Dentists - Complete Scam Artists?

Get your teeth cleaned. I don't know you, but I know you're not as healthy as you think you are. The connection between gum disease and heart disease is real. BTW, brush more and start flossing -- your breath stinks.

Tons of money for dental insurance and cleanings?

You need to go through a route canal and crown to complain about money for the dentist.

I am in the camp that dental care is overrated for some, and that a lot of it, like many things, is genetic.

Personally, I have never had a cavity. Never, not one. I am slightly (but only slightly) embarrassed to say I brush my teeth in the morning and when I feel like I need it (maybe one extra time per week), but no more. I don't brush my teeth before I go to bed, almost never floss, love sugar and only go to the dentist once per year (my dental insurance sucks and I can't justify spending a ton of $$ on dental care when I've never had a problem). In fact, in college I went four years without going to the dentist. No issues- and I'm not dirty, I swear (generally shower at least twice a day and am a clean person, but lack of dental hygiene is my vice). I have two siblings as well and neither has ever had a cavity. Good genes.

My husband, on the other hand, brushes twice a day, flosses, goes to the dentist religiously, and still has problems with cavities. Bad genes.

Not sure about the heart disease link. But I do think that for some people, no matter what they do they will always have dental issues and others will be able to do whatever they want with no problems whatsoever.

The people who go to dentists the most, have the worse teeth when they're 60, and usually don't have any left by that time.

Yes, dentists are scams, they will destroy your teeth to make more money for themselves, the same that doctors do with everything else.

Dentists are dangerous sadists, and often sexual deviants. I was put under when my wisdom teeth were removed, when awakened, my pants were unzipped and my shirt missing several buttons. I never found out what happened in that office, maybe I don't want to know.

Aside from getting my wisdom teeth removed I have been to the dentist 3 in the last 22 years. Most recently for a chipped tooth. The first dentist I went to for the chip told me I had 16 cavities. Got another opinion and the old timer said I had one in the chipped tooth and maybe one other, but that we would watch it. It has been 3 years and it is still fine. Dental hygiene is necessary but the frequency of visits they recommend is ridiculous.

Tinfoil Hat wrote:

Dentists are dangerous sadists, and often sexual deviants. I was put under when my wisdom teeth were removed, when awakened, my pants were unzipped and my shirt missing several buttons. I never found out what happened in that office, maybe I don't want to know.

Torn buttons? Man they were not only freaks, but impatient!

But seriously people, dentists don't do anything?

Why are peoples' teeth so jacked up in parts of the US and they don't see dentists?

Other countries that don't use dentists have jack up teeth.

Then the areas where people see dentists are a lot less jacked up on average.

I am not too bright, but Jesus, have you seen British people?

Many ARE scam artist. don't fall for all their suggested sale crap. Dentist should be used like ER doctors. You need them when you need a tooth pulled, root canal, drilled n filled. Aside from that, the annual cleaning is a load of crap.

Their latest scam is the DEEP cleaning thing.

My dentist for the past forty or so years was my cousin. He never charged me for anything. In those years I think he did two fillings. In all the other visits he just cleaned my teeth. My niece went to him for almost twenty years and never had anything done other than cleanings.

He just retired and my niece found another dentist. It's the first time in decades that any of us were faced with paying for dental work and she was told she had three cavities that needed fillings. When she told us that my sister and I just laughed and one of us said, "Really? And you believed him?"

No one knows what dentists do when they get in there and start poking around. I was always sure I wasn't getting anything unnecessary done because my cousin wasn't charging anything so there was no reason for anything unnecessary.

The heart disease link is a weak one and is more likely just correlation, not causation. The few studies that have looked at it have not controlled for other factors - most notably cigarette smoking.

aquafina wrote:

Aside from that, the annual cleaning is a load of crap.

.

WTF. Were do you live.

I had started up with a dentist maybe 6 years ago, got all the cleaning schedule going on, etc. Then he wanted to re-X-ray my mouth every year. I looked an the ADA website, and they clearly said X-rays should be no more than "as needed in a subjective level" .... In other words, not simply because 12 months had passed.

So I told my dentist I didn't want them X-rayed unless he felt particular cause for it. He said he wouldn't continue to have me as a patient if I wouldn't get regular X-rays, and I haven't been back since. My dentist actually fired me. :)

I'm at the dentist right now. Bleh.

Went once in 10 years. It was for an emergency where I got an infection that blew up half my face and neck. I guess if it transferred to my brain it would have been bad.

Didn't really learn my lesson... But at least I am getting a cleaning now.

Dentist are like chefs, they are all do not graduate as equals, great chefs great restaurant, poor chefs average restaurant. Dentists all go to school some are good at what the do, some just don't have the skill set. The add on procedures are like anything in growing your sales numbers, more visits more money, insurance covers all these things they want to do. Very little is done with ethical standards guidelines. Do your homework , ask around and yes go in once a year, just like you should your doctor.

Just heard a guy say a root canal was gonna be $1660 in the room next to me.

I ain't falling for that!

Strength of tooth enamel, surface "cragginess" of teeth, etc. can spell the difference between lots of cavities and few or no cavities. The gum disease/heart disease link is not fully established. What IS fully established is the pain and social stigma of diseased gums and rotten teeth. Just because your teeth feel fine and look white doesn't mean that there isn't trouble brewing in gum pockets that are forming as the tissue pulls away from the teeth.

A sonic brush and dental floss plus a few minutes of your time morning and night are cheap and painless compared to what may come down the road. It's a good investment in your health.

I am a dentist and I am here to tell you it is all a scam.

Teeth are over rated and totally unnecessary. You can live your whole life without teeth and be just fine.

Just get them all out at 18 and just get it over with. Think of all the money you can save on toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, etc.

The only time when I brush my teeth is when I think I'm going to kiss my wife (which isn't often these days. She thinks I'm a lowlife because of my dishonest profession).

Take it from me, you don't need us.

Isn't Kip Litton a dentist?

fakes and cheaters wrote:

Isn't Kip Litton a dentist?

yes but he skipped 3 years of college.