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A Dentist Who Says ‘No’ to You Might Be a Keeper!
I remember taking my car to the mechanic with a flat tire. I thought it was going to be a quick fix. Repair the flat and I would be on my way in a couple minutes. It ended up that the threads were very worn out and it was very dangerous for me to be driving with that tire. I was reminded that I’m not an expert when it comes to fixing cars.
At times, patients come into the dental office asking for a specific procedure to be done to them. I don’t like this situation because I know that they have either gone to another dental office and now they’re shopping around for a better price, or they are coming in with their mind fixed that they need that specific procedure. In either case, I like to find out for myself what’s going on with the patient, make a diagnosis, and then decide on a treatment plan.
I have had patients that wanted to save a tooth by spending a lot of money on it when the tooth is not good at all and it should be extracted. This is what we call a non-restorable tooth. In cases like this, if the patient insists on getting the treatment to save the tooth, I have had to send the patient away. I’m not going to relinquish my professional values or my ethical values just to make a buck, or to please the patient for fear of losing that patient.
At times, we make a decision based on what friends have told us, or our own past experiences. For matters in which we are not experts, it is better to leave it to the professionals. Going back to my story, I did purchase two brand-new tires.
Written by Dr. Luis Sanchez
