The first time I read the letter form the guy who claimed that he's a medical officer, I immediately laughed my head off... Sick. He was too emotional and been saying things which a professional do not usually do. The next thing that crossed my mind was, hey, he can always say that he's a medical doctor but is he really is telling the truth? For all you and I know, he might not be what he claimed himself to be. And I thought all medical doctors are very busy people, they don't have the time to write to the newspapers. Just in case you haven't noticed, we rarely see a letter from doctors complaining about their work load because I assume, they are too busy to do so, Even if there are , mostly are from their parents or their relatives or spouses who felt sorry to see them working like dogs. But maybe.. hmm.. just maybe, he really is a doctor, and he was soooooooo busy with his work, he just assumed on things and did not have the time to get his facts right before he started to go public about his thoughts??
Whatever his reason is, I still want to say something regarding what he have said.
Statement number 1 : Age is the single biggest factor for tooth loss
The etiology, or cause of edentulism, can be multifaceted. While the extraction of non-restorable or non-strategic teeth by a dentist does contribute to edentulism, the predominant cause of tooth loss in developed countries is periodontal disease. While the teeth may remain completely decay free, the bone surrounding and providing support to the teeth may resorb and disappear, giving rise to tooth mobility and eventual tooth loss. It's periodontal disease and you don't have to be old to have periodontal disease.
Statement number 2: Many old folks are at the mercy of dental surgeons, especially the ones who now describe themselves as implantologist. Many of them wear doctor’s coats, carry stethoscopes and insist on being called doctors. They charge by the tooth for every implant. Current prices range from RM7,000 to RM9,000 for the implantation of a tooth. This does not include the cost of the replacement parts, surgery, X-rays, etc.
Mmmm... First, the degree conferred to a dentist entitled him to be called 'doctor' just as a PhD holder being called a doctor. My uncle was a researcher with a PhD. Although he is now happily retired, people still call him 'doctor' because, unlike proffessorship, the title doctor stays on even if you do not practise whatever it is that you are supposed to do. This Medical Officer really need to open his eyes and mind and accept the fact that medical degree is not the only degree that it's holder can be called a doctor. If you are in Japan, you won't be called doctor, but instead, they will call you 'sensei', yes, you, a medical doctor and the rest of the people who are considered to be of respectable occupation... like well, to your disgust maybe.. dentists, teachers, lecturers, writers etc...
It's white coat o.k! Not only dentists wear this but even people who work in the lab. It's a requirement in some places. Personally, I hate that white coat 'cause I think it is a perfect germ accumulator. I prefer the disposable gown, to be worn and changed after every surgical procedure or even dental procedures that involve aerosols.
Of course you have to charge by tooth.. oh.. just read what Dr Jaspall Singh and Dr Nedunchelian Vengu said about this implant thing.
And yeah , of course, if you can't afford a porsche, you can always buy a kancil. And there's always the option of using public transportation..
hmmm.. that's what dentures are for.. I hope he is not one of those shallow minded people who are jealous of other people who are richer than or happier or scored better in class than him. Such a sour grape...
Furthermore, Not everybody can use implant because it depend heavily on your bone mass and density.
We dentists learned ethics in dental school.. and i think so do our medical counterparts... Which part of ethical is there in the ethics or code of professional conducts if you dare give statements like these??
Quoting the Medical Officer,
Whatever his reason is, I still want to say something regarding what he have said.
Statement number 1 : Age is the single biggest factor for tooth loss
The etiology, or cause of edentulism, can be multifaceted. While the extraction of non-restorable or non-strategic teeth by a dentist does contribute to edentulism, the predominant cause of tooth loss in developed countries is periodontal disease. While the teeth may remain completely decay free, the bone surrounding and providing support to the teeth may resorb and disappear, giving rise to tooth mobility and eventual tooth loss. It's periodontal disease and you don't have to be old to have periodontal disease.
Statement number 2: Many old folks are at the mercy of dental surgeons, especially the ones who now describe themselves as implantologist. Many of them wear doctor’s coats, carry stethoscopes and insist on being called doctors. They charge by the tooth for every implant. Current prices range from RM7,000 to RM9,000 for the implantation of a tooth. This does not include the cost of the replacement parts, surgery, X-rays, etc.
Mmmm... First, the degree conferred to a dentist entitled him to be called 'doctor' just as a PhD holder being called a doctor. My uncle was a researcher with a PhD. Although he is now happily retired, people still call him 'doctor' because, unlike proffessorship, the title doctor stays on even if you do not practise whatever it is that you are supposed to do. This Medical Officer really need to open his eyes and mind and accept the fact that medical degree is not the only degree that it's holder can be called a doctor. If you are in Japan, you won't be called doctor, but instead, they will call you 'sensei', yes, you, a medical doctor and the rest of the people who are considered to be of respectable occupation... like well, to your disgust maybe.. dentists, teachers, lecturers, writers etc...
It's white coat o.k! Not only dentists wear this but even people who work in the lab. It's a requirement in some places. Personally, I hate that white coat 'cause I think it is a perfect germ accumulator. I prefer the disposable gown, to be worn and changed after every surgical procedure or even dental procedures that involve aerosols.
Of course you have to charge by tooth.. oh.. just read what Dr Jaspall Singh and Dr Nedunchelian Vengu said about this implant thing.
And yeah , of course, if you can't afford a porsche, you can always buy a kancil. And there's always the option of using public transportation..
hmmm.. that's what dentures are for.. I hope he is not one of those shallow minded people who are jealous of other people who are richer than or happier or scored better in class than him. Such a sour grape...
Furthermore, Not everybody can use implant because it depend heavily on your bone mass and density.
We dentists learned ethics in dental school.. and i think so do our medical counterparts... Which part of ethical is there in the ethics or code of professional conducts if you dare give statements like these??
Quoting the Medical Officer,
Dental surgeons, whether specialists or GPs, work in a very narrow field of the human body. From experience, I have learnt that they know little or nothing about the wider spectrum of medicine.
The number of antibiotics they are familiar with is very few.They ask for a history of diseases that the patient may have but do not know how to assess how bad these diseases are or how they should be treated.
They have no idea about emergencies that may occur with surgery or with drugs.
They do not know anything about cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
I don't even want to start telling the public my encounters with bad doctors for fear of giving unnecessary alarm to the public and of course, the codes man... And yeah.. I don't want to stoop as low...If you are not satisfied with the dentists that you have seen, being a supposedly smart and professional medical doctor, for god sake... lodge a complaint through a proper channel!! If you really want it to be solved, be a man, and lodge your complaint to the Malaysian Dental Council. They regulate our profession. They can take all bad dentists to court , make life easier and safer for everybody.. no need for you to write your opinion, anonymously in the local newspaper..
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