From 1991 - 1995, I went to dental school to learn my craft. I found out that early on, that the scientific based classes came very easy for me as I was a biomedical engineer prior to dental school. What didn't come so easy, was the artistic training that was required to be a dentist. We had to learn how to create teeth out of wax, plastic, amalgam, composite, gold, porcelain, etc.
Looking back to grade school, I was the kid that got sent to the principle's office from art class for being disruptive. I would do anything to not do art. I was quickly slapped with reality when I struggled in these early training exercises in dental school. I had no artistic skills!
I struggled so much that I was required to go to what I call "wax camp" during the summer after the first year of dental school. (Does the movie"The Breakfast Club" comes to mind?)
The other "campers" and I huddled around bunsen burners flames and honed our skills with one-on-one instruction from some very talented instructors. One day, I don't know when or why, the switch flipped and my right brain connected with my left brain and I was able to wax up teeth at a proficiently high level. As time went on, I became better and better at it. In fact, I taught this very same class at University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine for 7 years.
So back to the question, is dentistry a commodity?
Dentistry is an imperfect blend of art and science. It is not mass produced on a conveyer belt in a factory. It is provided uniquely and personally to our patients.
A mentor and master of dentistry, L.D. Pankey once said, "I've never had a tooth walk into my office. It was always attached to someone. Get to know that person, and I may get the opportunity to treat that person's teeth." Words which I live by in my practice philosophy. We treat people holistically - mind, body, spirit. You are not a set of teeth, you are a "whole" person.
So is dentistry a commodity?
Can a person go to a dentist and say that he needs a size 12 upper molar and the dentist picks one off the shelf and glues it in? NO
Can a person go to a shoe store and ask the salesman to fit him in a size 12 shoe? YES
Can that person buy a size 12 shoe for $30, and a size 12 shoe for $300? YES
Is that shoe store being chastised by community organizations for "gouging" its clients? NO
Why then do dentists get chastised by insurance companies for charging a fair price for their services provided uniquely to an individual? Usually people (insurance agents) placing unfair judgements on things they have no experience with.
If a dentist charges more for a service than a patient values, the patient will not buy that service. Simple economics - supply and demand.
If a person sees a value in either price point for the shoe, he/she will buy that shoe.
The same thing goes in dentistry. There are different levels of service and challenges in treating patients. A more difficult procedure may cost more as the dentist to takes more time, care, judgement and skill to perform that procedure to the level of care that the patient expects.
And any patient has the right to put value on things important to them.
Most third party entities (insurance companies, government agencies, etc.) have been masterful at creating a "dentistry is a commodity" mindset to the consumers.
I am emphatically saying that it is not a commodity. Dentistry is a blend of art and science executed with proper judgement and skill that only comes from our highly specialized training and experience.
There may come a day that one can choose a size 12 upper molar off the shelf -
Then again, there may not...
All this could be a moot point as clean teeth do not decay - AND - 95% of dental problems are preventable!
Thanks for reading! BK
Looking back to grade school, I was the kid that got sent to the principle's office from art class for being disruptive. I would do anything to not do art. I was quickly slapped with reality when I struggled in these early training exercises in dental school. I had no artistic skills!
I struggled so much that I was required to go to what I call "wax camp" during the summer after the first year of dental school. (Does the movie"The Breakfast Club" comes to mind?)
The other "campers" and I huddled around bunsen burners flames and honed our skills with one-on-one instruction from some very talented instructors. One day, I don't know when or why, the switch flipped and my right brain connected with my left brain and I was able to wax up teeth at a proficiently high level. As time went on, I became better and better at it. In fact, I taught this very same class at University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine for 7 years.
So back to the question, is dentistry a commodity?
Dentistry is an imperfect blend of art and science. It is not mass produced on a conveyer belt in a factory. It is provided uniquely and personally to our patients.
A mentor and master of dentistry, L.D. Pankey once said, "I've never had a tooth walk into my office. It was always attached to someone. Get to know that person, and I may get the opportunity to treat that person's teeth." Words which I live by in my practice philosophy. We treat people holistically - mind, body, spirit. You are not a set of teeth, you are a "whole" person.
So is dentistry a commodity?
Can a person go to a dentist and say that he needs a size 12 upper molar and the dentist picks one off the shelf and glues it in? NO
Can a person go to a shoe store and ask the salesman to fit him in a size 12 shoe? YES
Can that person buy a size 12 shoe for $30, and a size 12 shoe for $300? YES
Is that shoe store being chastised by community organizations for "gouging" its clients? NO
Why then do dentists get chastised by insurance companies for charging a fair price for their services provided uniquely to an individual? Usually people (insurance agents) placing unfair judgements on things they have no experience with.
If a dentist charges more for a service than a patient values, the patient will not buy that service. Simple economics - supply and demand.
If a person sees a value in either price point for the shoe, he/she will buy that shoe.
The same thing goes in dentistry. There are different levels of service and challenges in treating patients. A more difficult procedure may cost more as the dentist to takes more time, care, judgement and skill to perform that procedure to the level of care that the patient expects.
And any patient has the right to put value on things important to them.
Most third party entities (insurance companies, government agencies, etc.) have been masterful at creating a "dentistry is a commodity" mindset to the consumers.
I am emphatically saying that it is not a commodity. Dentistry is a blend of art and science executed with proper judgement and skill that only comes from our highly specialized training and experience.
There may come a day that one can choose a size 12 upper molar off the shelf -
Then again, there may not...
All this could be a moot point as clean teeth do not decay - AND - 95% of dental problems are preventable!
If you like this blog post, I would love to hear about it. Please comment or share it on Google+, Facebook, Linked in, Twitter, etc. If you are looking for a dentist in the Denver area, we are always looking for new patients. Please visit our website http://www.tcdodenver.com/ or like our facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/TCDOdenver. Or you can contact us the old fashion way - call us at 303-321-4445.
Thanks for reading! BK
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