The Atlantic Magazine Tells the Truth About Dentistry

[TX OMFS]

Yes, it's from May 2019 but I agree with everything they said.

Bottom line: dentistry doesn't have the same amount of science to guide treatment like medicine does. So, you have to rely on the integrity of the dentist to guide you.

Not that medicine is perfect. Sometimes the "science" is muddled or your specific condition doesn't exactly align with studies.

The Truth About Dentistry

It’s much less scientific—and more prone to gratuitous procedures—than you may think.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[candcallen]

Good read.

If it ain't broke I dont fix it. I hate going to the dentist. Would rather have back surgery than a root canal. If it's that bad I just have them pulled.

 

[FireInTheWire]

I'll check it out

 

[toddnjoyce]

That hasn’t done much to increase my faith in dentists. The dental hobby shops found on most military installations filled with demands to extract wisdom teeth “because they can” led me to conclude that a large majority of dentists are closet sadists.

Since that’s about the nicest I can say, I’ll just stop there.

 

[candcallen]

I dont feel sorry for convicted felons much but taking them to the dentist and watching guys, many who barely could maintain their license due to issues with many things, "preform" some of those procedures on those folks definitely made me feel sorry.

Skilled they wernt. And tossing them darvocet, pretty much useless, knowing the pain they would endure later seemed criminal.

Certain kinds of pain I can deal with. Tooth aches ain't one if them.

 

[candcallen]

When I had my bottom wisdom teeth removed, they were hurting so it was necessary, they handed me 2 things after I woke up on the way out the door. Were talking the late 80s here.

1 a coupon for a free milkshake
2 a syringe to squirt the hole clean and told to clean food out of them. Nothing about proper after care.

Malpractice at its finest.

First, sucking on a milkshake is a great way to dislodge the clot.

Second, squirting a jet of water in the hole is a great way to dislodge the clot.

Guess what happened. 2 dry sockets on a phucking Saturday night. I dont know how I survived the weekend in that much pain. My god it was miserable and I still worked my shifts.

After he put the meds in there and pain was gone we had a discussion regarding their practice of giving out those items and instructions to someone still pretty zonked from anesthesia. At least I waited till after he was done to insult everything about him his family lineage and educational background.

It, the pain and complications, was all completely unnecessary avoidable and shouldnt have happened.

I dont mind honest mistakes or errors but come on.

 

[pronstar]

I was watching a vid of a doctor who’s got a prepper YouTube channel. He’s written a book about SHTF medicine and first aid.

For dentistry, he says 90% of issues can be solved with extraction


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[Mowingmaniac 24/7]

I've been to a variety of Dentists over the years.

With the exception of one, all have been very good.

 

[justmax]

A long, but very good read. The passages regarding the development of a dental college were interesting. If it wasn't "The Atlantic" the article might have mentioned Dr. John Henry Holliday from Griffin, GA

 

[TX OMFS]

I was watching a vid of a doctor who’s got a prepper YouTube channel. He’s written a book about SHTF medicine and first aid.

For dentistry, he says 90% of issues can be solved with extraction


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

100% - no teeth, no problem.

 

[baboon]

I pretty much don't see a dentist! One bad one was all it took!

 

[TX OMFS]

When I had my bottom wisdom teeth removed, they were hurting so it was necessary, they handed me 2 things after I woke up on the way out the door. Were talking the late 80s here.

1 a coupon for a free milkshake
2 a syringe to squirt the hole clean and told to clean food out of them. Nothing about proper after care.

Malpractice at its finest.

First, sucking on a milkshake is a great way to dislodge the clot.

Second, squirting a jet of water in the hole is a great way to dislodge the clot.

Guess what happened. 2 dry sockets on a phucking Saturday night. I dont know how I survived the weekend in that much pain. My god it was miserable and I still worked my shifts.

After he put the meds in there and pain was gone we had a discussion regarding their practice of giving out those items and instructions to someone still pretty zonked from anesthesia. At least I waited till after he was done to insult everything about him his family lineage and educational background.

It, the pain and complications, was all completely unnecessary avoidable and shouldnt have happened.

