On a recent episode of Dr. Oz that I know was watched by many, Dr. Oz sent people out to check on how dentists go about diagnosing and presenting treatment. I am upset and disappointed in Dr. Oz for producing this kind of segment. We all went through this a few years ago when Reader’s Digest did the exact same thing. Yes, there are plenty of variations within the field and many opinions on when to treat and not to treat… I do believe that there are some unscrupulous dentists that are trying to take advantage of people, but I feel the majority of dentist are trying to do what they feel is in the best interest of the patients! I would like to clarify our office’s views on this.
We always include you, the patient in all decisions as to treatment needed. We encourage you to ask as many questions as you need to to get the information you need to make the best decision for yourself! Even during a procedure, if something changes, we will stop and discuss what happened, what would need to be done now and make sure you are okay with all before continuing. We want your care to be a partnership between us, we feel the more educated you are, the decisions become easier to make.
Our office does treatment plan, but we also can provide options as needed. This is why we start everyone with a comprehensive exam- we need to collect all of the information so we can make the correct diagnosis as to your issues. Once we collect the information, we will discuss what was found, what we need to do to repair/restore the teeth. Our exams also include a physiologic TMJ screening, this will enable us to let you know if there are issues, or potential issues, with the alignment of the jaws. Again, we will discuss what we found and what we are recommending.
We want our patients to be part of the process and provide as much information as we can to allow you to make an educated decision regarding your care. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact our team at 978-343-4031 and we will answer all your questions!
Brian C McDowell D.D.S. LVIF
