Hi everyone :
I got a surprise for you. I am a retired dental pain and infection expert. That is what Endodontits do root canals. I trained in Mexico City and practiced Endodontics for 12 years. I loved doing root canals. I was pretty good at it. After 12 years I went broke and divorced. It seemed the dental professionals in the town I was working decided not to send me patients anymore.
Yes, dentists can be crooks. I thought that dentists in the U.S. had more integrity than the ones I used to work with. By what I hear in this forum and what I have lived I agree they can be disgusting here too. I say this as a certified dental surgeon in Mexico and as a former dental patient here in the US as well.
I also hate MD's. I know most Americans praise them and swear by them.
Again, I thought American MD's were more professional than the ones in Mexico. All they do is prescribe medications. Folks you cannot compare the work of an MD to the work of a dental surgeon. The MD spend their days writing prescriptions. If your body does not heal definitely you will be their customer forever. They are smarter business people then the DDS.
You can compare our work to that of a plastic surgeon , a neurosurgeon, or an orthopedic surgeon to name a few. Quality dentistry can be as complex as Surgery.
Our dental field has grown so much. But the reality is that many dentists have to make a living just like you and everyone else and their expectations are high. I had high expectations of my work too. Why not ?
But a quality dental education is an elitist thing and it takes a lot of dedication to become good at what you do. Very few dentists are willing to go to that limit.
Thereby, we end up with a majority of professionals wanting to live a lavish lifestyle at the expense of their customers with little or no regard to the patient's welfare. They see it as a business mainly.
I once met the greatest dentist in the world. Dr Leonard Linkow. The dentist with the most lawsuits in NYC and the dentist whose work was the more complex because he restored mouths with implants that were functioning after 40 years. Well , on a private discussion we agreed on one thing. We both hate dentists. I was alone in my feeling for many years until I met this super doctor. He is retired and he does not depend on the point of view of other dentists , neither do I and that's why I share this comment with you.
I know a lot more about the profession here in the US but I prefer avoid indiscretion.
The dental schools in NYCity can be crooked. I dropped out of NYU school of dentistry and Collumbia Univeristy. The cream of dental schools in NY.
Oh well.
I heard someone here say that a root canal can fail long after it has been performed. Yes, it's true. However, if the root canal treatment does not fail immediately it is less possible it occurs on the long term.
Root Canal Retreatment can be Surgical and Non Surgical. Non Surgical retreatment definetely has more chances of success, specially if it is done by a
good endodontist. The root canal probably costed you more because prices went up. Surgical Retreatment is more expensive and way less successful. The first option for a root canal treated tooth failing is Non Surgical Re treatment. The best Endodontist from a technical standpoint is the one who practices the Warm Gutta-percha technique . Because these professionals are more successful I would expect them to be more professional .
One thing about us Endodontists. We have integrity and we do not claim success of our treatment on the short term. We want our treatments to last forever and many times they do.
The restoration of the Endodontically treated tooth is key for the success of the treatment because after the root canal procedure these teeth may be more brittle and susceptible to fracture which will force you to have the tooth pulled out.
I think that only one or two people mentioned here The Hygienist. They are a key professional in enhancing the prevention of periodontal disease and caries ( dental cavities ).
The best dentist should be yourself by learning how to use your dental brush and the dental floss. The people who do not use dental floss are prone to having bad breath, gingivitis,interproximal decay or periodontitis.
The hygienist is highly trained in the use of the dental brush and floss.
Have your dentist ever told you that and taught you how to brush and floss ?
If your dentist did, then you may have a good dentist.
When I was 13 years old an excellent dentist in Mexico taught me how to brush and many years later I was inspired by him to become a dentist because I never went back to any dentist in 30 years because I never had caries again. Today I am 53 I have a dry mouth problem and eating grapes caused me to have caries again. Now I am trying to brush twice per day. Once in the morning and then in the evening. The evening brushing habit has been difficult for me to acquire. I was so good at brushing my teeth that by brushing my teeth only once per day I avoided the dentist. I remove the hard deposits from the back of my teeth with a scaler every now and then.
I said I am a dental pain and infection expert. I took my profession seriously. I respected my patients. I was the most expensive dentist in town and the most I could charge was $75.00 dollars per molar.
I found out it was a lousy business despite Mexico City providing me the best of the best in dental education. I was financially illiterate.
Your dentist should have integrity otherwise they are going to screw you.
I hope you find my comments informative and non offensive or unprofessional towards dentists and physicians.
I was surprised to find people talking s-hit about dentists I laughed .
Best Wishes. If you have dental question go ahead.
Dr Alfredo Atwater.