Does the dentist have any ethical responsibility to make sure you understand how to prevent tooth decay?

or does he have any responsibility to investigate with you what might be causing your condition?

Does the dentist have any ethical responsibility to make sure you understand how to prevent tooth decay?
Yes, they do have an ethical responsibility to teach patients about oral hygiene. But the patient has to listen and take responsibility to do what he tells them. If someone doesn't go to the dentist on at least a yearly basis, 6 months would be better, then I feel they have no one to blame for their poor oral health but themselves. A dentist can't educate a patient if they hardly ever see them.





Perhaps it is the fact that I have been in the dental field so long, but it amazes me that some patients know so little about oral care. I have seen so many patients who are in shock when we tell them how many cavities they have, and then you find out that they drink 3 sodas a day and don't brush before they go to bed, or they feel they have bad breath and suck on Altoids or peppermints all day. Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar. The more sugar you consume, the more you are feeding them. Just like any living creature, they eat and then poop. That poop is an acidic substance that can rot your teeth, or more plainly, causes cavities. If someone eats or drinks sugar and then doesn't wash it off before they go to bed, that sugar sits in their mouth all night long, giving the bacteria more to eat. People often wonder why they have bad breath in the morning. Well, if they don't brush their teeth in the morning and at night, they have allowed that bacteria to eat and poop since the last time they brushed their teeth. Bacteria poop smells just as nasty as any other type of poop.





Kinda gross when you think about it huh??





I make it a point to educate all my patients on proper dental care. Our hygientist spends at least 10 minutes with each of her patients, BEFORE she even cleans their teeth. But what a patient does with that information once they leave our office is up to them.





Now, if you can say that you have been going to a dentist for a long time, every 6 months, and he hasn't tried to educate you on how to stop your oral problems, then perhaps it is time to find a new dentist.
Reply:if you become a dentist, it makes sense that you'd want to tell your patients how to prevent decay.
Reply:Probably not ethical, but a professional responsibility at the most.

Renting