-specialist in ‘supervised neglect’
I may as well have said: “Live in fear!” Some had already lost their upper teeth and were doing the best they could to save their lower teeth. One patient said to me: “I saw a dentist for routine cleanings, and every three months for almost one year, he checked my mouth after every cleaning, gave his approval, said: ‘I want to see you again soon’ and sauntered away.”

Then the patient told me: “During my routine cleaning, I told my dentist that one of my lower teeth felt loose. The doctor checked it and said: ‘Leave it alone, and we’ll see what happens.’ Pleased with his decision, he scurried away as though he had more important dentistry to conduct than saving my tooth. He did not tell me to return in three months.”

This patient told me he was shocked, horrified at the dentist’s behaviour, and stunned into silence. Well, of course, he lost that tooth. What was the dentist thinking? What kind of ethical, moral, and professional standards did he have? Did he think the patient wouldn’t realise what his decision meant to the patient’s oral health? Would it have taken too long to examine his tooth closely, decide on an appropriate treatment, and try to save it? “Maybe he would have lost two other patients that day, and the income that came with them for the time it would have taken to treat me,” my patient said, adding: “He won (more income) and I lost (a tooth).”

The patient told me he did not return to that dentist’s office, but found another dentist. He said the reason he tells people about his experiences is so they will know what to expect if they see ‘Dr. Do-Nothing’.

The patient’s experience is so common, it has a name. A dentist told him that its name is ‘supervised neglect’.

He said that he asked one of his previous dentists about it and his response was: “I think we’re all guilty of supervised neglect at one time or another. Sure! I’ve done it!”

Now, why would a dental professional want to do that? Supervised neglect isn’t illegal, but you do pay for it, and not just with money!

A few years after his experience with ‘Dr. Do-Nothing’, my patient said he experienced extreme pain in his lower gums, and made an appointment with a dentist at a neighbourhood clinic. “He was a good dentist,” he said, “but he couldn’t help me, because the problems were in my gums and not my teeth. He prescribed antibiotics to reduce the periodontal infection.” As my mother would say: You never know!

The patient saw the other dentist 11 days after making the appointment (too long, when one is frightened and in pain). He needed periodontal surgery on both sides of his lower jaw, because there was bone loss, and the remaining infection had to be cleaned out. Said he: “The first surgery was scheduled for the following week, so now I had to wait at least two weeks for actual help. Her plan was to operate on one side, let it heal, and then operate on the other side; both surgeries would be invasive.” The first surgery on the left side of his jaw (the least infected side) went well. He had the procedure on a Friday, so he would have the weekend to recover, and return to work on Monday. There was some pain, and a little swelling, he said, but other than that, he was fine when he returned to have his stitches removed ten days later.

The surgery on the right side of his jaw, however, was a different kettle of fish. “By now,” he said, “I had to wait almost 25 days for the second surgery — on the side with the most serious infection. I still wonder why the dentist didn’t do that first to arrest the most infected area as soon as possible.” The second surgery was so invasive that he lost the weekend, five days of work, and took codeine for the pain every three hours for the first four days. His jaw was so sensitive, it hurt when he washed his face. It was swollen and bruised, and people averted their gaze from him. He looked as if he had been beaten.

There was so much infection in his jawbone from the periodontal disease that their removal left a ½-inch gash in his jawbone and gum near his front bottom teeth. The gash is next to his right front bottom tooth, so it can be seen when he’s really happy. And his smile is much too big, thank you very much!

The surgeries cost him more than a month’s salary. He didn’t object, because he thought they would prevent future bone loss, and the dentist did excellent work. The problem was that after the last stitches were removed, the dentist scheduled a follow-up appointment. The patient continued to have his teeth cleaned every three months by the clinic’s dentex, but was not checked afterward by the dentist.

The patient said that he should have known that no follow-up appointment combined with not being checked by the dentist after every cleaning was a clue, but wasn’t paying attention because his father became ill and passed away. One year and one month later, he experienced mind-bending pain in the front of his lower jaw, exactly where he had the surgeries the year before. He immediately went to the clinic’s dentist. He’d had another gum infection, was given another antibiotic prescription, and told to see the other dentist again. Still naïve, he believed the dentists could have treated his emergency because he was their patient. They had worked on him in the past, and they worked for the same dental clinic. But he was wrong.

The patient called the dentist’s receptionist and told her which dentist had referred him (the clinic had more than one); that he was suffering from periodontal emergency; that the dentist had given him antibiotics; and that the so-called ‘specialist dentist’ had operated on him the year before. He pleaded with him to be seen really, really soon, or he would loose these teeth. He was told the next available opening was in three months.

“Three months! I have an emergency, and I would loose these teeth in three months!” No response. “Hello?” Still no response. &#x201CAre you there?”

The receptionist was there in body, but not in spirit. She put him on hold, only to return and tell him he should have his teeth cleaned every three months. His reply to her was: “I did have my teeth cleaned every three months by your dental assistant, and your dentist didn’t even check my teeth after the cleanings.” Stone cold silence.

He was locked out! They weren’t going to help him! He had depended on and trusted those dental professionals to do the right (ethical) thing, and they did not do it.

People suffer from the bad behaviour of dental professionals like ‘Dr. Do-Nothing’ and those at the Dental Clinic. They were not guilty of quackery in the truest sense, because they did not profit from the patient when he needed them most.

‘Dr. Do-Nothing’ did nothing at all. The dentist at the clinic did excellent work, but did not respond to the patient’s second dental emergency, locked him out, and is also guilty of doing harm by doing nothing at all. They might have been reputable and caring at one time in their carriers, but they aren’t now. Our only recourse is to stop going to them, and tell others about our experiences.

The patient still needed treatment, and went directly to a specialist (never again a dental clinic), who was referred to me by a friend, who also had periodontal problems. His new dentist saw him the day he called, and performed surgery on him 30 minutes later. What a difference it was to be treated with courtesy, respect, and concern for his emergency and continuing oral health!

Beware of dental professionals who include x-rays in the dental exam, and use them as a selling tool. They hold the x-rays up, wave them in front of your face, and dramatically point to areas you know nothing about while telling you that you cannot live without fixing the problem. Get a second opinion; there was no problem. Beware of the dental professional who uses exams and extravagant stories to con you.

If a dentist is reluctant to answer all your questions and take time to explain your queries, that is not the person you would want to trust.