A lot of people are incapable of rationally talking about perverse incentives in the medical industry, especially in countries with social healthcare schemes. It's absolutely a problem. Dentists have a bad reputation for this, but there is no reason to suspect it's not a problem in other fields of medicine, hospitals, insurance, pharmaceutical, or medical device manufacturers.
I've had a dentist insist I must get my wisdom teeth out and fillings about 5 years ago. Never had the procedures done, never had so much as a toothache. One suspects that patient health outcomes and evidence-based treatment are not always at the forefront of every medical professional's decision making process.
> I've had a dentist insist I must get my wisdom teeth out and fillings about 5 years ago. Never had the procedures done, never had so much as a toothache.
Who says that you do fillings when you have a toothache? Having fillings in a timely manner is important for the long-term health of the tooth. A small filling now will prevent further decay, and a series of more serious (and expensive) dental work in the future.
And wisdom teeth have a whole class of issues of their own. "I didn't remove them and 5 years later, I'm fine" says practically nothing.
> Who says that you do fillings when you have a toothache?
I don't know, certainly not me. Maybe some dentists?
> Having fillings in a timely manner is important for the long-term health of the tooth. A small filling now will prevent further decay, and a series of more serious (and expensive) dental work in the future.
I don't have decay, some "fissure" which as far as I can tell is either from the shape of the tooth or wear.
> And wisdom teeth have a whole class of issues of their own. "I didn't remove them and 5 years later, I'm fine" says practically nothing.
It says that I didn't need to remove them 5 years ago when I was told I should get them out right away.
I've had a dentist insist I must get my wisdom teeth out and fillings about 5 years ago. Never had the procedures done, never had so much as a toothache. One suspects that patient health outcomes and evidence-based treatment are not always at the forefront of every medical professional's decision making process.