I dont mind honest mistakes or errors but come on.

None of that is malpractice.

I give out syringes daily. They help keep the sockets clean and decrease infections. I'll probably give my kids a milkshake when they get theirs out.

The cause of a dry socket is unknown. Exactly what a dry socket is, is unknown. The leading theory is exposed bone due to loss of the blood clot. However, I can show you many patients who have exposed bone in their mouth due to trauma, cancer, a side effect of meds, or other things and have no pain. So, we know that just having exposed bone does not necessarily cause pain.

I tell patients a dry socket is pain that is not controlled by normal medications. Yes, placing stuff in the holes can help that kind of pain. Risk factors for that kind of pain are: 1) inexperienced surgeon, 2) being female, and 3) smoking.

I've talked to other types of surgeons in the doctor's lounge at the OR about this. They all report patients having severe pain after surgery, more than expected, but no one else has a name for it. They just treat it. Dentistry made up a name for it and started freaking everyone out about it. The pain of a "dry socket" is real, can be severe, and needs to be treated but we don't know exactly what causes it and it's not unique to dental surgery. It's also not completely avoidable.

 

[candcallen]

None of that is malpractice.

I give out syringes daily. They help keep the sockets clean and decrease infections. I'll probably give my kids a milkshake when they get theirs out.

The cause of a dry socket is unknown. Exactly what a dry socket is, is unknown. The leading theory is exposed bone due to loss of the blood clot. However, I can show you many patients who have exposed bone in their mouth due to trauma, cancer, a side effect of meds, or other things and have no pain. So, we know that just having exposed bone does not necessarily cause pain.

I tell patients a dry socket is pain that is not controlled by normal medications. Yes, placing stuff in the holes can help that kind of pain. Risk factors for that kind of pain are: 1) inexperienced surgeon, 2) being female, and 3) smoking.

I've talked to other types of surgeons in the doctor's lounge at the OR about this. They all report patients having severe pain after surgery, more than expected, but no one else has a name for it. They just treat it. Dentistry made up a name for it and started freaking everyone out about it. The pain of a "dry socket" is real, can be severe, and needs to be treated but we don't know exactly what causes it and it's not unique to dental surgery. It's also not completely avoidable.

Well I disagree with you on that one. All of us lay people know what is likely to cause dry sockets. Sucking on a straw and shooting high pressure water jets into a freshly formed clot will do it. Saying it's a mystery seems odd to me. Removing that clot from the exposed nerve isnt ideal. Especially if your the one suffering needlessly.

I was being dramatic on the malpractice thing but his instructions were stupid under the circumstances. He told someone to do something that are contrary to advice you see all over the place.

Seems like common sense to me.

 

[toddnjoyce]

…I've talked to other types of surgeons in the doctor's lounge at the OR ….

Pre-cut cocktails, leather chairs, cigars? Explains a lot.

 

[TX OMFS]

Pre-cut cocktails, leather chairs, cigars? Explains a lot.

Don't be jealous. Your Hi-Point is just fine.

 

[studenygreg]

Well I disagree with you on that one. All of us lay people know what is likely to cause dry sockets. Sucking on a straw and shooting high pressure water jets into a freshly formed clot will do it. Saying it's a mystery seems odd to me. Removing that clot from the exposed nerve isnt ideal. Especially if your the one suffering needlessly.

I was being dramatic on the malpractice thing but his instructions were stupid under the circumstances. He told someone to do something that are contrary to advice you see all over the place.

Seems like common sense to me.

You could have eaten the milkshake with a spoon. Problem solved.

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[candcallen]

You could have eaten the milkshake with a spoon. Problem solved.

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Ya, stoned outta my mind, that wasnt my first thought.

Obviously.

 

[DoubleDuty]

IMHO The problem with dentistry is no real insurance and the high cost.

 

[studenygreg]

Ya, stoned outta my mind, that wasnt my first thought.

Obviously.

When I got mine out, I convinced my friend to take me to burger King. Chewed a nice hole in my cheek. So I understand.

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[studenygreg]

IMHO The problem with dentistry is no real insurance and the high cost.

The cheapest dentistry is preventative maintenance.

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