Practicing a profession, but never actually performing it. Illegal?

[Cujet]

I think the OP voiced his disdain for the dental profession a year ago in this BITOG post. No need to resurrect a similar rant on this board today.

I dislike my dentist also and the value of his work is less than ideal. That does not mean I don't need him. What is clear to many of us is that relatively simple procedures are sometimes done with less than perfect craftsmanship, and that same quality could be found for much less elsewhere.

When a selection of crowns end up costing more than a new car, and the total work involved "might" involve 8 man hours, AND can be found elsewhere for 1/3rd the cost, there is a problem.

Back on topic, the OP's question is valid. This is why doing research and asking the right questions ahead of time is so critical.

 

[The motor guy]

+1

I'm not in the medical field, but I learned this in trade school, don't let your clients tell you what they need. Have a conversation about why they request a specific repair/service, then advise next steps; communication is key. I did this when I ran an automotive repair facility.

Let me clear things up. He said the tooth I wanted to have pulled did in fact need to be pulled. I had already been to someone before him and I wanted to make sure I was going to someone actually capable of pulling a tooth this time.

 

[Astro14]

Let me clear things up. He said the tooth I wanted to have pulled did in fact need to be pulled. I had already been to someone before him and I wanted to make sure I was going to someone actually capable of pulling a tooth this time.

Your first post was quite clear.

You told the doctor what was wrong. You made the diagnosis.

You didn’t like paying for his diagnosis. That was the whole point of your first post, in fact that was the whole point of your previous tirade thread.

The fact that he agreed with you is irrelevant. We have a dentist on the board, and he says about 5% of the time patients are right. He could be sued for malpractice if proceeded solely on the basis of their diagnosis.

Only a fool would allow a patient to diagnose themselves

You wanted a professional medical diagnosis, and you got one.

You got what you paid for bud - quit complaining about it.

 

[The motor guy]

I dislike my dentist also and the value of his work is less than ideal. That does not mean I don't need him. What is clear to many of us is that relatively simple procedures are sometimes done with less than perfect craftsmanship, and that same quality could be found for much less elsewhere.

When a selection of crowns end up costing more than a new car, and the total work involved "might" involve 8 man hours, AND can be found elsewhere for 1/3rd the cost, there is a problem.

Back on topic, the OP's question is valid. This is why doing research and asking the right questions ahead of time is so critical.

That's what I thought I did this time becaise the first dentist didn't "have time" to pull it when I was there, so three months later I call back again to setup an appointment to have it pulled only to find that was a lie and that they don't pull teeth. So dentist number two I ask over the phone and say hey I need tooth number 13 pulled. Do you guys pull pre molars. The response I got was yes we do, but since you're a new patient we typically will do an exam first and then we typically won't pull a tooth on the first visit for a new patient. That will have to be rescheduled another time. Okay, sounds good to me. I get there and he refers this to a surgeon. My guess is the dentist wasn't aware of this phone conversation. I like to think my communication was pretty clear the second time around

 

[PWMDMD]

I was right. He said the tooth needed to be pulled.

But there’s no way to know before hand if you’re the 5% or 95%. Just because you happened to be right here doesn’t mean the systems in place are wrong or corrupt. Even though it needs to be extracted the dentist has no way of knowing if he/she feels comfortable doing it. The system as is works, efficiently, and it maximizes the best care. After 20 years of watching the system work well, you’re not going to change my mind.

 

[Astro14]

Agreed, Doc.

Let’s end the rant here.

 

[wwillson]

Dentists seem to do the same thing. Like how I told them I wanted a tooth pulled, even told them which one, but then still took my $300 exam fee and referred me to someone else cause I guess they don't pull teeth.

My dentist pulls teeth, does root canals, makes and installs crowns, and does beautiful restorative work as well as mundane things like fill cavities. He says that he has been doing things since dental school that most dentist no longer do. He also says he has the experience to know when to send patients to a specialist.