Ask the Dental student....Q's, fears, concerns, hopefully answered.

[JMP300z]

[ QUOTE ]
Is it true Dentists have a very high suicide rate relative to other professions and if so , why is that?

[/ QUOTE ]

Never really bothered to check the statistics for sure. Ive heard people claim and swear that they read they do, and ive heard people claim and swear it was just a myth. I do know that i read a recent thing that said accountants had the highest.

Mildly amusing ironic story: Was at dinner at a friends w/ his family and were talking about my dental schooling and his younger brother asked me that question. I responded that no, Im pretty sure accountants are the highest, and his dad gave me a dirty look, then laughed like i was joking....I forgot his dad was a dentist, didnt like it, and went back to become a CPA (??!!?).

But yah, I think a lot of people get into dentistry for the wrong reasons (couldnt get into med school?, make good money?) and have no idea how difficult it can be. Working in small spaces sitting down all day and having everyone always constantly afraid of you, lying to you, avoiding you etc can all be issues (jsut making generalized statements). It takes a certain kinda person to sit and be a dentist...just like it takes a certain kinda person to work in a cubicle or sit and play internet poker all day without going insane.

-JP

[Los Feliz Slim]

My most sincere thanks for this advice. I've been taking everything my dentist says with a grain of salt for a while, because he's always trying to sell something it seems, so your unbiased opinion is invaluable.

Now, to see a psychiatrist about the fact that I've put off a medical procedure that was recommended by two doctors for over a year, and now I'm probably going to do it because a guy on a [card game] related internet message board has advised I do it.

[JMP300z]

[ QUOTE ]
the braces cost $5k. How much does it cost the dentist?

[/ QUOTE ]

The actual materials dont cost much. What your paying for is all the appointments that are necessary for braces and the $$ that the orthodontist has to pay his usually large staff. I do know that the overhead in a dental office can be higher than most people would expect. A professor threw out a number of several hundred dollars an hour yesterday, how accurate that is and whether it applies to the orthodontist, I dont know.

A simple specialist consult can cost a few hundred dollars. The consult requires very few materials, but the time of the specialist could be spent doing procedures making more $$ or whatever.

Just trying to put things in perspective.

However, i would expect he could go much lower and still make some profit. Medical professions dont generally haggle though, as a rule. You could ask where he could cut some corners or cut out appointments that might not be completely necessary although there are serious ethical implications.

That said, if $$ is a real issue, consider looking into treatment from a dental school's orthodontic residency program. The care level will be fine.

JP

[JMP300z]

[ QUOTE ]
My most sincere thanks for this advice. I've been taking everything my dentist says with a grain of salt for a while, because he's always trying to sell something it seems, so your unbiased opinion is invaluable.

Now, to see a psychiatrist about the fact that I've put off a medical procedure that was recommended by two doctors for over a year, and now I'm probably going to do it because a guy on a [card game] related internet message board has advised I do it.

[/ QUOTE ]

This made me laugh. Its okay to doubt your health care professionals. Thats why its important to find someone you can really trust. Imho, there are many dentists out there doing poor quality work and poor diagnosis/treatment planning.

Working in several dentists' offices in the past has led me to seriously distrust certain practitioners in my area. Some people just didnt learn anything in school or just dont care enough to do good work.

I dont mean to cause widespread doubt/panic. But i mean the patient doesnt know whether they get good quality work or not, all they can go by is what their dentist tells them. They judge the dentist based on personality (do they seem like they care).

This is a big issue.

Ive seen plenty of procedures go through due to misdiagnosis (root canals on the wrong tooth, then thinking the rootcanal failed b/c the patient still had symptoms, then sending them in for a retreatment of the same tooth, meanwhile the whole time it was the adjacent tooth!). Stuff like this can happen.

ALso, there is no exact science to some of dentistry. Like i said, there are often many alternatives and it is the job of the dentist to find one that works for you the patient.

Summary: doubt isnt bad, unless it causes you to ignore problems...find someone you can trust.

-JP

[vulturesrow]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En respuesta a:</font><hr />
That said, if $$ is a real issue, consider looking into treatment from a dental school's orthodontic residency program. The care level will be fine.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is your thread, and quite good, but I just wanted to pile on here. I neede braces in high school and my mom couldnt afford them, but we were able to get them done for free at our local teaching hospital (Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL, the U of F teaching hospital). According to my then ortho. it was a state of the art procedure and turned out quite well. Definitely an option to explore.

[goofball]

Can't the dentist just put me under when I go in to get a bunch of cavities filled? I have insurance.

[JMP300z]

He can if youre really that nervous/anxious about it. Most general dentists arent trained in or have the equipment for general anesthesia (although some are due to doing a General Practice Residency, 1 more yr). The extra costs will be due to hospital or equipment fees or whatever and paying the anesthesiologist or whoever sits in on you and monitors your vitals. General anesthesia, while safe, is not always the best thing for your body (systemic side effects) and so should be avoided if at all possible. Doing fillings, while i still find them difficult as hell to do, is really a minor procedure. Maybe compromise and get nitrous gas.

-JP

[InchoateHand]

Due to a few years of youthful indiscretion, despite my excellent brushing/flossing habits now, my teeth resemble swiss cheese. I have somewhere upwards of 20 fillings. Amazingly, never once has one fallen out, including the flouride-enriched fillings that aren't supposed to last. How long will this good fortune last? Are there any advances short of titanium teeth on the horizon that will return my normal looking, but insanely fragile, mouth to a more lasting state?

[imported_anacardo]

I'm 23 and am the proud owner of four impacted wisdom teeth, the left-lower of which has partially erupted.

Let's say I never get these bad boys pulled. What can I expect by way of consequences?

[WDC]

thanks for the reply.