensive one.
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