"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message

I don't envy dentists by the way - that's got to be a tough job in the
best of circumstances.


My former next door neighbour used to complain all the time that a dentist
earned more per patient visit than he did as an MD.
Dentists charged what they want (fee schedule) while the MS's up here are
paid a fee per patient determined and paid by the gov't.

"Don White" wrote in snip
Dentists charged what they want (fee schedule) while the MS's up here are
paid a fee per patient determined and paid by the gov't.

ooops...that should be MD...or GP

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 02 Dec 2004 21:14:54 GMT, "NOYB" wrote:

~~ snippage ~~

Speaking of explaining looks...
I had a lady come in today after 5 months of wearing a denture that I
made
her. She complained that people have recently noticed that the teeth
aren't
straight (even though for 5 months she had been perfectly happy with
them).
She has a drooping right upper lip, so when she's not smiling, more of the
teeth are showing on the left than on the right. When she smiles, her lip
is straight, and consequently the teeth look straight. She told me that
all of her family members were commenting over Thanksgiving that her new
denture wasn't straight. That, of course, told me that she must not
smile
a lot when her family is around. But how do you explain that to a
patient?

I've worn full dentures since '68 as the result of an incompetent Army
triage doctor and a equally incompetent Navy Surgeon and over the
years, have replaced them three times. This current time will be the
fourth - about once every ten years.

To date, as a result of the incompetence of the original surgery, I
have yet to obtain a proper set of dentures. Either the teeth are too
small or the teeth are too large or the damn things don't fit right a
month after the final fit - they are a total pain in
the...er....mouth.

Fortunately this time I now have a very understanding dentist who is
striving to get it right - we've been working on this new set for two
months and we're at the final impression/teeth setting stage. The
teeth are a proper size for my face, the damn things seem to fit and
with a few final tweaks, finally - a good pair of dentures. Gonna
cost me a bundle, but this time it's worth it.

I don't envy dentists by the way - that's got to be a tough job in the
best of circumstances.


I really like dentistry. I hate making dentures. Even under the best
circumstances, statistics show that 1/3 of the people are satisfied from
the get-go, 1/3 take awhile to adjust, and 1/3 of denture wearers will never
be happy with their dentures no matter how well they're made. I find that
less than 5% of *my* denture patients are hard to satisfy (which is about 25
percentage points better than the average). But the people in that 5% make
up about 99% of the headaches in my office. I'm almost to the point where I
just won't make dentures any more. If a real headache patient (like the
lady today) keeps complaining even after I know that I've done everything
possible to make her denture text-book perfect, I tell her to go get another
set made at another dentist...and then I offer to refund her money when she
gives me *my* dentures back. The condition for the refund is this: she has
to get the other dentist to send me a letter stating precisely what is wrong
with the set I made. I haven't issued a single refund yet.

"Don White" wrote in message
...

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in
message

I don't envy dentists by the way - that's got to be a tough job in the
best of circumstances.


My former next door neighbour used to complain all the time that a dentist
earned more per patient visit than he did as an MD.

That's sadly (for MD's at least) is true.

Dentists charged what they want (fee schedule) while the MS's up here are
paid a fee per patient determined and paid by the gov't.

In the US, the fee is determined by the insurance companies...which is why
more and more dentists are refusing to sign on to any insurance plans. Only
40% of my patient base has dental insurance. Patients pay at the time of
service, and then we hand the patient a stamped envelope addressed to their
insurance company with the necessary froms inside, and ask them to mail it
for us. By asking the patient to mail it, they know for sure that it went
into the mail, and then they call the insurance company (rather than my
office) if they haven't received reimbursement. Physicians have screwed
themselves by accepting assignment of benefits, rather than asking for
payment at time of service.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Don White wrote:
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in
message

I don't envy dentists by the way - that's got to be a tough job in the
best of circumstances.



My former next door neighbour used to complain all the time that a
dentist
earned more per patient visit than he did as an MD.
Dentists charged what they want (fee schedule) while the MS's up here are
paid a fee per patient determined and paid by the gov't.



But all that bad breath...

Did you ever smell the breath of someone with GERD or a sinus infection?
People always brush their teeth before seeing their dentists...and we wear
masks anyhow. The MD's see the sick folks who are too sick to brush their
teeth...and the MD's don't wear masks. They also have to stick their hands
up smelly butts and into cheesy ****s. And MD's get calls at all hours of
the nights and weekends. Their insurance rates are higher. They have a
residency after med school. And they have hospital rounds every time one of
their patients are admitted. No thanks.

