11–20 of 350 posts
It's a bit off topic but I often wonder why dentistry is not a specialization of medicine (like e.g. dermatology) but is its own separate thing, with separate insurance, etc. Dental health is part of being healthy. A lot of dental work is surgery. To me, it should be part of regular medical care.
It's a bit off topic but I often wonder why dentistry is not a specialization of medicine (like e.g. dermatology) but is its own separate thing, with separate insurance, etc. Dental health is part of being healthy. A lot of dental work is surgery. To me, it should be part of regular medical care.
Dental profession has a rampant fraud problem in general. Personally know many dentists who scare people to upsell unnecessary procedures, extractions etc.
You should probably avoid dentists with clever marketing schemes. During the pandemic reopening, my dentist was super busy with cleanings so I went to local VC funded dentist with a postcard that said cleaning, exam, and xrays for under $100. They completed the cleaning, but gave me a quote for $10k in dental work and aggressively called me trying to get me to come in again.
My current dentist has never mentioned any of this and my teeth are fine.
Dental profession has a rampant fraud problem in general. Personally know many dentists who scare people to upsell unnecessary procedures, extractions etc.
The biggest problem is the cost of education. People have loans to repay, and then don’t take time to apprentice like they used to. In dentistry this leads to a lot of unnecessary work. In medicine this leads to very short appointments, and fewer doctors.
Thing is, I'm 55, and have never had a problem with them or because of them. Extraction is clearly a bread winner for them since they ask the same question every time.
The other bread winner, which thankfully I've only had one time (as a kid), is the "pre-cavity" where they dig it out more and then add filling.
This ignores the fact that minor pitting is common, and pretty much a daily occurrence - every time you chew something hard or crunchy, and sometimes from vigorous brushing. As long as it doesn't go too deep, the outer layer fills it in by itself. The inner layers can't, but that won't stop them from trying to fill in the ones that aren't a problem.
It's a bit off topic but I often wonder why dentistry is not a specialization of medicine (like e.g. dermatology) but is its own separate thing, with separate insurance, etc. Dental health is part of being healthy. A lot of dental work is surgery. To me, it should be part of regular medical care.
As I recall, when "modern medicine" was first forming, there was a push to make it part of what we would consider standard medical care, but another, more influential party decided (incorrectly) that teeth weren't living tissue and should be excluded.
The divide took hold and we ended up with the system we have today, where teeth are independent of the rest of the medical field. It's especially noticeable when you have dentists, orthodontists, and oral surgeons, each separate specialties referring between each other, but only oral surgeons falling under medical insurance.
I did the initial exam, and then hesitated when it came to booking the procedure. The dentist noticed my hesitation, and said something along the lines of "And after the surgery, don't forget we'll also prescribe really great pain medication!"
10 years later my new dentist says the wisdom teeth are fine and to leave them in.
In the US, dentists and doctors are running businesses first and foremost. They have profit and revenue goals just the same as any business.
Always get a 2nd opinion if you're unsure whether you're getting the best treatment.
I went to a new dentist when I was 18 because my other dentist was unavailable. He declares that I have two cavities and fills one, but doesn't use enough anesthetic. Given my bad exp with him I went back to my other dentist who's flabbergasted that there was supposedly a cavity on the other tooth. No sign of any decay. These kind of experiences are why I try to vet a new dentist very hard before trusting them, even…
Maybe this is where AI helps with analysis of x-rays. Is there really an urgent issue? Or can it wait?
Dental profession has a rampant fraud problem in general. Personally know many dentists who scare people to upsell unnecessary procedures, extractions etc.
The biggest problem is the cost of education. People have loans to repay, and then don’t take time to apprentice like they used to. In dentistry this leads to a lot of unnecessary work. In medicine this leads to very short appointments, and fewer doctors.