Two myths about dentists

23 March 2021
 Categories: Dentist, Blog


Here are some common myths about dentists.

They always try to convince their patients to have expensive dental treatments

People who have not been to the dentist very much are often afraid to go when they need to because they believe the dentist will behave like a salesperson and try to convince them to have expensive dental treatments that they don't truly need. This is a common but totally false myth. In reality, it is often the other way around; many patients approach their dentists with the idea of getting a treatment that they are convinced they need to make their teeth perfect and it is their dentists who end up having to talk them out of these unsuitable treatments. Oftentimes, a dentist will be able to suggest a cheaper dental treatment to the one that the patient wants, which will give them similar results.

For instance, if a person would like crowns because they feel their natural teeth are too yellow, their dentist might be able to give them that intense whiteness that crowns usually have with a simple whitening treatment, which would cost the patient far less. Likewise, if a person thinks they need a dental implant for their missing tooth, the dentist might make them a single-tooth denture that is much cheaper but which looks just as good as an implant.

They get annoyed when their patients ask for extra pain relief

Another unfortunate myth about dentists is that they get irritated when their patients ask for more than the standard pain relief that is provided for dental treatments. This is absolutely untrue. Dentists are well-aware that pain tolerance is something that varies tremendously from one person to another, and that each individual patient may need a different amount of pain relief, depending not only on their tolerance but also on their size, gender and the treatment they need to have.

Most dentists are happy to give their patients the maximum safe dosage of pain relief if they ask for it, as it means that they can then do the dental work without worrying that they are causing their patient pain by doing so. Furthermore, a patient who has the amount of pain-relief that they personally need will be much more cooperative and easier for the dentist to work on, as they won't, for example, yelp and move their mouth as a result of experiencing a jab of pain.

Reach out to a dentist for more information.


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