The following message was recently posted by a dentist in Dallas, Texas on a blog. I found the content to reflect disturbing changes I have observed in the delivery of dental care. I am not sure that many patients understand this and hope this message will help people become cautious when seeking care:

“Recently, we had a patient visit us from another dental practice. She was told that her tooth required an extraction, to be taken out. I always listen to what patients have to say. At the same time, I perform an examination and an assessment independent from what I am told. On this particular occasion, I did not agree with the previous dental practice at all. Unfortunately, this happens way too much. I decided that I could perform a much more conservative procedure, which we did. Over a month has gone by, and this patient is elated to have not lost a tooth. She may have been facing paying for a dental implant with its restoration, unnecessarily. We saved her thousands of dollars. This is not the first time this has happened! The delivery of dental care has drastically changed. Patients need to understand this. There are many other entities who own or manage dental practices now. On many occasions, the treating dentist does not have an ownership stake in the dental practice. On too many occasions, it is difficult to tell if the dentist owns the practice to some degree. With these differences in the delivery of dental care, there are new and different ownership responsibilities, motivations, and philosophies of dental practice. Patients need to somehow know this. So what can you do about this? Obtain second opinions. Research dental practices online, and make sure the five-star reviews apply to the particular dentist, and not to the dental practice, because this can make a big difference. Ask friends who have been with the same dental practice for many years with the same dentist. You can help yourself and save thousands of dollars and much time and aggravation.”