As a bright-eyed dental hygiene student, I was dead set on saving the world, well, at least preventing gum disease and detecting oral cancer in the early stages. I knew what needed to happen. I needed to educate the public and explain that this was necessary! I would say, "We MUST do an Oral Cancer Screening using Invisalite or Velscope because oral cancer has already progressed by the time it is detected with the naked eye. This is a part of the comprehensive oral evaluation." I would also say, "Mrs. Smith, you are in the beginning stages of periodontal disease and can no longer be treated by doing a standard cleaning. We need to do scaling and root planing in order to effectively treat this condition and prevent you from losing your teeth; and can be linked to heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, premature childbirth, chronic infections, and overall well-being (Healthline, 2015)."
Oh yeah, I also held the secret to preventing rampant decay and decreasing teeth sensitivity. Are you ready for it? Well, it's a unique inorganic mineral called fluoride!! Can you imagine that? Throughout this education process, there was no mention of the price or insurance. Why? Money doesn't prevent oral disease!
After graduation, I headed out to save the world by preventing tooth decay and systemic illnesses. When I strutted into my workplace, I was suddenly hit with a severe case of amnesia, prophylactic amnesia! In this alternate universe, referred to as a dental office, the only way to prevent tooth decay, bone loss, and disease was by opting to do the procedures that were only covered by dental insurance. Throughout this robotic trance, I said things like, "Oh, we can just watch that; there's a little bleeding around that tooth; let me see if your insurance covers it, and we can hold off on SRP for a little longer." As for the oral cancer screenings, I already knew that they couldn't afford them because I also developed mind-reading powers.
This leads me to the question what happens on the journey from dental hygiene school to the real world? Why is the dental profession the only profession that is terrified to mention price.? Cardiologists, Optometrists, Cosmetologists, Car Dealers, Veterinarians, Contractors, and a slew of other professionals have no problem rattling off a price. Patients and consumers have no problem finding a way to come up with the funds to pay for their services, so why is our profession so different? How do the patients that can't afford fluoride go on yearly vacations?
The reality is we have not placed a significant value on dental services. We have not painted a beautiful picture as the vacation destinations have. We have failed to show true concern when we find a dental-related issue. Our patients can hear it in our voices and see it in our sad eyes when they ask about the cost. We reluctantly mumble a number, then quickly follow it up with our objections. We are the medical pushovers! Patients rarely even consider dental care as healthcare. The things we should be talking about are that the CDC reports that children without sealants are three times as susceptible to decay than those with, that fluoride helps to prevent and halt tooth decay, 46% of adults 30 years and older present with gum disease, and that 30,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year.
The RDH credentials that proceed our names are there because we agreed to prevent tooth decay, periodontal disease, systemic diseases and undoubtedly provide our patients with the very best care. It is time to revisit the very reason that made us fall in love with dentistry and truly serves our patients. Recommending advanced and preventive treatment is not greedy; it is ethically correct.