Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

rd.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 585 posts

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#131

Post by thenerdhead »

Seeing that this article ran in 1997 originally, someone ought to build a website that lists this type of information or experiences for the type of care you're looking to get in your area.

I've had similar experiences that make me never want to go to a dentist again because these new practices are so detached from reality. They only care about what is covered by your insurance and will deceive you with non-answers to maximize it.

I've also had experiences where one dentist will tell me I have a cavity and I'll get it checked out by another dentist who cannot confirm. These types of things need some type of tally from the public so others don't let these money-grabbers get off scot free.

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#132

Post by seanmcdirmid »

calderwoodra wrote: post #110
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you consider seeing a doctor? Dentists are sort of doctors, but MDs with teeth specialties could be better, I’m sure your GP could have given you a rec. (Edit: it turns out orthodontist is not like ophthalmologist).

Where did you hear that? Most Orthodontists do not have MDs... Did you mean an oral surgeon?

Ugh, probably.

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#133

Post by kwanbix »

OfSanguineFire wrote: post #20
kwanbix wrote: post #8

What I don't understand is why dentist work is not better regulated and covered by health. I can get a heart operation covered but if I have to do an implant I have to pay for it. I mean, I understand if you charged me something as a punishment (lets say 100/200 dollars), but I don't get why is not covered. We can even make it an additional monthly payment or something. But it is crazy that there is no coverage for m…

Dental work beyond tooth extraction is generally not covered by health because it is viewed as a cosmetic procedure. From a purely health perspective, a person can go on with their lives without teeth by installing dentures, and millions of people do so.

But that is not the truth. The impact in your life if you lose a tooth, and you cannot replace it, is horrible. Mentally it could have much more impact that many things that are covered.

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#134

Post by jnwatson »

benjaminwootton wrote: post #102
gitfan86 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

90% of dentistry revenue is a scam. But at the same time it is very important to brush you teeth twice a day and floss weekly. You should also avoid sugary food as much as possible. Dentistry is much like Realtors, they like to take credit for very little actual work. "If I'm not here to confirm people are brushing regularly everyone would lose all their teeth" "I'm so glad I could sell your house for 500k. Without m…

Surely floss daily should be the advice? It only takes an extra minute when you are brushing so there’s no reason not to.

For the same reason you don’t brush 10 times a day. It isn’t significantly more effective than once a week and we all have better things to do.

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#135

Post by thenerdhead »

moomoo11 wrote: post #51

Doctors are just people. I personally don’t trust a single one and why I always get multiple opinions. The sooner they’re replaced by automation that’s far superior in terms of accuracy and diagnosis, the better. Just a hundred years ago doctors were doing wack shit like chopping off limbs and giving people toxins or cocaine. Maybe the cocaine isn’t so bad. Today they give us SSRIs and opioids. They are given far too…

The reputation of these noble jobs are going straight out the window. The same that happened to "an honest mechanic" when that used to be a thing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iatrogenesis is absolutely a thing and is likely how many of these industries work. The excess activity causes more problems for others to solve.

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#136

Post by kwanbix »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #23
kwanbix wrote: post #8

What I don't understand is why dentist work is not better regulated and covered by health. I can get a heart operation covered but if I have to do an implant I have to pay for it. I mean, I understand if you charged me something as a punishment (lets say 100/200 dollars), but I don't get why is not covered. We can even make it an additional monthly payment or something. But it is crazy that there is no coverage for m…

Wouldn’t covering it more just exacerbate the problem of overcharging and doing unnecessary work? Not sure this really helps. The real problem is that dentists business model assumes they will do a lot of restorative work but people’s dental health has improved so it’s far less necessary than before.

You should justify the need and you can be audited.

Also, I do a tooth cleaning, 1 hour work, 100 euros. I do an implant, also 3 hours of work. 1800 euros. What is the reason?

Wouldn't make more sense to do 10 implants at 800 than do 1 or 2 at 1800? I don't get it.

One of the dentists I used to go told me that he was no longer doing implants because people won't pay for them. Of course!

If it is a full minimum salary for 3/6 hour of work. Charge something reasonable and people would do it.

We are in 2023, a dental implant can no longer be considered a luxury. It is crazy.

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#137

Post by pcurve »

CommieBobDole wrote: post #31

I've posted this before, but I went to a new dentist one time and though I'd never had a cavity, the new dentist said I had nine, some of which were pretty bad and needed immediate treatment lest they require a root canal. I didn't have any money or dental insurance at the time, so I didn't go back and just worried about it a lot for a while. That was twenty-five years ago. Haven't been to a dentist since. My teeth a…

Some of these dentists should either have their license revoked or prosecuted for malpractice. I can believe what I just read.

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#138

Post by jzawodn »

ballenf wrote: post #114
gitfan86 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

90% of dentistry revenue is a scam. But at the same time it is very important to brush you teeth twice a day and floss weekly. You should also avoid sugary food as much as possible. Dentistry is much like Realtors, they like to take credit for very little actual work. "If I'm not here to confirm people are brushing regularly everyone would lose all their teeth" "I'm so glad I could sell your house for 500k. Without m…

The sugary foods advice is true if you're talking about refined sugars, but I recall a study showing that raisins, e.g., are much better than refined flour in terms of damage to teeth. Despite having much higher sugar content. Here's an article about the study: https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/raisins-and-dental-health/

You know what flour turns into very, very quickly in you digestive system?

Sugar.

Re: I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

#140

Post by leptons »

kentonv wrote: post #53

A couple years ago my dentist sold her practice to a new dentist. Before I had an appointment with the new dentist, my wife had an appointment, and he told her she had gum disease with bone loss and needed a deep cleaning and to go on a "periodontal schedule" where she would have to come in every three months instead of six. (Note: My wife and I have different last names and separate insurance, so he wouldn't have kn…

Some dentists are the worst - they're no better than used car salesmen, and sometimes they are worse than that. Just shady and questionable businesses that try to extract the most money possible from you, and in some cases they will lie to do it.

I moved cities a few years ago, about an hour south of where I used to live, and I changed my doctor, my mechanic, but I kept my dentist even though it's a 1.5 hour drive in rush hour traffic. It's worth it. There's plenty of dentists around my new house, and I tried one of them and it was awful. I went back to my beloved dentist in the old city and I'll never look for another one. They don't ever try to recommend work I don't need, they find and fix real problems not made-up problems, and the prices are very reasonable.

Once you find a good dentist, keep them forever if you can. It's too bad your old dentist sold the business, that would be devastating for me.

Post reply on HN