201–210 of 381 posts
SO is a dentist. They laughed and said 90% detection leaves a lot to be desired, and there's rarely a good reason to not have an X-ray.* In addition, there's some things a human dentist does that I doubt this does - early detection of oral or skin cancer on the face being one of them. If you have the same dentist you'd be amazed at what they remember about your face and what's different from last time. General vibe i…
SO is a dentist. They laughed and said 90% detection leaves a lot to be desired, and there's rarely a good reason to not have an X-ray.* In addition, there's some things a human dentist does that I doubt this does - early detection of oral or skin cancer on the face being one of them. If you have the same dentist you'd be amazed at what they remember about your face and what's different from last time. General vibe i…
> there's rarely a good reason to not have an X-ray I'd much rather have a 90% detection rate without an X-ray than 100% with. Destists are very trigger-happy with X-rays, in part because of the extra billing, but mostly because it makes their job easier and prevents mistakes. The estimates of the hidden costs of radiation risk are tentative at best. Some people have inherently higher risk and many are not aware of i…
Honestly, I'd take both. If standard light imaging is 99% efficient then it adds additional triage and diagnostic capability.
As regards the billing situation, that may partially be a locale issue rather than an all-dentists thing, but even within the UK it's disappointingly nonstandard and subject to manipulation by the dentist.
Despite all that, you say that X-rays are pushed because it "prevents mistakes". And my response would be along the lines of "well... yeah..." because a mistake turns a simple filling into a more complex (and expensive) operation that could cost a tooth and £x,000.
Speaking from personal experience, if the dentist wasn't concerned about anything on my teeth and I didn't ask for an x-ray, I didn't get one.
SO is a dentist. They laughed and said 90% detection leaves a lot to be desired, and there's rarely a good reason to not have an X-ray.* In addition, there's some things a human dentist does that I doubt this does - early detection of oral or skin cancer on the face being one of them. If you have the same dentist you'd be amazed at what they remember about your face and what's different from last time. General vibe i…
He also noticed I had a breathing issue.
Pass.
Sometimes the drill is necessary, but imagine how infrequently we'd need it if there were robots in our homes that could do an immaculate job with the daily cleaning.
I have good news: https://www.amazon.de/s?k=electric+toothbrush ;)
Wouldn't it be better to get a dentist-grade cleaning every day in the the same amount of time?
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I have good news: https://www.amazon.de/s?k=electric+toothbrush ;)
Waiting for the toothbrush that brushes all teeth at once in about 15 seconds
Will robot dentists facilitate the option to lay face down for procedures so that the debris and saliva falls out instead of needing the suction tool?
Sometimes the drill is necessary, but imagine how infrequently we'd need it if there were robots in our homes that could do an immaculate job with the daily cleaning.
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>But also going to the dentist already isn't exactly pleasant, the pokes, scrapes, drill noises, etc. Maybe we improve that first before sticking it in a robot? Dentists are definitely trying. The drills have gotten smaller and gentler, my dentist (and many others) offers a headset so you can listen to music/podcasts while getting your cleaning, and overall they make an effort to be less scoldy and more encouragey. T…
>the billing sucks This has not been the case in my experience. Dentists have always told me exactly how much I owe them, and the one time I forgot a payment, they called me and texted me to let me know and I resolved it in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile a hospital visit sent me a bunch of bills in the mail ranging from $50 to $100, they refused to tell me the total sum even when I visited in person, and when I misse…
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The medical establishment also artificially limits the number of doctors in order to keep salaries high. I live in Boston, arguably the top city for medical care in the US, and it is not uncommon to have a six month waiting list to see a specialist. People talk about prescription drugs being the cause of high medical costs in the US, but it’s really the hospitals and doctors that are driving the majority of the costs…
Maybe I'm mistaken, but I don't think places like Boston are where docs earn the most ?