USA - Dentists’ Charity: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Dentists’ Charity: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
January 5th, 2010 | Jim Du Molin
As we've been talking about dentists and health reform, I'm struck by how many dental practices donate dental care to patients in need. As one dentist pointed out:
"Individually donating our services is commendable, but so inefficient, like putting a bandage on a systemic disease. The welfare health system is just a part of the overall health care system that needs an ...................................
nyscof Says:
January 6th, 2010 at 4:13 am
Dentists who give back to the community by giving care to those with the most need and least ability to afford dentistry are highly commendable. But it isn’t enough.
Dentists who show up at the Remote Access Missions of Mercy see and treat patients whose dental health resembles that of third world countries and are extra special people because their participation didn’t come attached to a news release.
However, if organized dentistry didn’t help create laws that disallow dentists from working in other than their home states, more dentists would show up.
While some individual dentists do the right thing, their dental union does all it can to help them keep their lucrative monopoly at all costs (whether they asked them to or not)by lobbying against any groups willing and able to fill he dental void and by lobbying for laws that benefit only dentists.
We have 130 million Americans without dental insurance and over 80% of dentists who won’t accept Medicaid. (I understand that giving free dentistry works better for many dentists) The charity work is welcomed and applauded but it’s a drop in the bucket.
Unless the individual dentists tell their union, the American Dental Association, to stop lobbying against Dental Therapists, denturists and solo-practicing hygienists, I’m afraid individual dentists will take the heat when a comment box opens up. After all, they are the ADA.
The ADA makes a big to-do about the once a year Give Kids A Smile Day. This generates a lot of income-producing positive press for dentists across the nation who are given ready-made “fill-in-the-blanks” news releases to hand to the media. And it’s “free” publicity for toothpaste manufacturers who sponsor these events. But most of these events are filled with balloons, free give aways, lots of media, coloring books but no actual dental care.
Although slated to begin in February, toady, I read two news stories about it already giving free publicity to two New Jersey dental practices – only one of which will do emergency dental care.
In the last ten years, the number of children with untreated tooth decay has gone up even though fluoridation, dental sealants and fluoride varnish has incresed – mostly due to lobbying by dentists and organized dentistry.
Their individual and collective efforts aren’t paying off and ticking off a lot of people.
And let’s face it, that “Give Kids A Smile” Day is really a big fat publicity stunt used to sell more product and get more recognition than actually filling the needs of Americans who lack dental care.
My point is that individual dentists are part of the problem when they don’t tell their union to back off their lobbying efforts against viable dental professionals from working directly on patients and from making laws that keep dental care unaffordable and unattainable for too many.
I wonder who sent the news release to the newspaper to get free publicity that generaged the article and the critical comment. Most Americans don’t get any news articles written about them and their charity work.
We just plod along and get called all sorts of nasty names by people in the dental profession.
January 5th, 2010 | Jim Du Molin
As we've been talking about dentists and health reform, I'm struck by how many dental practices donate dental care to patients in need. As one dentist pointed out:
"Individually donating our services is commendable, but so inefficient, like putting a bandage on a systemic disease. The welfare health system is just a part of the overall health care system that needs an ...................................
nyscof Says:
January 6th, 2010 at 4:13 am
Dentists who give back to the community by giving care to those with the most need and least ability to afford dentistry are highly commendable. But it isn’t enough.
Dentists who show up at the Remote Access Missions of Mercy see and treat patients whose dental health resembles that of third world countries and are extra special people because their participation didn’t come attached to a news release.
However, if organized dentistry didn’t help create laws that disallow dentists from working in other than their home states, more dentists would show up.
While some individual dentists do the right thing, their dental union does all it can to help them keep their lucrative monopoly at all costs (whether they asked them to or not)by lobbying against any groups willing and able to fill he dental void and by lobbying for laws that benefit only dentists.
We have 130 million Americans without dental insurance and over 80% of dentists who won’t accept Medicaid. (I understand that giving free dentistry works better for many dentists) The charity work is welcomed and applauded but it’s a drop in the bucket.
Unless the individual dentists tell their union, the American Dental Association, to stop lobbying against Dental Therapists, denturists and solo-practicing hygienists, I’m afraid individual dentists will take the heat when a comment box opens up. After all, they are the ADA.
The ADA makes a big to-do about the once a year Give Kids A Smile Day. This generates a lot of income-producing positive press for dentists across the nation who are given ready-made “fill-in-the-blanks” news releases to hand to the media. And it’s “free” publicity for toothpaste manufacturers who sponsor these events. But most of these events are filled with balloons, free give aways, lots of media, coloring books but no actual dental care.
Although slated to begin in February, toady, I read two news stories about it already giving free publicity to two New Jersey dental practices – only one of which will do emergency dental care.
In the last ten years, the number of children with untreated tooth decay has gone up even though fluoridation, dental sealants and fluoride varnish has incresed – mostly due to lobbying by dentists and organized dentistry.
Their individual and collective efforts aren’t paying off and ticking off a lot of people.
And let’s face it, that “Give Kids A Smile” Day is really a big fat publicity stunt used to sell more product and get more recognition than actually filling the needs of Americans who lack dental care.
My point is that individual dentists are part of the problem when they don’t tell their union to back off their lobbying efforts against viable dental professionals from working directly on patients and from making laws that keep dental care unaffordable and unattainable for too many.
I wonder who sent the news release to the newspaper to get free publicity that generaged the article and the critical comment. Most Americans don’t get any news articles written about them and their charity work.
We just plod along and get called all sorts of nasty names by people in the dental profession.
posted by Bill at
10:27 AM
1 Comments:
Dentists’ Charity? The American Dental Associations most charitable gift given to the people of the United States would be ADA and its state affiliated dental associations to stop suppressing and pushing out competition.
Nyscof sounds grateful for what a few are doing to meet the dental needs of our nation. Nyscof is ready for people to take action in doing what's right for others. Putting fluoride in our water system is not the right thing to do and we know nyscof's statements are true. We each see it and hear about it in our own communities especially if we're in the dental profession. The greed is lined throughout the dental profession and is clear for most to see.
Charitable services are good no matter what amount it comes in or who is giving it. The big community events help but we know it's just a drop in the bucket as nyscof was pointing out. Most of the people need follow up procedures and a good number of them won't step across the threshold of a dental office knowing that they can't afford the prices most dentist charge due to their overhead.
Corporate ADA’s self-serving political agenda is hurting consumers by suppressing qualified competitors that provide oral health care services, especially those with disparities. The American Dental Association works against its own vision and mission statement by suppressing competition that has been trained and educated in providing oral health care services to those that are unable to pay the high prices charged by dentist leaving Americans without needed dental care. Midlevel oral healthcare providers include denturists, dental health aide therapists, and independent practice for dental hygienists.
"Regulating the denturist profession across the Nation in providing affordable denture care for Americans is the little thing we can do to help with the current healthcare crisis Americans are dealing with. People are healthier and more productive when they have a denture that functions properly." Gary W. Vollan L.D. www.wysda.org PLUS/PLEASE LET US SERVE
By
Gary W. Vollan, at 08 January, 2010
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