Why are doctors, especially dentists so lazy?

Question

I have been to 3-4 dentists recently (in USA) (for a case other than general cleaning) and all they are interested in doing is to take an x-ray and refer me to someone else who repeats the process. The insurance pays only for 2 visits..and the dentist spends less than 3 minutes with me each time!

One referred me to a specialist because they don't handle root canals..the specialist then to another because they do only root canals and not crowns...it is so frustrating...all are after a hefty co-pay and nothing else? Anybody who can shed light on this?

Thanks for all your valuable thoughts, and I don't mean to offend any of our dentist friends out there. I am frustrated and in pain. I did not want to give up, so made another call to the endodontics who said "we only do root canals". Apparently one tooth needs a root canal + crown and another needs a filling, but he refuses to do the filling because that is the job of a general dentist! I can agree that for special cases, we need a specialist, but I never knew that a specialist cannot do a routine treatment. So, I am back to sqauare one,a general dentist who will not do roor canals and an endodotist who will do root canals but no crown or filling!
Please share your thoughts on the costs involved..I am given an estimate of a whooping $1000 for the root canal, 80% of which will be taken care by my HMO, $1000!!!!!!!
FYI, I earlier I had 2 extractions, one crown and general cleaning all done EXCELLENTLY by ONE DOC in India for less than $200. He was wonderful, I may catch a plane..

Answer 1

I am a dentist who does not do molar root canals. Why you may ask? Because to gradutate from dental school, I am only required to do 4 molar root canals. I can do them but they would take me about 2 hours longer than the specialist. In general, a general dentist will have root canal failure about 30% of the time. This percentage drops with specialists. As a dentist I can tell you that one could do everything right and the root canal can still sometimes fail. It works the other way around too...sometimes poorly done root canals work. Why won't the specialist do the crown you may ask? Because they are not legally allowed. Ironically specialists are dentists who go to extra schooling...Once they specialize...they are only allowed by law to practice there specialty. Endodontists are only allowed to do root canal therapy...they are not allowed to do crowns. In addition to all this Endodontist are trained to handle cases not taught in dental school. I was not taught how to retreat a root canal in school...I was not taught how to do a surgical root canal or apicoectomy in dental school. These procedures require additional training.
Am I lazy, my wife would say yes...but she wouldn't say that with job.
ps Kudos to Chit....dentists are often disrespected....it is often but not always a thankless job. You don't know how many times I have heard someone say, "I hate dentists". It doesn't phase me though...I know they will be there when they need me. Oh and also, Radiographs have to be taken before any work can be done...In my professional opinion, it is malpractice to diagnose a tooth without a radiograph.

I don't agree with the doc below me. It's a generalization to say all general dentists are perfect doing root canals as it is to say that all endodontists are perfect. The stats i have always had fed to me say that root canals fail higher in the hands of a general dentist...but that does not mean there are not talented general dentists out there doing them whop may even be superior to some endodontists. What it does mean is that too many non-trained general dentists are attempting them..thus skewing the stats. Also don't be ashamed because a dentist doesn't do molar root canal therapy...or maybe I should be ashamed of all you who refer ortho out. Come on....most of us do what we know how and feel comfortable doing...so don't give me this bs about dentists not doing molar root canals as shameful...what is shameful is doing procedures you shouldn't be doing or that you can't give top quality work.

Answer 2

They're not lazy. The medical training they recieved allow them to have practices, where they need to see maybe up to 20 patients a day. They are so good at seeing what you need that it only takes them a few minutes to assess your needs. then, they don't go out for coffee. they're probably seeing another patient. They specialize in certian fields because they want to make sure that their patients are safe...and they don't want to do a poor job. It's a hard, thankless job to be a doctor, especially if you're a dentist, so don't knock it. My dentist normally only spends a few minutes with me, to tell me everything is fine. But in the event that something is wrong, he does root canals and crowns. I think you might have just had a very poor sampling.

Answer 3

I feel it an era of super-specialisation....why only dentistry, in each and every medical discipline, there is super-specialisation. There is common joke going around about a separate specialist for each eye..Anyway, jokes apart, I am of the opinion that this has got its own pros and cons,, Another point is that because of increased patient awareness and also because of sudden increase in malpractice suits, nobody likes to venture into another person's terrritory... Regarding your dentist spending three minutes with you, how another person can comment with having a look at your case history. Anyway, take it easy.. brush twice a daily and eat a balanced diet and Be happy !!!

Answer 4

HEY DOC8.......

I take it you're not a general dentist. You're probably not an endodontist either.

For your information, pal, the vast majority of root canals performed are performed by general dentists. I do ALL of mine, as do all of the doctors with whom I've worked as well as professional acquaintances. The only things I send to endodontists are the absolute sh*t that will likely take well over an hour for them complete and teeth that should probably be taken out.

Personally, as a general dentist, I think it is appalling that endodontics is a recognized specialty. They're a bunch of ball-washing bastards who over-charge for root canals, and worse, help to dilute the dental profession. It's an absolute disgrace that there are doctors out there who do virtually nothing but root canals and apicoectomies. What's next? A specialty that deals only with posterior composite fillings?

Some general dentists have more experience than others doing root canals and some refer the molars to endodontists, which I think is shameful. Regardless, root canals have a success rate of around 95%, and given he fact that probably 9 out of 10 root canals are performed by general dentists, it's safe to say that your comment of "you would regret it," is patently wrong.

The fact that you would say it, however, without having a clue bumps it up to assinine.

Answer 5

Yes, it is way better to have your root canals done by someone who specializes in doing them. Most dentists are just in it for the money! Most just want to drill and fill as many times as they can in your mouth. It's actually better for you to be referred. Try asking for your x-rays so you can bring them to the next guy. In fact insist you won't have them done otherwise!
Also, I just found this out from a periodontist I went to because I needed my teeth scaled. Get and use a product called Phos-Flur
from Colgate. I had to ask for it at the pharmacy. It is an anti-cavity rinse and studies have shown the fluoride can actually help to rebuild teeth. You'll need less fillings!

Answer 6

Just a suggestion, since you have the right to be in control of your own life, maybe you should call the oral surgeons or dentists before you go, and find out what services they offer.
You don't just have to make appointments without knowing anything.

Answer 7

When a dentist refers to a specialist, he or she feels what you need is beyond their "scope of knowledge". A good doctor knows when to refer a patient out to a specialist.
Insurance is to assist you in your dental needs, not cover everything that needs to be done. Medicine and dentistry should not be dictated by what your insurance pays, but what is medically necessary for you..

Answer 8

The first dentist should let you know what you need from the specialist. When you make the appointment with the specialist, you should ask if they perform the necessary proceedure and you should provide the exrays to the specialist to review before your appointment. That will prevent you from wasting your time and money with dentists who don't do the proceedure you need.

Answer 9

Not laziness, specialization. If you had a root canal done by a general dentist you would regret it.

Answer 10

I'll bet it's more a matter of you having some really crappy HMO insurance than the laziness of the dentist.