This is how capitalism works, right?

Feb 21, 2010

Editor's note: Helaine Smith's column, The Mouth Physician, appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion.

A recent headline in Investor's Business Daily read: "Let Super Phones Competition Begin, Google Enters Game."

Smart phones are advancing faster than we can keep up with them. It is the hottest field in technology. Numerous articles appear daily, comparing and contrasting the features of each phone in detail. Companies spend millions of dollars on advertising, research, and development, explaining why their brands are superior in hopes of gaining market share.

This is how capitalism works, right? More so in some industries than others, it seems. I recently heard of a dental board in a Midwestern state being upset with a progressive dental office that advertises on a local radio station and lists the services they provide. The dentist did not claim he was the best; he only advertised the services he offered. Even so, his advertisements upset the state dental board, which is now conducting an audit of his entire practice.

In my opinion, state dental boards often seem to pick the wrong battles to fight.

The dentist's office that this state board is auditing provides care in areas such as temporomandibular disorder (TMD), sleep apnea, and cosmetics. The dentist has attended numerous continuing education courses at dental institutes to learn broader aspects of dentistry, and he is active in many study clubs. Often, the public does not know we are able to treat these conditions and are unaware of the serious consequences that can arise from sleep apnea and TMD. I commend this dentist, who I do not know, on his advanced education and willingness to advertise and communicate what he can to help the public attain a healthier lifestyle.

Another case of a state board bullying a dentist occurred several years ago in a northern suburb of Boston. This dentist advertised via a sign on his building that he was laser-certified, setting him apart from others in the region. But the board insisted he take down his sign. He was a pioneer in laser dentistry, and other dentists apparently did not like this or felt threatened by it.

I have always had a strong opinion that continuing education is a must to provide proper care to our patients. Although a majority of people still need basic dental care, there are also many other aspects to dentistry that should not be mocked by the dental boards who do not understand our role as mouth physicians.

If more dentists took the time to attend proper continuing education courses, they could provide a higher level of care to their patients. There is more to dentistry than teeth, but many dentists only see themselves as tooth plumbers and end up bullying those who try to raise our profession to the level of respect we deserve as mouth physicians.

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