I've always heard horror stories about bad dentists. Many people in my family grew up going to an absolutely horribly guy who did shoddy work that left things worse than they were before (and he ultimately lost his license, but not before his patients lost a lot of teeth). I know other people who've more recently lost teeth after bad root canals and such. So I've been very scrupulous with keeping my teeth clean and healthy, even despite orthodontic equipment that made it extremely difficult and left permanent pits in my enamel where the cement was. But I've still had a few caries - one that I spotted myself and asked my dentist about (it looked just like the small ones I'd seen with Google Images), and he said it was just a stain. I moved, got a new dentist, and he diagnosed and fixed that cavity just as I had expected. But now he's moved and I have a new dentist. The last time I saw him he poked around a lot at one molar, then said everything was fine and sent me on my way. I took a good look at that molar and while it's not sensitive at all and there's no visible breech in the enamel, it is a little darker in the middle than its counterpart. So now I'm kind of worried that there is something wrong with the tooth, but that the dentist is waiting until it will develop into something more expensive/profitable to fix than a cavity. But I was thinking that if I find another dentist to see what he thinks about the tooth, a second dentist might be more inclined to want to perform a procedure whether one actually needs to be done, because otherwise he'd probably never see me again. So now I'm just feeling kind of frustrated and nervous. I wish our medical systems were set up to financially encourage doctors to keep their patients well rather than to perform procedures.
Totally agree with your last sentence. I wish it was more like that as well. But thats a whole complicated debate about capitalism/right to health care/etc. As far as the question in your thread title, that is a hard question to answer. I'll be completely honest here. I know a lot of shit dentists who are only motivated by profit. They'll do or say anything to get more money out of you. It's very unfortunate. Of course there are some shit medical doctors out there too. But a good percentage of medical doctors work out of hospitals or clinics where their salary is not based on production numbers. Dentists, for better or worse, are usually private business owners and productions/collections are going to be one of their primary concerns. Especially nowadays, with so many doctors and dentists coming out school with huge debts, they pretty much have to do whatever they can to maximize profit. It IS possible to treat patients ethically and honestly and still make a profit. But, increasingly, it seems like the ones who are most successful are the ones who over-treat or over-charge their patients. But what percentage of dentists are shit and what percentage of dentists will treat you right? I really can't answer that. I would like to say that most dentists are ethical individuals who try to treat you right. But I do know some bad eggs. To answer your question with another question, how do you know you can trust any of your doctors? I guess it just comes down to personal levels of trust. Nowadays, you can also find reviews of some dentists online, though you should always take those reviews with a grain of salt. Patients who had a bad experience are more likely to discuss it online than patients who had a good experience and go home and don't think about it. As a general rule, you probably want to avoid some of those larger dental chains that are almost like sweatshops. Often, all they care about is production and profit. But I hate to generalize because I have some peers whom I respect greatly that work in places like that simply because they cannot afford to start their own business or can't find a private owner to partner with. When it comes to identifying a cavity, there is often a lot of disagreement even among good dentists. Sometimes a cavity may not be apparent on the surface, yet the internal structure of the tooth may be decayed. Or a cavity may only exist on the surface, and depending on the individual it may be better not to drill it out. It may often be better to try and re-mineralize that area. Definitely do not try and self diagnose this sort of thing! It's not an exact science, although x-ray technology is more advanced now. Digital x-rays are fantastic. The images can be blown up while keeping the resolution intact. Computer software can analyze the radiograph to help the dentist determine whether there is a cavity there or not. And there is really no guarantee on any dental work. There are so many reasons why dental work can fail, and it often isn't the fault of the provider. Generally speaking, the further gone a tooth is, the more extensive procedures required to fix, and the more likely it is to fail. Root canals are a good example. If a tooth needs a root canal, that probably means the infection/cavity is so deep that a normal filling isn't sufficient. A good deal of the internal structure of the tooth has already been compromised. At that point, a root canal is almost like a last-ditch effort to keep the tooth from breaking down completely and becoming massively infected. It is a difficult procedure, a lot of things can go wrong, and there is no guarantee. A good dentist should explain all your options to you and try to give you an estimate of how likely the procedure is to succeed or fail. In my opinion, a good provider will take time with you. They will thoroughly discuss all your treatment options and answer any questions you might have. Its never a bad idea to get a second opinion on something, whether it is a dental issue or a medical issue. But at some point you have to put your trust in some provider. If you have any specific questions about something, feel free to PM me and I'll try to help...
Did you know the toothbrush was invented in Arkansas? Because if it was invented anywhere else, they would have called it a teethbrush.
I had a Drill Sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood who called teeth "toothes." "I know we're in the field, but you still have to brush your toothes when you're done eating." Amazing....... But he was a nice guy. I helped him get a free field jacket by pulling some shady stuff with the clothing issue people. He knew I was "prior service" Air Force so I know the ins and outs of the military system, and I could be trusted to keep my mouth shut and hook a buddy up. He was the "good cop" in the good cop/bad cop roles Drill Sergeants often fall into. His pep talks were awesome: "I know Basic Training sucks! But it's all just a game. Don't stress out, just do what you have to and soon you'll just ease on up into the iron bird and you're a gone mother fucker! That's what you do...just ease on up to that iron bird to freedom!"
On the line where it says: "What is the reason for your visit?" one of my adult patients wrote down: "toof ake."
