# Do you trust your dentist? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695 "2019-04-17T21:47:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/1 "2019-04-17T21:47:17Z")
Here is an interesting article called[The Truth About Dentistry](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-trouble-with-dentistry/586039/)published in the Atlantic. The main focus is a dentist in California who took over another dentists practice and figured out he had been massively overbilling patients by getting them to agree to many unneeded procedures. The article further goes on to say that dentistry, unlike other medical professionals, doesnt use scientific methods and research that regular doctors do when deciding upon procedures and treatments for patients. For example, they say you should get cleanings twice a year but in reality it should only be maybe once a year. Also dentistry doesnt have the oversite that other doctors have when working in hospitals because most work in their own private practices. Dentists make very little money just doing routine cleanings and make most of their money on doing the bigger and more expensive procedures. I feel it makes some points. People dont look for second opinions on dental procedures so for example if your dentist says you need a root canal, most people just go along with it. Now personally I have dont think I have had a bad experience with a dentist but then, I dont know. I have had fillings and such but how do I know that I really needed them? One woman on another board said she worked as a hygienist with a dentist whom she feels was overbilling customers (and underpaying staff). What do you all think? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/2 "2019-04-17T22:12:12Z")
I trust my dentist, to a point. I would question him about any invasive procedure. It drives medical people crazy. I’m sure They all hate me. I make lists with questions. I get panicky and forget to ask if I don’t. I’m their worst nightmare. I have a standing Valium prescription for dental appointments. God, this reminds me I have an appointment in early May. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/3 "2019-04-17T22:17:13Z")
I haven’t had a major dental procedure that wasn’t preceded by pain, so I’m not worried on that front. I have changed dentists twice due to distrusting their competency. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/4 "2019-04-17T22:49:33Z")
I trust them on the big stuff, but I also notice that they always recommend little stuff that I don’t need–tooth whitening, try these sample Gum toothpicks, here’s a free toothbrush (when they know I have an Oral B electric)… I figure they’re getting paid by these companies to push their products, so I take all of that with a grain of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/5 "2019-04-17T22:52:45Z")
I completely trust my dentist. I am a white knuckle patient, and the dentist and the staff are all very understanding and sympathetic. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/6 "2019-04-17T23:14:20Z")
I do trust my dentist. When I had different dental insurance, I had to go to a dental chain where the dentist, who was very young, couldn’t explain anything and seemed uncomfortable, though that may partly have been because English wasn’t her first language. I didn’t trust her, and the patient crying in the reception area because they’d left her tooth exposed and told her to come back didn’t help any. My current insurance allows me to pick my dentist, who came highly recommended. He shows me the x-ray, explains things thoroughly, and never recommends pricey treatments or tries to hook me into getting expensive optional work or mouth care products, as some dentists do. He’s also an exceptionally kind man who gave me a small gift and some free (normally pricey) mouthwash for patients getting radiation when I had cancer treatment. HIs staff is kind and friendly and have a delicate touch, so cleanings don’t hurt. I just wish dental work was cheaper! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/7 "2019-04-17T23:46:41Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I feel it makes some points. People dont look for second opinions on dental procedures so for example if your dentist says you need a root canal, most people just go along with it. I don’t. I have asked for second opinions for decades when I had doubts about what the dentist recommended. That’s one reason I trust my current dentist. He very much wants you to understand what’s going on in your mouth. Like when I cracked a tooth - he was able to show me a photograph of the actual crack. We do disagree on some things, like how urgently my remaining wisdom teeth need extracting (I’m in my mid-50’s and still have three of them, obviously I don’t see this as urgent) but that’s in areas where a difference of opinion is unlikely to end in tears. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/8 "2019-04-17T23:48:45Z")
I have a problem with one part- I find it hard to believe that most physicians work for a hospital,university or large health-care organization. Now, the fact that I’ve never used a doctor that worked for that sort of entity could be an anomaly- so I looked to see what info I could find. [The most recent I could find :](https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/articles/2018-06-13/is-the-independent-doctor-disappearing) > [@](#): > > The AMA’s Physician Practice Benchmark Survey found that in 2016, fewer than half (47.1 percent) of all physicians who provide at least 20 hours of patient care per week owned their own practices. That’s down about 6 percentage points from data collected in 2012. “Similarly, practice size also continued to increase although the shifts in size distribution were small. Sixty-one percent of physicians worked in practices with 10 or fewer physicians in 2012, but only 57.8 percent were in practices of that size in 2016,” the AMA reports. A 10 physician practice _might_ provide more oversight than an individual practice\* - but a 10 physician practice is not a “large healthcare organization” I trusted my dentist- he has now retired so I will have to find a new one. - If it’s a single specialty practice - if it’s a multispecialty practice, I’m not sure there’s any additional oversight at all. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/9 "2019-04-18T00:06:30Z")
