Question:
Last week, I went to a new dentist on a new barebones limited
insurance I have (only covers dental exam, not even basis
prophylaxis), and I came out with a recommendation that I needed $3000
of dental work to fix my supposedly god awful horrible teeth. I've
had this story unloaded on me before, and it is really truly
nerve-wrecking since you never know if they are telling the truth or
not.
The problem is that the dentist's bread and butter is made by
telling you you have crappy teeth - and if they think you have money
(I am not wealthy, but I drive a nice car and wear nice clothes) I am
sure they use this to decide what is "wrong" with me.
Here are the problems given - I'd like a honest and frank opinion
from any qualified prof's on the board who have a better conscience
and no need to worry about making a buck off of me:
1) Impacted wisdom teeth pull - I have 2 impacted wisdom teeth and I
have had 3 past dentists claim that this can cause tartar buildup
inside and next to the adjoining tooth and have had suggestions to
have them pulled along with the top two. What is the truth? Is this
is a medical danger?
2) Deep cleaning - I have been told in the last two visits that I am
not flossing enough and that my tooth pockets have gotten too big and
need deep cleaning. I don't feel any particular pain, although I will
admit, I do have a mild tinginess in my gums because I went a few
weeks without flossing (my mistake) and my gums have become really
soft, so when I floss now, my gums bleed. However, I'm back on a
daily floss plan - do I really need a deep clean? Is there some way I
can tell myself how bad my teeth are? What is the truth? Is this a
medical danger?
Answer:
OK, there is a standing doctrine that there is no such thing as a post
that is off-topic in talk.origins; however the above places a serious
challenge to this belief. I hereby propose the following solution to this
apparent "refutation", and invite others to forward alternative hypotheses:
1) Many creationists practice credential inflation by claiming degrees
in fields irrelevant to biological evolution.
2) Dentistry is a field unrelated to biological evolution (allowances
made for comparative primatology).
3) The person posting above has a problem with a dentist whom he
believes to be twisting the facts to suit their own agenda.
4) Creationists make a habit of twisting facts to suit their own
agenda.
therefore
investigative reports have shown that many dentists do attempt to pad
their income with expensive scare tactics. then again in this
sue-happy society, it could be a cya thing.
investigative reports have shown that many dentists do attempt to pad
their income with expensive scare tactics. then again in this
sue-happy society, it could be a cya thing.
i don't know if you can tell about your gums yourself because of the
shadows in your mouth, but i certainly can tell if someone has gum
disease when they smile. gums look really bright red and inflamed.
but might be harder to see inside and in back. i think a deep
cleaning involves separating the gums from the teeth(?).
i'd get back to flossing--the bleeding should stop after a while.
also, think about investing in a sonicare. i love mine. my gums are
better and there's much less tartar buildup.
Heh. Speaking of "scare tactics" that reminds me of a pamphlet I saw in
a waiting room that offered "advice" for patients who had questions
about a certain costly procedure. It basically said that unless you
have the procedure done, then all your teeth will fall out. It made
absolutely no attempt whatsoever to explain alternative treatments or
the progression of problems that might befall the patient who declines
treatment.
You're thinking of gum surgery. By "deep cleaning" they probably mean
scaling and root planing, which is where they numb you up and scrape way
up under the gum line.
