stop spitting in our faces

The following letter was published in The Star on Feb 13, 2008. I know this is a bit old and you might have read it but i find it irritatingly ridiculous and misleading. Therefore, i decided to put it up here to share with my fellow dentists. I bet this letter will evoke as much indignation in you as in me, if not more. There are so many misconceptions about dentistry in this letter that i can't help wondering if it was really written by a doctor. To me, the writer sounds like an emotional, self-absorbed, ignorant and brainless jackass who doesn't give a damn to the implications of his irrational writing but simply expresses his personal grudge over dentists. Such a shame!



Dental visits a pain in the pocket

ACCORDING to statistics, about 10% of people who are 55 years and older will begin to lose their teeth. Whatever the cause attributed to each individual, age is the single biggest factor. ---> it's gum disease, not age. Please do some reading before you show off your knowledge coz it's embarrassing if you get the facts wrong

Because of our ageing population, the number of people who would become edentulous would be a substantial number. The market is huge.

Many old folks are at the mercy of dental surgeons, especially the ones who now describe themselves as implantologists. ---> yea right, we all can self-declare as an implantologist without attending a 5-yr course in dental schools and undergoing a 3-year specialist training...life is easy for dentist, isn't it?

Many of them wear doctor’s coats, carry stethoscopes and insist on being called doctors. They charge by the tooth for every implant. Current prices range from RM7,000 to RM9,000 for the implantation of a tooth. This does not include the cost of the replacement parts, surgery, X-rays, etc. ---> dental surgeons carry stethoscopes?? hmm...since when? insist on ebing called doctors?? Dude, anyone with an advanced doctorate can be called "Dr". It doesn't have to be a medical degree either

Hence, for about four to five teeth to be implanted in the average elderly person, the price can come up to RM45,000. This is more than the cost of a complex angioplasty, bypass operation, or a hip replacement. ---> The materials and kits used to construct implant are expensive, plus the laboratory costs, xrays and other surgical procedures like bone grafting, sinus elevation. It may not seem as complex as bypass operation but it is indeed a surgical procedure requiring skilled training and precision

There seems to be no regulation to control these prices. It is a free market, with dentists, specialists, as well as GPs competing and charging whatever the market can take.

Most older people are poor and have to depend on their relatives. And few family members want to pay these exorbitant charges.

Government specialists, curiously, do not provide teeth implants for most of these unfortunate victims. If they do, it is to learn the technique before leaving government service. ---> for a start, implant is not the only solution to replacing missing teeth. There are other options like dentures and bridges which are relatively more affordable.


While the cost of private medical care is now regulated and there are guidelines provided by the MMA, implantology is a wide open field with no control. Even the Malaysian Dental council has not tried to exert any control.

The patients who cannot afford implants are given cheap dentures or a mix of implant and a bridge (if they can afford the latter). ---> excuse me, dentures are not cheap!

Having watched the implantation procedure, I think this is really a simple procedure, most of the time done under direct vision. There are no special tools required.

Most surgically trained medical GPs should be able to learn this procedure very quickly. There will, of course, be some difficult cases which can be left to the specialists. ---> is that a joke?? HA-HA-HA! So we should shut down dental schools and let the medics take over to cut down cost and redundancy..a world free of nasty, bloodsucking dentists...woohoo!

Dental surgeons, whether specialists or GPs, work in a very narrow field of the human body. From experience, I have learnt that they know little or nothing about the wider spectrum of medicine. ---> i see, so doctors work in a very wide field of human body. I'm sure you can treat my angina or lung cancer even though you are a gynaecologist. Am i right, DOCTOR??

The number of antibiotics they are familiar with is very few. They ask for a history of diseases that the patient may have but do not know how to assess how bad these diseases are or how they should be treated. ---> that's why we are dentist and you are doctor. Otherwise, who needs a doctor if dentist can handle all

They have no idea about emergencies that may occur with surgery or with drugs. ---> i think i heard of cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis, asthma attack, seizures, hypoglycaemia etc although i havent qualified

They do not know anything about cardiopulmonary resuscitation. ---> of coz, we study HHD for fun and play with the dummy because we are bored and have nothing better to do.

Because of these weaknesses, I would suggest the following remedial actions:

> The Malaysian Dental Council should investigate and control prices in this dog-eat-dog business. They must impose some discipline to care for poor old people. ---> right, it is unethical to charge the poor elderly but it is ethical to divert the cost to those who can afford so that your practice wont go bankrupt.

> The dental surgeon who calls himself an implantologist should give a written bill to the patient before he starts treatment. He should list all his immediate charges as well as charges for subsequent visits. ---> so the dentist must pray that the treatment will go perfectly smooth coz any cost of mishap or unforeseen incidents like broken post/crown that are not included in the bill goes back to the dentist.

> It should be possible to train technicians to do single implants. These technicians should be licensed and also given guidelines on charges. Prices would come down in a free market once you increase the supply. ---> extend the 3 year technician program to 5 years , which is the same duration as medicine and dentistry, only they dun gain the title of 'Dr' and earn less. But it's ok as long as the dentists dun get to drive Porsche

> Medical emergencies during a dental implant are rare but can happen. Hence it should be mandated that an anaesthetist should be on standby during any implant or surgical procedure done by a dentist. --->poor aneasthetist, i'm sorry but you have to work for free as i'm not allowed to increase the treatment charges

> The dentist should buy and place in his clinic emergency equipment. This would include a defibrillator, a heart monitor, a pulse oxymetre and an ECG machine. ---> with all these equipments you don't have to worry that your patient will die in the chair. Remember, they are cheap equipments so you have no excuse to raise the charge.

> The implantologist should be certified, which means going before a panel of peers who will verify if he has the knowledge and skills to perform large volume implantation. ---> i thought you said implant is very easy, even GPs can pick it up quickly...Hmmm

MEDICAL DOCTOR,
Kuala Lumpur.


My advice : read it just once and then laugh it off or it'll ruin your day