Dr. Oz is at it again!

So I was in my office the other day and an assistant said that a patient was in the chair and was refusing to get any dental x-rays.  Dentists use x-rays to determine certain disease states of the tooth (gum disease, cavities, infections, cancer, etc.).  It becomes a legal and ethical issue when a patient refuses x-rays—a dentist need to see an x-ray before he can make a diagnosis—very similar to a car mechanic having to open the hood of a car to see the engine and make his/her diagnosis--A dentist cannot treat what he/she cannot see (a dental x-ray provides a complete picture of the tooth).  I went to talk to the patient about why we need x-rays and she told me that Dr. Oz did not recommend them because they cause thyroid cancer!  Whaaaaaaaat?!?!

Dr. Oz is as much of a dentist as I am a heart surgeon.  He has zero training in dentistry, how can he make sure a claim that dental x-rays cause thyroid cancer?  Well, Dr. Oz decided to focus on a small study, consisting of 313 patients, in Kuwait.  First of all, that is a very, very, very small study group to even make such a claim.  Kuwait has free dental care and it was found that they have an increase risk in thyroid cancer compared to Britain.  They documented people with thyroid cancer based on “self-reporting”—a record of dental x-rays and how many each participant received were never reported.  So hold on a minute, we don’t even know how many or how often dental x-rays were even taken?!?! 

Let’s try to show how this study lacks an understanding on how the scientific method works.  Let’s say I put a bunch of rats in a room, say 313 rats.  Now, we allow the rats to drink as much apple juice as they like.  We keep NO RECORD of how much they drank or how often they drank.  All of the rats died in the study.  Conclusion, apply juice is lethal, don’t drink apple juice.  And if the grocery store tries to push apple juice on you with coupons, make sure to bring it to their attention that apple juice kills according to the best doctor in the country, he is on TV for Pete’s sake!  In science, correlation does not equal causation. 

It would be very difficult to prove that apple juice kills and, in my opinion, even more difficult to put it on national television and sell it to the people—apparently not, Dr. Oz does, in fact, treat Oprah.  Dr. Oz has already been slammed by other doctors for warning about arsenic in apple juice (hence the apple juice story above). 

I know that I am ranting and raving but I’m just tired of Dr. Oz talking about something that he has no business talking about.  If he was willing to inform patients about actual radiation from dental x-rays, he’d gain my respect.  Here’s the truth about dental x-rays, something you can look up research on and make an informed decision.  Radiation surrounds us every day, especially from the Sun and other stars.  If you decide to take an airplane flight from California to New York, you will receive that same amount of radiation you get from yearly x-rays.  A yearly x-ray exam produces 0.008 millisieverts of radiation. Everyday normal life causes you to be exposed to 2.4 millisieverts—so walking your dog, doing house work, etc. all cause you to be exposed to natural radiation.  If we do the math, you get 300 times MORE radiation from just being alive and walking around than you do from dental x-rays in any given year.

Next on the Dr. Oz show:  Don’t take a flight from California to New York, the natural radiation will cause you to have cancer J.  I don’t make these kinds of claims and I think Dr. Oz should stick to what he knows, heart surgery.  Have a good holiday season!

Your Albuquerque Dentist,

Dr.Devin Giron, DDS

www.yourabqdentist.com

Why Does Dentistry Cost So Much?!?!

Why does dentistry cost so much?

As you can imagine, I hear this question quite often.  Some patients take it to the next level and say, “Well, doc, I just paid your monthly car payment on your BMW in the parking lot.”  Sadly, that BMW in the parking lot isn’t mine; rather, the old and dependable Toyota pickup truck is my car of choice.  It’s always important to know where your money is going, especially in these difficult economic times.  I hope to shed some light on why dentistry can be reasonably priced and how it gets more expensive with neglect. 
  
Prevention is Key:

As I just mentioned, I drive an old Toyota pickup that runs just like the day I bought her.  Sure, she has some dings, but the engine runs great.  Every 3000 miles, I make sure to get the recommended maintenance and oil changes.  I know that if I continue to keep these scheduled appointments, my car will continue to reward me.  At the same time, if I chose to neglect my vehicle, I would have to pay a fortune to keep my vehicle running.  Patients always enjoy hearing, “your teeth look great, I’ll see you in six months for your next cleaning.”  It’s not a coincidence that these patients were born with great teeth, it’s their dedication to their oral health that can set them apart from their peers.  These patients often wonder why people complain about how much dentistry is because when they come in, it costs them practically nothing.  On the contrary, I do see patients that only come in when they need work—i.e. a small cavity that turned into large cavity with an infection.   If we took care of this cavity when it was small, it would have cost roughly 25 times cheaper than the alternative treatment.  Prevention is key! 

Overhead Costs:

Just like any business, dentistry has its overhead costs—overhead runs anywhere from 55% to 80% of cost.  It costs money to pay the employees, materials, lab fees, utilities, mortgage, license costs, insurance, computers, machines, etc. (I could go on forever!).  We love using the best materials for our patients and it costs us a pretty penny to do so—we don’t skimp on our patients’ health.  The other day I was raking leaves in my backyard and I started talking to my neighbor.  He asked what I did and I mentioned that I was dentist—his first response was, “you guys are way too expensive.”  I started to explain to him why things are expensive and where his money goes but he was not having any of it—in other words, I just wasn’t going to change his mind.  I stopped and asked my neighbor, “Well, what do you do and what was your student debt coming out of school.”  He replied, “I’m an engineer and I did not have student debt coming out of school”—I almost told him how expensive his services are J.  I responded, “I will pay the government and banks roughly 2800 dollars a month for fifteen years for all of the loans that I took out in dental school.”  You should have seen the look on his face, he was astonished.  In fact, my debt to income was so poor, I could not qualify for a house through the banks—So I went to school for eight years and this is what happens when get out (talk about the American dream).  I guess my main point is that dentistry has its costs just like any other business and they have to have a profit in order to stay afloat.  We are subject to the economy just like everyone else.   

“Just Pull it Doc”:

Granted some teeth have to be pulled because they cannot function properly anymore, most teeth I extract (take out) can be saved. Removing teeth that can be saved can result in gum disease, cavities, lack of function, and movement of the adjacent teeth.  I always tell patients that removing just one tooth affects the five teeth that surround it--teeth tend to move into vacant spaces.  As you can imagine, it always costs more to replace a missing tooth than to keep a tooth that can be saved.  It can cost up to five times as much to replace a missing tooth than to keep and save your tooth!  Next time you’re at the dentist, make sure and ask him/her how much it is to replace a missing tooth versus saving a tooth—you might be surprised.    

Conclusion:
Most dentists love their job because they get to help people solve heath issues.  Make sure you find a dentist that you can trust, this can also save you a lot of money.  See what types of payment options your dentist offers.  At our office, we offer Carecredit, a no interest health credit card (No interest can really cut down on your fees). I hope this information was helpful and you can enjoy an inexpensive trip to the dentist!
Your Albuquerque Dentist,
Devin Giron, DDS
www.yourabqdentist.com