This was posted by a DBR, a poster at TrekBBS. http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=7794003&page=0&vc=#Post7794003 I posted a response in the thread... but I wanted to hear from Wordforgers on this topic. Will I soon be lumped into the same group as Flashlight, Face, and Liet??
Please explain. Dentists are doctors first, and specialize in dental medicine second. Same as a surgeon, an internists, a pediatrician or any other specialist in the medical field. And as far as shady - I dunno. I haven't seen too many ads yet. There are some for "cosmetic" dental work, but for the most part, it's just the different dental folks saying they are there and when they can be visited. Now, considering how much the medical field has found out that the health of the mouth can affect the health of the body - seems to be a real good reason to visit the dentist at least twice a year. (four times might be better, even if not covered by insurance)
Sorry - Seinfield never caught my fancy. That or else there were other shows on and I could only tape so many.
I don't believe in the unselfish doctor. Well, save those in the hospitals, and even then, I'm not thrilled with how much they make either.
I've got no problem with them making a lot of money. What I do have a problem with is the fact that the sicker you are, the more money they get. Sure, make assloads of money doctors, I can support it. However, don't put me on some needless drugs for no reason just so you can get a followup visit.
Whenever I watch footage of actual surgeries I always have the same thought: Whatever they are paying these guys it should be more, much more.
I can partially agree with this similarity. Maybe not in terms of moral similarities, but certainly in price structuring and acquisition of wealth. Labour's failure to service the NHS over the last 10 years, has lead to numerous dentists here withdrawing NHS service. This means that with many only offering private work, more people than ever are left to seek private dentistry. Certainly, in my profession (Tax Inspector), I have noticed Dentist's annual turnover skyrocket over the last 5 years to current unprecented levels, and their homes are becoming more stately. Once thing is for sure, even if the NHS is radically overhauled, many dentists in their right mind aren't going to go back now.
Another thing to consider. If doctors and dentists weren't paid well, how many people would really go into those professions? They have to go through years and years of expensive and intensive studies, they are working in environments where they could easily catch something infectious, they have to deal with all sorts of people of every ethnic group and socioeconomic class, and they have to deal with people who may not be mentally stable. And they run the risk of getting sued for malpractice. There are far more risks in the medical profession than in, say, computer programming or lawyering. So I would say they deserve to be compensated appropriately. And dentists are paid well because there is a need for those services. Supply and demand, isn't it? They do a job that many people would find sort of icky.
As the last of the pre-fluoride generation, with a genetic predisposition to dental problems, I am every dentist's wet dream. One look at my x-rays and their little eyes start to glow with dollar signs. Lifetime, I've had six dentists (not counting the specialist who fucked up a root canal so that the tooth snapped off at the gumline a week later). They ranged from one greedy shyster through three incompetents to a gem whom I'd still be with if I hadn't moved cross country, to my current dentist who, aside from my occasionally having to explain "Sorry, no, a 5K procedure isn't in the budget this week," is excellent. Morality rests in the individual, not in the profession, IMO.
