Is dentistry a scam?

[Anonymous]

I really don’t trust dentists. I feel like they’re always trying to grab unnecessary money. Oh yeah, let me pay you $300 out of pocket when nothing in my mouth is bothering me just for you to put me in pain. That sounds great

Yes

No

[Soteris]

On one side you are correct, its a very financially exploitative industry but that is because they have intentionally or otherwise managed to separate themselves from general healthcare and thus able to be paid separately and for a much higher premium.

Their job however is very important and pretty much vital in modern society with all the acids and sugars we eat. Further more, dental care is something that does not have immediate visible symptoms. If you have good teeth then it could take years before you develop noticeable problems with plenty of forewarning presented to the dentist which they can act upon and prevent the future problem.

Furthermore, going to the dentist should not actually hurt. If you have healthy teeth and gums then them poking around and scraping your teeth with their tools should be perfectly fine, the fact that it hurts is more or less a sign that you have some problems developing such as inflammation.

That said, we should really try to bundle dentistry into general healthcare and then make it both taxpayer funded and free.

[WindAtMyBack]

To some degree. There is a big difference between dentists. Some are far more aggressive and love drilling, while others are the opposite. There is also a big difference in how good they are at their work. One dentist can put in a filling that lasts 20 years while another only lasts two years.

Dentists do tend to do a lot of work that doesn't need to be done. On the other hand they hate pulling teeth. They will charge you lots of money trying to save a tooth that is not savable.

You need dentists for some things, but I'm very skeptical of them. I've been screwed over super bad before. I'm still paying the price for what a dentists did (and didn't do) back when I was a teen.

[Brokenheartedx]

No, dentists spend more time learning at uni than doctors, that costs money, plus the endless training, then they have to pay for the hi-tech equipment, the rent fees, the staff, that's a lot of money. Then they spend all day everyday poking around people's mouths. Do you know the percentage of people who don't brush or floss their teeth before a visit to the dentist, Very high all the undigested food festering away in people's mouth. But not only are they trained in oral hygiene they are also trained in spotting signs of mouth cancer.
Are they a scam, no. That 300 pound you pay for your bi yearly checkup could save your life.

[Flower7]

No because you have a choice whether to get the treatments or not. And almost every time, you would know you truly have an issue because there would be pain.

[jshm2]

You can have shit dentists and good dentists. Just like you can have good mechanics and bad mechanics.

A good mechanic does the job and doesn't "create work" in your car for cashing in later. A good dentist is the same.

A good tip for you in any service industry is to see the car the person drives. If they are driving something outrageous, then you know the geezer is a money grabber supporting his lifestyle by gouging others. If it's something decent and sensible, then you know (s) he cares about more than just themselves.

[Levin]

Yeah, that's why I like my dentist. Had him for like best part of 20 years. Only work I've had done is one filling. He always tells me my teeth are perfect.

However, we have 'commie' dentistry. So a filling is like 50£ anyway. Well, might've been a bit more cause I got a white one.

[LiamJHayden]

Can be if you get the wrong dentist. My normal dentist was out of town, so I went to another because I had some pain. The new dentist did an x-ray and decided that a tooth needed a root canal and crown. It seemed sus, so I endured till my regular dentist came off vacation. He took a look around and removed a seed that had lodged below my gum line. Pain was gone, and it cost me $85 instead of the destruction of a perfectly healthy tooth and over $1500.

[NamerOfStars]

No, but some procedures, and the practices surrounding them, are.

And health insurance that DOESN'T cover dental care definitely is. What, exactly, makes THESE bones not count?

[AngryCarl]

I don't think so, because most dentists have more work than they can handle. That wouldn't be the case if they were just there to scam idiots. If you're getting a lot of work done it's probably because you have bad teeth/poor dental hygiene.

[BJP21]

The cleaning itself NO.

[KerriH]

It's all about money