You have found this site so you can make an educated choice in your oral health care.
You have been told that something is wrong with your mouth, and that fixing it will cost a lot of money – most of which you don’t have.
So, what should you do?
You can sit down with the dentist who has proposed this expensive plan and discuss the details at length – or perhaps not. Can you sit down with someone the dentist has hired to explain the plan to you? Maybe – but you must realize that his/her job is NOT necessarily to educate you, it is to SELL you on the plan. The dentist may even pay him/her a commission on her sales!
HOW do you get independent information regarding your condition, needs, and options?
Can you get a second opinion? Yes – of course – but from another dentist who has a practice, and they would certainly like to have you come into their practice for the work to be done. So, can you believe them?
To LEARN about how a treatment plan should be designed click HERE! To LEARN how alternative treatment plans might be possible, click HERE!
YOU may provide your OWN second opinion!
Dentistry is a lot more intimate than buying a car, and they can be equally expensive, and you may know more about the car!
When I got my first job as an associate dentist after completing dental school, I immediately learned that there are dentists out there that are unethical and making decisions more for their benefit than for yours. I WORKED for one for nine months! THEY make the decision and persuade you – rather than educating you and making the decision together! This is not how it should be.
I am currently teaching about 200 international dentists per year, and many of them are working in this country as dental assistants before they get their license to practice in the U.S. I always ask them about the practice they are working in, and what they think of the quality of the dentistry, and how they feel about how the patients are being treated. The answer I most often get is that the dentists are suggesting treatments that are more for their own benefit than for that of the patient.
This is NOT always the case – to be sure – but it is far too common, IMHO. I ask my students what THEY would do to find a good dentist for themselves in this country and they don’t usually have a good answer. Now that this site is posted I refer them to the Chapter on the Selection of a Dentist, VII.6. I refer you to the same section because we ALL need to find skilled, caring and ethical dentists. They ARE out there!
To LEARN about the Ethics of Dentistry click HERE!
I’ve waited patiently for a long time to provide a truly useful educational experience to dental patients who find themselves in the provider trust quandary.
You have found the right place at the right time.
If you have QUESTIONS – check the FAQ section on the header!
If you want to read about some other people’s situations, click HERE!
If you want a good general education, follow the chapters listed in the Table of Contents in order.