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When it comes to your dental health, making the right choice is crucial. Unlicensed dentists pose significant risks, but unethical dentists can be...
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Let’s face it, no matter how awesome your dentist may be, there are many other things that you would rather do with your time and money.
Ideally, the best medical doctor is the one who helps you be so healthy that you do not need their services. The best dieticians, the best personal trainer etc. are the ones who you no longer need.
Similarly, the best dentists nurture your oral health to a point that you do NOT need any dental services! How?:
BEST DENTISTS believe that the best dentistry is no dentistry!
To achieve “no dentistry” best dentists understand and apply 3 core principles:
- The Best Dentistry is no Dentistry
- QUALITY DENTISTRY lasts longer
- PREVENTION is BETTER than any Dental Work
1. THE BEST DENTISTRY IS NO DENTISTRY!
The greatest threat to dental health are dentists!
The greatest threat to your medical health is a…. medical doctor! Medical doctors are aware that the drugs, tests and procedures that they prescribe have harmful side effects. Hence, upon graduating from medical school, medical doctors take the oath of “ First do no harm”, promising to always weigh the benefits versus the risks in recommending tests or treatments.
Sadly, dentists do not take this oath. Hence, most dentists overestimate their ability to heal and underestimate their ability to cause harm which results in over treatment:
- unnecessary dental x-rays, such as “full mouth x-rays”
- harmful tests, such as “ advanced technologies to screen for oral cancer”
- unnecessary dental treatments, such as root canals before crowns
- treatment for conditions that will go away on their own, such as cavities that are small and can reverse with improved oral hygiene
- treating with more aggressive treatment, where a less expensive treatment will do just as well, such as doing a crown or an inlay/ onlay where a filling will do as well
THE BEST DENTISTS:
- are aware of the benefits and risks of EVERYTHING that they do
- are aware of the benefits and risks of NOT doing!
- always act in the best interests of the patient because they are always guided by compassion: a deep desire to help others
The desire to help, and not harm others, guides the best dentist to act with integrity: doing the right thing always.
Compassion —> Integrity —> Best Dentist
The best dentists always keep in mind that there are downsides to dental procedures. A dental procedure should only be performed if the advantages of doing a procedure CLEARLY outweigh the disadvantages of the procedure.
Similarly, the best doctors always keep in mind that medications have side effects and prescribe only if the benefits CLEARLY outweigh the side effects.
“THE BEST DOCTORS GIVE THE LEAST MEDICINES AND THE BEST DENTISTS DO THE LEAST DENTISTRY”
Dental work leads to more dental work in the future as nothing holds up as well as your own natural tooth structure. The most common type of dental procedures, such as fillings and crowns, involve replacement of natural tooth structure with artificial material. Your own natural tooth structure can last 100 years, it is a great result if you get 25 years out of your dental work.
Similarly, in medicine, taking a medication leads to taking more medications. A natural hip can last 100 years, but it is a great result if a person gets 25 years out of an artificial hip.
There are 2 evil forces at work right now that further undermine the principle that dentists should be guided by “FIRST DO NO HARM”: Too many dentists and “Corporate America” owning Dental Clinics.
Both of these forces increase the amount of unnecessary dental work as dental clinics become dental businesses focusing on selling as much dental work as possible without the regard for its effects on oral and overall health and well-being. Nowadays, most people are getting too much dental work, hence our slogan to promote better oral health:
LESS DENTAL WORK IS HEALTHIER FOR YOU!
2. QUALITY DENTISTRY lasts longer
What is quality dental work?
Quality dentistry is dental work done in a manner that is taught in dental school. Every step of every procedure is checked and perfected before proceeding to the next step.
The best dentists always focus on on their knowledge and skill, qualities that for the most part are invisible to the patient. Knowledge and skill differ greatly between different dentists, for example the passing grade in dental school is 60%, would you want a dentist that barely passed dental school work on you?
Why should I care if I am getting quality dental work?
Bad dental work leads to more dental work because it fails earlier and/or causes new problems, getting you stuck in a never ending cycle of going to the dentist.
For example, leaving “edges” (overhangs) on fillings causes food to get caught around the filling which causes cavities and gum disease. This in turn leads to earlier need for replacement of the filling and possibly gum surgery!
Excellent dental work leads to no further dental work needed! It is what a patient wants and what best dentists want and provide for their patients.
How do I know if I am getting quality dental work?
YOU DON’T KNOW!
Dental students in dental school are graded by other dentists, NOT by patients! Why? Because patients can not tell the difference between bad, average, good and excellent dental work!
You do not know what you do not know! To get quality dentistry you have 3 choices:
- learn more about dentists, more specifically: qualities of the best dentists
- check dentists’ credentials on their websites
- learn more about dental work so that you know what excellent quality dental work is
Become an educated dental consumer and you will get better dental care.
Invest time to find a dentist, it will save you time and money.
3. PREVENTION is BETTER than any Dental Work
You brush your teeth every day so you are good at it? There is always room for improvement!
9 out of 10 patients that we meet for the first time in our office have significant room for improvement in the way they care for their oral health.
A recent study, published February 1, 2019, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concludes that healthcare professionals can help patients maximize the benefit of toothbrushing. [Thornton-Evans G and others. Use of toothpaste and toothbrushing patterns among children and adolescents—United States, 2013-2016. MMWR 68:87-90, 2019]
And yet, most dentists and dental offices spend very little time in helping patients improve their brushing and flossing.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”- Benjamin Franklin.
In medicine and dentistry, we strive to reproduce “nature’s design” but fall well short of it. Any medical or dental intervention, especially one which permanently alters the natural design, has long term consequences. Hence the best option is PREVENTION.
The best dentists and the best dental offices want the same thing as you do: not go to the dentist.
How much time has your dentist and dental office spent with you in improving your brushing and flossing?
CONCLUSION:
The answer to the question of “Who is the best dentist for me?” depends on what you are looking for in a dentist. Most people do NOT know what they should look for in a dentist.
Best dentist is the one who wants the same thing as you do: not need the dentist. To achieve this find a dentist who:
- does dental work ONLY when absolutely needed
- the dental work that is needed is done exceptionally well
- helps you prevent needing dental work in the first place
BEST DENTIST is the one you will NOT need!!!
In the best interest of your health and well-being,
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