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I arrived early to my dentist appointment and was in the waiting room while the staff was having a staff meeting prior to first appointments of the day. I could hear what was being discussed and the doctor was praising them for the high gross receipts the previous week and encouraging them that "we can do even better". Not sure how the hygienists could boost revenue other than by churning more patients or adding unneeded treatments. I haven't trusted them since.
I suspect at dentist conventions that there are seminars like "Maximizing Patient Dollar" and "Upselling for Increased Profits".
Reminds me of an old Rodney Dangerfield skit, he said " I lost a tooth the other day and went to my dentist and asked him to give me another tooth that matched my others, and he gave me a tooth with 4 cavities in it"
I arrived early to my dentist appointment and was in the waiting room while the staff was having a staff meeting prior to first appointments of the day. I could hear what was being discussed and the doctor was praising them for the high gross receipts the previous week and encouraging them that "we can do even better". Not sure how the hygienists could boost revenue other than by churning more patients or adding unneeded treatments. I haven't trusted them since.
I suspect at dentist conventions that there are seminars like "Maximizing Patient Dollar" and "Upselling for Increased Profits".
I highly doubt that. This is an anomaly, and the entire dental profession shouldn't be indicted for it anymore than a bad doctor should represent all doctors.
Hopefully in the sentencing phase, he gets jail time. That is the only thing that will really deter him. I am a physician (Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine), so I don't do many procedures, and I now have a medical director position, so I don't practice much clinically, but from my read, he is lucky that he isn't being charged for assault and battery. He essentially did things to his patients (damaged their teeth) without consent. That is technically assault and battery, in addition to the fraud charges.
He's getting off easily, although hopefully, he gets jail time.
Geez. Back in the olden days, dentists would advise clueless people in their 20s even, that they needed to have ALL their teeth pulled, healthy or not. And get dentures! Can you imagine!
Yes, I can, and it brings tears to my eyes even now, as I still remember what it was like as a child to hear my mother cry when it was done to her.
I went to a dentist about 15 years ago that pressured me into putting veneers on my top 6 front teeth. I said I didn't want them and he threw an instrument against a wall and starting yelling, I was so intimidated that I said yes. The veneers were big and hideous, I went to dentist #2 to have them removed but I had to have this dentist #2 grind down my teeth to get smaller veneers. It was an awful time of my life, very expensive for 2 sets of veneers, neither of which I liked. I'm stuck with them now. And 2 popped off recently, they were able to be placed back on. I don't know what my next step is if these fail.
I heard a couple of years ago that Dentist #1 had a drug problem and would write prescriptions for his patient's pain meds but somehow he got ahold of the drugs himself. He is no longer practicing.
I think it's just the nature of a profession like dentistry that creates pressures for dentists to push unnecessary procedures in order to make profit (certainly, like any business, dental offices need to make money to pay staff, supplies, etc. etc.). It's not like most people need to see a dentist frequently, maybe every six months for a cleaning. That's why some dentists push you towards the more expensive cosmetic options that aren't necessary.
Business is business.
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