The article really has nailed the "dentist industry" on the head. She draws out comparisons with physicians, because this is the model with which we're most familiar. The most accurate observation to date is that dentists are more in charge of their fees and income than physicians and try to minimize cost overruns. The author doesn't go far enough though. In taking it to the next level I would say that dentists' first priority is their income, not your teeth or your health. And I've seen this THROUGHOUT my long history with dentists.

I had two great tools to bring me to good dental hygiene: one was my dad's dental plan and the other was a mom with no teeth. I ran into the income versus teeth paradigm in my rebellious teenage years. My dentist said, "You should get your wisdom teeth out. You have great insurance after all." And I thought, "Huh? Shouldn't it be, 'You should get your wisdom teeth out so that they don't present problems as impacted teeth in the future?" Well, I said, "no thanks." And in retrospect, I should have gotten them out then, but even a "do it now while it's easier on your mouth at this stage of your development...." would have done it for me. The overt GREED caused a knee-jerk reaction. And still does.

Today, I go the the dentist only rarely. The obvious bottom dollar for all my dentists (five or six to date) is just a major turnoff. Last time I went, I had to get a crown (the only dental problem I've ever had, but for the dentist- cha ching!). Any time I asked for an explanation of cost at stages of the procedure, she wrote me off. Any example of thte exchange:

"So, just what type of adhesive is that you're using?"

"The strong kind."

"How strong is it?"

"Well, this little dab I'm using costs $200. It's that strong."

"Uh, thanks."

I'm not a stupid man. I have a couple of graduate degrees and I know the health of my mouth is important. But dentists would get me in their office more than the once-every-four-years visit if they just weren't so damn money-grubbing (and treated me like I had a brain). The dental association sure has been good at nailing down the cost-benefit of dentists for consumers. Now they need to work on forming an industry that looks a little more altruistic. Or at least TRIES to.