‘Similar to mechanics’: Woman goes to dentist, finds out she has 15 cavities. Then she goes to another dentist for a second opinion
"Is it normal for dentists to lie abt how many cavities u have?"
TikTok user @bibblebiterbutt is neither the first nor last target of the medical industrial complex we call healthcare. She reached out to the TikTok community for advice and posted an outraged selfie from her car to explain what just went down.
How can two dentists count such a different amount of cavities?
@bibblebiterbutt said she was told by her original dentist that she had 15 cavities. But when she went looking for a second opinion, the results were alarmingly disparate. The second dentist told her she only had two. The Daily Dot has reached out to her for more information. However, some commenters had more immediate intel.
Many were commiserating with her struggle to find an honest provider.
One comment read, "I’ve experienced this. Some dentist have different opinions on whats considered a cavity. Some can see where a cavity is forming and go ahead and consider it a cavity. Where as some don’t"
This anecdote led to a response from someone actually operating in the dental industry: "very true. i’ve been a dental assistant for 2 years and the doctor will put teeth on 'watch' bc cavities are starting to form. so dentists can explain the amount of cavities in different ways".
How do dentists get paid?
I hate to answer a question with another question, but Jeopardy begs: What is American healthcare? There is much speculation and political debate around the corporatization of healthcare in America. It's not new and certainly no more acceptable now than it was in the 60s when marketing for "mother's little helper" was commonplace. Sure, the strategy was in plain sight back then, but profiteering remains the same.
According to the American Dental Association, there are different types of payment schemes for dental offices. Some providers are commission-based and are therefore incentivized to file claims for unnecessary procedures with the insurance company. Don't fret too much, though. There are straight salary compensation models, too. These practices have no discernible reason to charge you for extra services because they get paid the same regardless of their "productivity."
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The post ‘Similar to mechanics’: Woman goes to dentist, finds out she has 15 cavities. Then she goes to another dentist for a second opinion appeared first on The Daily Dot.