The Patient's Decision
The Patient’s Decision
As I travel around the country addressing national and state dental conferences as a continuing education speaker, I continue to learn from the dentists who attend my sessions through the feedback they share. Recently, I received a comment that troubled me greatly. This dentist claimed that it was inappropriate for older patients to spend their retirement money on their dental health.
A Beautiful Smile at Any Age
In other words, even older patients who may have deferred their own preventive and cosmetic care while raising their families, should not have the option of approaching their golden years with a healthy mouth! According to this perspective, seniors should not be given options for their treatment if the dentist believes they should not or cannot make the investment in their dental health. To think that this dentist believes that he or she has the power, or even the right, to limit treatment options to a patient based upon their age, gender, socio-economic status, or any other criteria is utterly offensive to me!
My Colleagues Agree
I wrote an article about this comment for a national dental magazine, and received even more feedback from dozens of my colleagues – all practicing dentists who, unlike my critic, agreed with me wholeheartedly. We believe that patients should always be told every potential option for treatment, and given all the information they need to make an educated decision about whether to invest in a dental treatment or cosmetic procedure. We should never pre-judge whether a patient would be “better off” investing in something else.
Never Limit Care
Who are we to suggest that their oral health is any less important than anything else in which they may choose to invest? Optimal oral health and a beautiful smile are the objectives that we help every patient achieve. No dentist should ever limit the care they offer a patient based upon prejudgment or misguided opinions. That is patronizing at best, and neglectful at worse… and never in the patient’s best interest.