I trust my dentist. He is a friend, runs a large practice in my small city, and he has done well by me as far as somewhat major procedures have gone. Meaning an implant for a broken tooth. 6,000th post. Woo hoo. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/10 "2019-04-18T00:08:55Z")
My parents took me to the same dentist from my earliest memories, and I never had any cavities. Then, when I was about 16, the dentist retired, another took over the practice, and we stayed with them for a couple more years. During that time, I had four cavities. I don’t know what prompted it, but my parents changed to a new dental practice that opened up in our neighborhood. I stayed with them even after moving out and getting my own insurance. I’m now in my late 40s, and I have never had another cavity since. I never gave it any thought until several years ago, when I started hearing stories about shady dentists like those described by the OP. Now I wonder if I’ve ever actually had a cavity. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/11 "2019-04-18T00:11:19Z")
My current one is the best dentist I have ever had. I have encountered some that I wasn’t pleased with, and over the years I formed the opinion that I only will go to a _old_ dentist. Completely ignoring the possibility of shenanigans with unnecessary procedures, I have a theory that younger dentists have new cool things to try out, at my expense. Older dentists know what’s important and what isn’t. That’s what I am looking for. The down side is that they retire. (Besides, my dentist is the only guy I know who really appreciates the little [steam engines](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-dK75r9X/0/cfb965ca/X3/i-dK75r9X-X3.jpg) I make in my basement machine shop. He really wanted to see one of them in operation, so last time I went for a crown I took a small engine with me and an airbrush compressor to run it. He took me into one of the spare rooms and we set it up. He filmed a short video of it running on his phone so he could show his wife. As he works, he always explains the nitty gritty technical details of his own tools and such, just like how I might speak to another machinist about my own tools and techniques. That’s cool.) ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/12 "2019-04-18T00:23:11Z")
Yes. I’ve been going to him for a very long time. There has been very little turnover in his staff over the years which tells me he treats his people well. The up-selling is minimal. Prices seem to be soaring but I’m willing to stick with him because he strikes me as a straight shooting, no BS kind of guy. One thing that drives me nuts though, he is a hummer/whistler. I have a freakishly low tolerance for that. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/13 "2019-04-18T03:16:46Z")
Not had good experiences with dentists in the last 10 years or so. Wife had a mandatory dental exam while in the National Guard, the military dentist was referring everyone to his private practice for shoddy, painful work that was not needed (he was shortly thereafter investigated, tried and convicted for fraud, no idea about his license to practice.) A few years ago, I tried a dentist close to where I lived for a crown. He also wanted to replace ALL of my fillings including one from just a few months earlier at my old dentist who had retired. The new dentist’s hygienist was very pushy with the more expensive and extensive procedures also. Haven’t been back there ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/14 "2019-04-18T03:50:01Z")
I recently started going to a new dental practice after a few years’ lapse. So far so good but the sample size is too limited and I haven’t really built a relationship yet. My previous dentist, I trusted right up until he diagnosed me with dry socket following wisdom teeth extraction, despite the fact that the timeline and symptoms were completely wrong, and told me to follow up in a few days. I ended up calling the oral surgeon before the follow-up, which I should have done in the first place, and when I described my symptoms his response was “How fast can you get to my office?” He looked in my mouth for about 10 seconds, noticed that I had a roaring infection and pus leaking out of one of the extraction sites, and put me on antibiotics. The first round wasn’t quite strong enough so I had to take a second round of something nastier. After that, I stopped trusting that dentist–he really, really should have picked up on that. Heck, I’d probably have gotten a correct diagnosis just going to an urgent care or the Minute Clinic. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/15 "2019-04-18T04:33:24Z")
I do trust my dentist for the most part, although a new one took over when my old one retired and he seems a lot more focused on recommending all kinds of procedures than the other one was (he tried to suggest Invisalign for both me and my spouse, for example). With the old dentist, I pretty much went along with whatever he said was necessary. With the new one, I question him a little deeper to differentiate between “this will hurt you if you don’t do it” vs. “this is optional but might make your smile look nicer.” ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/16 "2019-04-18T04:42:57Z")
Yes; but often my cardiologist has been staring over his shoulder and watching everything with a fairly critical eye. And my cardiologist is a long-time personal friend. My judgement I am meh about but his is another story altogether. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/17 "2019-04-18T06:52:48Z")
Don’t have a dentist or doctor, but I think my kid’s is a Shit-Hook. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/18 "2019-04-18T07:20:12Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Don’t have a dentist or doctor, but I think my kid’s is a Shit-Hook. How is it you get by without either? Are you super-human? I like the term, ‘shit-hook’. It’s the correct term for alot of applications. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/19 "2019-04-18T09:32:28Z")
I live in the UK. My dentist is covered by our Universal Health Care system - the wonderful NHS. I wish the USA would get a decent health system! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695/20 "2019-04-18T12:14:28Z")
I look at my dentist as a fellow medical professional using evidence-based care. She does a good job. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-trust-your-dentist/832695.md?page=2)