This is unfortunately very common. I don’t think it is always necessarily malpractice but a difference in opinion and judgement on when to intervene. And of course, there is a financial incentive to shift that judgement to an earlier timeline.
IMO this is a good litmus test for choosing a dentist.
A dentist with nuanced and honest judgment will identify questionable spots, probe them, ask you about your experience (“does it hurt”), and explain the difference between something to watch and when it is actually problematic.
A lazy dentist trying to make a buck will take a quick look and tell you that you have a bunch of cavities that need to be addressed now.
Just like software engineering, there’s always the guy who will recommend kubernetes for every problem, and then there’s the guy who says “ah yeah, you can just do this with a shell script until you need more”
> don’t think it is always necessarily malpractice
The fact that there isn’t a clear standard of care is part of the problem here.
With a scientific you could say it was or was not malpractice. I never expect to see an approach like that succeed, for much the same reason that it is hard to get useful stats on doctors (or teachers!).
IMO this is a good litmus test for choosing a dentist.
A dentist with nuanced and honest judgment will identify questionable spots, probe them, ask you about your experience (“does it hurt”), and explain the difference between something to watch and when it is actually problematic.
A lazy dentist trying to make a buck will take a quick look and tell you that you have a bunch of cavities that need to be addressed now.
Just like software engineering, there’s always the guy who will recommend kubernetes for every problem, and then there’s the guy who says “ah yeah, you can just do this with a shell script until you need more”