It is a necessary evil. Something we all have to do and yet it is very hard to find anyone who likes doing it. I’m talking about going to the dentist. Now I do not want to dump all over dentists. They have a nasty job. Just think of the dislike that they put up with on a daily basis. Sure people try and hide it, but they know they’re torturing you and you can try and hide your discomfort all you want but your white knuckles holding onto the dentist chair and all that blood gushing from your mouth, suggests to them that you’re not having the most pleasant experience. Now, in exchange for doing this nasty job dentists pull in some serious money. Sometimes really serious money. I have had a couple of procedures done that I’m sure helped pave the way for a new pool at my dentists’ house. I don’t know for sure since I’ve never been to his house because he lives in an exclusive gated community where people who make as much as I do a year aren’t allowed to go.
When a dentist looks at his or her lot in life they must think, well, I’ve got it better than a doctor. Really no work for them on the weekends, they’re not seeing people who are sick and it’s not very often that a life and death situation occurs because of a loose tooth. Plus dentists aren’t restricted by health care plans in the provinces. They work hand in hand with insurance companies and I even had one dentist who charged me more than the insurance company would pay. I asked him how that could be and he claimed the insurance company wasn’t paying for top of the line dental care. Who knew that I had apparently decided to go to the Mercedes Benz of dentists instead of just the regular Chrysler of dentists. I quickly got rid of that dentist. I like my teeth but I don’t need a guy cleaning them with gold plated dental drills. Speaking of the drill. Ow! Man I hate that noise. There’s the grinding and the whirring and the squealing and the cold water gushing and the little bits of my tooth, thank you very much, splattering the inside of my mouth. That is nasty. I also don’t like the vacuum thing and I don’t much care for the hygienist taking a sharp pointy stick and jabbing it into my gums and then blaming me for not brushing well enough when it starts to bleed all over her white smock.
Then there’s the dental cash grab. The X-ray. Even when there’s nothing wrong with my teeth they take “X-rays” just to be sure. Knowing full well that my insurance will cover the cost of these X-rays, they pocket a nice couple of hundred every second visit just for looking around. I think the dentist might be putting in a new change house by the pool that I put in last year. Listen, I don’t want you to misunderstand. Dentists have done some marvelous things. We’re all keeping our teeth through most of our lives, if we don’t play hockey.
They’ve found new and inventive ways to fix problems, to make our smiles brighter and to straighten our teeth when they’re crooked. Dentists have done some great work and I appreciate it. However we also have to realize that we are the ones who actually, in the end, pay those insurance premiums and this industry is costing big time. We should never forget that. So the next time the dentist wants to take some X-rays just to, make sure everything’s okay. Maybe we should pass. Even though it’s the least painful thing they’re going to be doing to us during that visit. Just my opinion.
PS….those are not my teeth in the image.
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