Quote:
Originally Posted by 2000v6
Hmmm... I knew about the price difference but I didn't know that young people are willing to have their teeth extracted
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It is unfortunately true. I don't want to extract anyone's teeth, unless they NEED to be extracted. There are many reasons to take them out, but when at all possible I want to save them.
I find it a bit interesting that the social group that has the most fear of the dentist is teens and young adults. Children are mostly fine, older adults just finally say "screw it, I gotta get it done". But young adults are way more likely to have dental phobias. It's bad, because the teenage and young adult years is one of the worst times to have that dental fear.
At differing stages of our lives we have different problems with our teeth. Young children get cavities on the surfaces of their teeth. Teens and young adults get cavities between their teeth. That is why flossing is so important. Probably more important than brushing. As we get older, we get cavities on the smooth surfaces of the teeth and on the roots.
If you have any compassion at all it is very tough to have young people that have a lot of dental problems. Bad teeth is more than a health issue, it is a social issue. Bad teeth = bad smile. That means lowered self image, lowered self confidence. All of that leads to decreased social capacity and diminished or less fruitful careers.
Case in point: Last week I got a new patient that is an attractive 24 year old girl. She has some really big issues with her teeth. She went to a dentist in a neighboring city and he made fun of her. Now she has an even lower self esteem than when she went in seeking the jerk's help. She told me that she wants to have better teeth because she doesn't like to smile. Doesn't like to smile! Everyone likes to smile. She is a single mom at 24, she's got a tough enough time ahead of her than doing that without even WANTING to smile.