Is dentistry mostly a scam?

(04-21-2016 05:59 AM) Jean Valjean [28]

Lately, I've been wondering if dentists do a lot of unnecessary procedures in order to make money. I'm almost tempted, the next time they suggest drilling, to go see another dentist and get a second opinion, and see if they recommend an identical procedure.

There are, after all, a lot of industries that thrive on over-hyping how much work you need done. Jiffy Lube and other oil change places advise you to change your oil every 3,000 miles even though the manufacturer may say it only needs to be changed every 7,500 miles. It's just a revenue-increaser, and half the time they'll end up inflicting damage on your car (sometimes without telling you). Twice now I've had oil change places cause oil leaks or wreck the drain plug through careless practices. Then of course there's the air filter change ripoff, where they charge you a bunch of money to do one of the easiest car maintenance tasks.

The mental health industry is another example of an industry that is always recommending stuff you don't need. Maybe you're going through a tough time in your life, don't see any clear path to happiness at the moment, and are having a few suicidal thoughts. If you share your feelings, a lot of times well-meaning "friends" or family will say to get psychiatric help. The shrink is usually just going to load you up on drugs, though, that could actually push you over the edge into committing suicide.

Or, you could end up taking unnecessary pills for years (long after the immediate crisis in your life has passed), out of a misguided belief you have a "chemical imbalance" requiring lifelong treatment. Because everyone pressured you to see a shrink, you may feel like if you leave his office without a prescription, you're walking away empty-handed; it's as though he told you, "Sorry, there's nothing I can do." (Which may be the truth, but who wants to hear the truth during their hour of need? Most people just want to hear, "Here's an easy solution to your problem.") Psychiatrists get repeat business by prescribing meds, because the patient has to come back periodically for a new prescription. But the evidence they base their conclusions on is the patient's self-reports; it's not like they can do a brain scan to objectively assess that a chemical imbalance is at the root of the depression.

What about dentistry? The same incentives are in place as with psychiatry to charge out the wazoo for services you don't necessarily need. That is, a lot of people who go to the dentist will have an insurer footing the bill, so they won't be as reluctant to approve a lot of expensive drilling and other work. Whenever I've gotten my teeth drilled, I've never had any symptoms (such as a toothache) that there was anything wrong; it was always based on the dentist's interpretation of an X-ray.

I notice that despite the commercials saying "4 out of 5 dentists recommend..." every dentist I talk to seems to have their own pet theories about how best to take care of your teeth and gums. For example, some dentists will jam floss between your teeth, or poke your gums with a pick, so hard that they bleed, and say that even though you're already flossing every day, you need to floss HARDER or start using a toothpick on your gums. One dentist told me to always use a soft toothbrush; I asked him, why do they bother making medium and hard toothbrushes, and he said he didn't know.

I know guys who have gone like 10 years without seeing a dentist. They don't have toothaches or any other symptoms of problems, so they don't bother going. I didn't have insurance the past several years, so I didn't go either. Sometimes I can feel some sensitivity or visually notice what looks like some decay, but it always seems to go away. Maybe the enamel repairs itself; I dunno. Or maybe one day I'm suddenly going to lose all my teeth.

There have been so many expensive products (such as shampoo) that have turned out to be unnecessary for me, that now I'm suspicious of everything. The way these industries get us, though, is that there's a grain of truth to what they say. For example, if you NEVER get your oil changed, you will indeed wreck your engine. And some people really DO have serious mental health problems (such as psychosis) that a shrink can treat with medication. And some dental problems really do need to be addressed by a professional. As customers, we're usually not experts about this stuff, so how would we know?

Is dentistry mostly a scam?
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