Well, first things first. The best way to select a dentist , as with many other things , is by recommendations from a friend, relative or someone who u know and trust, Not by 1-800 -dentist ( a paid service by dentists, about $2000 a month) or from and insurance list ( dentist willing to sign on to a plan and receive crappy prices in exchange for volume of patients. Sure, you can coordinate the two. When I have had patients whose insurance changed, and they were no longer willing to come to our practice, I told them to bring in the insurance list and I would see if there was anyone that i would, or more importantly wouldnt recommend for them to see.
As far as dentists continuously hurting people ( their patients) , remember , a tooth is alive , and so is he patient. Therefore, it is a surgery that is being performed which, in other medical fields, you are often under sedation while the procedure is being performed. Now, including my office, sedation is offered, and sure, for an extra fee, you can be ' knocked out' while we perform all procedures, including the ' poking with a sharp instrument' ' scraping and scaling' along with everything else.
As far as the procedures being performed without telling in advance, sure , that doesnt make sense in most cases. Sure, we are selling our services, and you should be aware of what is being done ahead of time, and what the insurance is ' expected ' to pay, although, without sending things in for pre-approval, it is impossible to guarantee that the service will be covered, and also, the maximum of your benefits must be considered as well. On the other hand, there are some procedures that may not be predictable, in the case of the ' pulp cap' When a deep filling is performed , we know it is deep, but have no idea exactly how close it is to the nerve until the procedure is underway. Once the nerve is exposed, doesnt leave too many options Pulp cap or extraction. SO even if the initial intent was to do do a filling, if the cavity was too deep, gotta do what you gotta do. I know I will tell my patients that the filling is deep ahead of time, and there is risk of nerve exposure and what the options are if that happens. Often the patient will say ' just put a filling in it' and that they dont want the root canal. But, this isnt a realistic option. All the decay must be removed. If not, there will be nerve involvement anyway. So better do it at a predictable time, then wait for the unexpected thanks giving, christmas , new years ... toothache, when no one is open, and your stuck waiting in the emergency room for 4 hours just to get some antibiotics, pain meds and possible a shot of anesthetic.
Finally, although not all cases, many reasons people come to the dentist only when they have a toothache, so a simple problem that may have existed a few years ago, now is a root canal or extraction. Sure, much of this happens due to bad experiences. And I know there are phobia's. But the truth is, coming the 2 times a year for the check up, x-rays and cleaning will save a lot of money, and a lot of fearful, painful visits. A filling is about $150 +/- , if neglected, 1 or 2 years later, it is a Root canal, post and crown which is about $1500.
People have no problems bringing their cars in for the oil changes, replacing brakes and tires to service everyday wear and tear. Remember that we eat several times a day, every day. Years ago, average age of humans was 30 -40. now its about 70 - 80 , so we are asking a lot from our teeth. Need to maintain them, just as we do our cars. Sure it is uncomfortable, sometimes painful, and fearful. Sure, there are a bunch of quacks out there. My suggestion is, as mentioned earlier, find out from someone who u trust, who they use. Go for a consult first. Ask for a tour of the office or to meet the staff. Check for cleanliness. Bring a list of questions. Hopefully this will bring better experiences .
Hey, I did this all on my day off!!!!! How about we talk some food
I like that topic better .