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 21:06:18 -0500, "NOYB" wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
.. .

~~ snippage ~~

I don't envy dentists by the way - that's got to be a tough job in the
best of circumstances.

I really like dentistry. I hate making dentures. Even under the best
circumstances, statistics show that 1/3 of the people are satisfied from
the get-go, 1/3 take awhile to adjust, and 1/3 of denture wearers will never
be happy with their dentures no matter how well they're made. I find that
less than 5% of *my* denture patients are hard to satisfy (which is about 25
percentage points better than the average). But the people in that 5% make
up about 99% of the headaches in my office. I'm almost to the point where I
just won't make dentures any more. If a real headache patient (like the
lady today) keeps complaining even after I know that I've done everything
possible to make her denture text-book perfect, I tell her to go get another
set made at another dentist...and then I offer to refund her money when she
gives me *my* dentures back. The condition for the refund is this: she has
to get the other dentist to send me a letter stating precisely what is wrong
with the set I made. I haven't issued a single refund yet.

My oldest daughter and her husband are physicians - they me put in
touch with a friend of theirs a former Navy dentist who now has a
practice in this area - the guy is really trying hard to get it right.

And by George, I think he's got it. Too bad the freakin' Army dork
f'd it up to begin with. :)

Hey, dentures aren't perfect - I totally understand that. Truthfully,
you should have them refit once a year, but it's expensive. This pair
is going to run me about 4K by the time it's all over with.

Later,

Tom

On Thu, 2 Dec 2004 21:20:12 -0500, "NOYB" wrote:


"Harry Krause" wrote in message

~~ snippage ~~

But all that bad breath...

Did you ever smell the breath of someone with GERD or a sinus infection?
People always brush their teeth before seeing their dentists...and we wear
masks anyhow. The MD's see the sick folks who are too sick to brush their
teeth...and the MD's don't wear masks. They also have to stick their hands
up smelly butts and into cheesy ****s. And MD's get calls at all hours of
the nights and weekends. Their insurance rates are higher. They have a
residency after med school. And they have hospital rounds every time one of
their patients are admitted. No thanks.

Oh, I don't know about that.

I'm not sure what's worse - transporting a guy who fell into a manure
pit to the hospital or the EMT who has just eaten her morning four
cloves of garlic - this was four in the morning I might add.

P and U just does not describe it.

Later,

Tom

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
snip Hey, dentures aren't perfect - I totally understand that. Truthfully,
you should have them refit once a year, but it's expensive. This pair
is going to run me about 4K by the time it's all over with.

Later,

That's a lot of loonies for a set of chompers. Might be cheaper just to gum
your food before swallowing.

"NOYB" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
ink.net...

"NOYB" wrote in message
.net...

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
ink.net...

"NOYB" wrote in message
...

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Beware the slippery slope.

How large a step is it from terminating the life of people who are
"unable
to
make the decision to end their own life", to terminating people
"who
are
not
capable of making the *right* decision, and want to go on living"?

Wow! Chuck and I agree.



Was done lots years ago. Baby born without a brain, the doctors put
the
baby to the side and let them die.

Better check your story there Bill. Babies born without a brain aren't
alive.



They are born with very little of the brain, and it is open to the
world.

Now it's "born with very little brain"? Before it was "born *without* a
brain". The term for the condition you are now referring to is
anencephaly.
Yes, an anencephalic baby can be alive for a short while. No, a baby "born
without a brain" cannot live.

As for my being a dentist...
We had two semesters studying cranial-facial development. I can tell you
all you need to know about neural tube defects and cranial-facial
abnormalities. Riley's Childrens' Hospital in Indianapolis (which is
adjacent to the dental school), has one of the premier cranio-facial
reconstructive teams in the World. One of the members of the team, Dr. RR
Hathaway, was my instructor for those two semesters. He's been published
plenty of times in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.


Close enough to brainless. And the baby could probably live for a short
time with out a brain. Heart still beats, blood pumps. There are people on
life support, who are brain dead. Then they pull the life support and they
finish dying.

Also Sprach NOYB :

I don't get it. What's so sick?

Dan