For Optometrists and Dentists, there doesn't seem to be enough money in the labor part of the business to make a small business out of it. These practices make money by selling you stuff. This puts pressure on what should be medical treatments and turns them into a sales opportunity.
A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
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Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#62It'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.
I kinda feel the opposite about some specializations in medicine. Why does a psychiatrist need to know about the bone structure of the ankle? They're never going to use half their medical training.
One imagines the same reasons you would learn Unix and DSA even if your job is writing GET handlers and wrestling Python venvs. Gives you some base system-level context even if rarely immediately useful.
Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#63I fail to see how this “your dentist is taking advantage of you” narrative is any different than the anti vaccine FUD.
To reap the benefits of our society of specialists, we have to trust the specialists in our lives…
Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#64This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…
It doesn't cost that much to have a nice office. A better way of judging is how much stuff your dentist places on 'watch' rather than recommending expensive treatments. As we get older our teeth become less perfect and there will always be some work that needs to be done. Most of it isn't urgent, has no effect on your health and can take years to deteriorate to a state where it does. If your dentist isn't telling you…
> It doesn't cost that much to have a nice office
To a dentist with a new hammer in hand (brand-new state-of-the-art medical equipment with monthly payments coming due), every tooth looks like a nail.
Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#65I had a toothache, and I went to my dentis, but they could not find anything during the exam or x-ray; they did not have access to a 3D x-ray/scan, so they referred me to an endodontist who did. However, when I got to the endodontist's office, they only wanted to perform a scan while doing a root canal; I told them I didn't want a root canal and I only wanted a 3D scan. I was told I had to do a root canal, which I refused, and so they declined to perform a scan. A few hours later, my tooth pain subsided. That was over two years ago.
Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#66This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…
It doesn't cost that much to have a nice office. A better way of judging is how much stuff your dentist places on 'watch' rather than recommending expensive treatments. As we get older our teeth become less perfect and there will always be some work that needs to be done. Most of it isn't urgent, has no effect on your health and can take years to deteriorate to a state where it does. If your dentist isn't telling you…
Dental insurance generally pays out fixed amounts for most things. So a dentist with higher operating costs has to "make up" for the difference somewhere. Either by volume or by recommending more procedures.
> It doesn't cost that much to have a nice office
Dental equipment is very expensive. Desirable central office space and furnishings are expensive. Those significantly increase the fixed cost of running a dental practice. Not sure how it "doesn't cost much"
Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#67This might sound stupid but I refuse to go to dentists that have "too nice" of an office. Over the years I have lived in several places and had a variety of dentists and one common theme that sticks with me, the nicer and higher tech the office is, the more procedures they are going to recommend you. They need to pay for the equipment and office somehow. I've had one dentist say I need 3 cavities filled. That I neede…
I have had almost the exact same experience.
Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#68My wife, who is a recent immigrant to the US, when she goes to get her teeth cleaned here is what happens: dental hygeniest does there thing, X-rays are taken that weren't asked for, dentist come in to review the photos, sure enough her mouth is falling apart and she has loads of cavities, then they want to discuss a treatment plan. When she gets home we discuss it and agree $8000 in Invisalign is a bit excessive. Th…
this is where you write a one star review warning people of this
Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#69Too many dentists scam you AND make you feel like you are a gross and bad human.
Re: A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones
#70I fail to see how this “your dentist is taking advantage of you” narrative is any different than the anti vaccine FUD. To reap the benefits of our society of specialists, we have to trust the specialists in our lives…
Because of the reasons outlined in the article? Did you read it?