A couple of general thoughts:
The Principal-Agent Problem. Dentistry, like auto repair, is one of those fields where the customer is purchasing a service directly from a technical expert delivering the service. The customer is generally at a pretty severe disadvantage when it comes to knowledge of the subject. This makes it really hard for the customer to make an informed decision as to whether or not the service is required.
High- and low-trust societies. We seem to be in a period of rapid decline of trust in our society (Western societies in general). I think we’re much more likely to see small businesses and other service providers try harder to take advantage of customers in a low trust society due to a lack of connectedness and sense of community. When people feel that they are part of a close-knit community they feel a responsibility to preserve those relationships so they tend to not try to take advantage of people.
Weird that two things are happening at once:
-
Private equity is buying out dentists…
-
Dentists are increasingly doing highly immoral shit, with long term consequences for their patients, in favor of short term profit boost.
These two points aren’t related AT ALL, but just figured I’d limit to one post to save space.
-
First, do no harm.
Then, do a little harm, if you can profit from it.
No shit had butcher do that to me claiming I had to have dentures. But he did so much damage that I can’t use dentures at all. They want stick. Was told I now need thousands in surgerys to replace bone, then I can do implants.
Never trust big tooth fairy
the b|t¢h never got me anything
I had a dentist in Canada tell me all my front teeth needed to be removed, implants for the top and dentures for the bottom. I was 27. I’m now 38, still have all of those teeth he’d said needed replacing. The next dentist I saw was absolutely floored when I told her what he’d advised me to do. And if he hadn’t been such a condescending asshole, just a little bit more understanding that not everyone can afford consistent dental care… well…I’d probably have gone and had him do it.
This is why I’m stubborn.
I had a kidney stone. Went to the ER. They told me that department was closed for the day. I told them I wasn’t leaving because the bus ride over was absolute hell. They could either put me in a hospital room until they could treat me, or they could call the experts back into work.
Turns out the person I was talking to was an idiot. The department wasn’t even closed. There was NO way I could have rode that bus again. Every bump was like being stabbed in the testicles by shards of glass that were INSIDE the testicles. Noooooooope. Fuck it. I’ll wait in that hospital room for 4 months before I get back on that bus!
Me being stubborn allowed other nurses to overhear the situation, as I braced myself using the counter top. The other nurses brought me in for this thing that basically shakes your insides with soundwaves. That didn’t work, so they got the specialist in. They were able to squeeze me into their busy schedule. Then they shoved a lazor jp my urethra, and turned my insides into star wars. Pew pew pew. They used the lazor to carve the kidney stone into smaller pieces that were small enough to pass.
And if I’d have just accepted the receptionists word, I’d have had to get on a bus again for an hour of bouncing up and down in agony.
I have SOOOOOO many stories where me being a stubborn asshole turned out to be the right move, but that story is the only one where people shoved things up my penis.
The shakes your insides with sound waves thing was prolly a lithotripsy. Had to get the same thing done and thankfully that worked so my insides stayed star wars free
I just recently started getting mystery pain in my balls, unfortunately for me there doesn’t seem to be any physical signs. No inflammation, no infection current or past, no kidney stones. Best the GP can figure is it’s nerve related. Kinda felt like someone had my jewels in a vice grip, then occasionally would let go so they could give em a really hard punch. I say felt because the GP put my on nerve pain meds that seem to be working. Takes the edge off anyway. And they are an antidepressant as well, so my nuts hurt, but at least I’m in a good mood.
I didn’t realize kidney stones hurt in the balls. That sounds awful.
Dude must have just got his first alimony demand since the divorce.
