# Inappropriate Comments from Dentist **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 15, 2022, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975 "2022-11-15T19:13:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/21 "2022-11-15T22:30:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > And yes, I walk out of small businesses fairly regularly when their politics or religion is both a) on display and b) offensive to my idea of civilization. Would that more of us do the same. I do too. On my better days I matter of factly tell them why they are losing my business. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/22 "2022-11-15T22:34:14Z")
Just under six minutes, on-topic, and – IMHO – worth it: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Tp66TBeQrbQ/maxresdefault.jpg "If Dentists Were Honest | Honest Ads") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp66TBeQrbQ) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/23 "2022-11-15T22:51:48Z")
I’m wondering just how accurate all of that is. I’m guessing we don’t have a dentist on board, or at least one that might own up to all that. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/24 "2022-11-15T22:59:20Z")
We did have a real dentist here. To all indications he was one of the good kind not the scammy kind. He’s not posted in several months and his last bout of frequent posting was over a year ago now. So he’s probably gone for good. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/25 "2022-11-15T23:44:16Z")
Is there a university dentistry school you can go to? They’re typically cheaper and not out to gouge you. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/26 "2022-11-15T23:54:34Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Small businessmen, which is exactly what many doctors & dentists are, can certainly persuade themselves to fall down the RW propaganda rabbit hole. This reminds me of the time I planned to visit a local doctor, I think he was a neurologist, and I was going through the intake paperwork. The paperwork included a huge screed about how my charges are going to be so much greater than they otherwise would be and unfortunately he has to charge me extra and request payment in advance because Obama ruined healthcare. I cancelled the appointment. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2022, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/27 "2022-11-15T23:59:36Z")
I’ve been very lucky with the dentists I’ve had over the years. However, the dentist I had before the current one I have retired. He was so gentle and kind. I loved going to him. I sometimes got a casual upsell attempt from one hygenist, but she could take no for answer and didn’t push. After the dentist retired, though, the upselling really ramped up. I was thinking of moving to a dentist who was a little easier to get to anyway, and I found one only two blocks away! So, I changed. That’s been 8 or 9 years, and I’ve been happy with the new guy, and I love his office staff. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/28 "2022-11-16T00:23:04Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > She then went on to say, what if my bosses at work saw how old I looked and decided maybe I couldn’t handle my job anymore? As the daughter of two of them, I would have said “What? I have too much experience? Doctor, I’m a college professor!” ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/29 "2022-11-16T01:00:19Z")
Buyer beware when it comes to dentistry. It seems there are a lot of quacks. > **[The Truth About Dentistry](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/05/the-trouble-with-dentistry/586039/)** > > It’s much less scientific—and more prone to gratuitous procedures—than you may think. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/30 "2022-11-16T04:33:53Z")
I quit going to a previous dentist when he verbally abused one of his employees just outside the cube I was in ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/31 "2022-11-16T04:40:29Z")
I once encountered a veterinarian who had militia magazines in his waiting room. I was new to town, picked him out of the phone book, and my cat needed that prescription food, so that’s why I was there, but I didn’t go back either. My cats never saw him. I strongly recommend that the OP report this dentist to the state board. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/32 "2022-11-16T04:44:52Z")
I should add that as a child, I was forced to go to a pediatric dentist who did his procedures without any painkillers (I’m convinced that the injections were nothing more than water) and because my parents didn’t believe in orthodontists, had him do mine, which had to be done over TWICE because he bungled it so badly. (You see, the only reason people used orthodontists, according to them, was to show off how much money they have to throw around, and at one point, I was even told that I would not be allowed to play with any child who had braces, or a sibling with them - an edict which didn’t last very long.) He was able to stay in practice as long as he did because of parents like mine, who didn’t take their kids’ complaints seriously. p.s. I had the misfortune of sharing my organic chemistry lab with a bunch of pre-dental students. Remember those kids in high school that nobody liked, but people hung around with them because it was cool to be seen with them? Yep, dental students. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/33 "2022-11-16T16:14:42Z")
Perhaps “Good thing you get a discount on your dental work.” ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/34 "2022-11-16T16:14:56Z")
Well,…I just cancelled the oral surgeon appointment. My tooth feels okay, and while I admit it’s not in the best of shape, it has been faithfully chewing my food for years. I’m hoping that it will continue to do so for now. I really don’t want a huge gap in my jaw if it isn’t absolutely necessary. Maybe I’m wrong to cancel. Maybe the pain will come back worse than ever, and I’ll be sorry. But for now, it’s unclear if it’s really time to go. I look at it the same as having to decide to put down a beloved pet. I believe I will know when the time comes to yank this tooth, and then I will have it done. Not before I’m sure it’s time. And I am unsure. I just hope that time is with a dentist who doesn’t comment on my looks or my depression. Oh, didn’t I tell you? That dentist I went to seemed to think I didn’t need to be on anti-depressants, because I could function without them. Like I said, I won’t be going back to her. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/35 "2022-11-16T16:27:19Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Small businessmen, which is exactly what many doctors & dentists are, can certainly persuade themselves to fall down the RW propaganda rabbit hole. “Job Creators Good; Taxes and Regulations Bad” It’s been noted that dentists make up a disproportionate amount of the “Taxes aren’t legal/constitutional” conspiracy crowd. There’s lots of speculation as to why this is. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/36 "2022-11-16T16:34:04Z")
I always appreciated the honesty of my last dentist. He told me right off that “your teeth are like rocks; you’ll have them until you die.” When he spotted a small crack in a molar he told me that it could go either way and that I’d be best off just waiting to see if it turned into a larger problem. We go to a new one here locally next month. I hope he’s as honest. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/37 "2022-11-16T16:40:34Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > It’s been noted that dentists make up a disproportionate amount of the “Taxes aren’t legal/constitutional” conspiracy crowd. There’s lots of speculation as to why this is. Fascinating. Not something I’d ever heard of. Not disputing you. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/38 "2022-11-16T18:01:38Z")
Commenting on your antidepressant is out of the dentist’s scope of practice. Would your therapist offer opinions on what dental work you need? ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/39 "2022-11-17T22:28:59Z")
Two\_Many\_Cats. I experienced something similar, though not quite that bad. DDS, ethnic Chinese, she was very brief with me, wouldn’t explain how she wanted me to care for my teeth. Office didn’t call to cancel my appt when they closed for Covid (it was the they closed, I arrived to a locked door with no note on it). Then, when I called the office and the emergency number for a cracked crown a few months later, nobody returned my call. After she reopened, I received a bunch of texts saying my appointment was overdue and I should call to reschedule. But by then, I had found a different DDS. Also ethnic Chinese, but truly a wonderful, caring DDS. Like chalk to cheese. Also, unlike the first, not part of a franchise operation. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2022, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975/40 "2022-11-18T01:17:15Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > That dentist I went to seemed to think I didn’t need to be on anti-depressants, because I could function without them. Well, that’s something you don’t see every day… a board-certified psychiatrist moonlighting as a dentist. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inappropriate-comments-from-dentist/974975.md?page=3)