Dentist Accused Of Using Paper Clips In Root Canals

CBS Connecticut ^ | January 24, 2012

[Gamecock]

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP)

[Puppage]

My insurance made a reimbursement of 874.00.

[Pollster1]

I wonder how many people recognize Marathon Man today.

[MHGinTN]

A hah! Now we know 'the rest of the story' about you down there in South Carolina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ythrdCsOFJU.

[Eva]

There are different rates for different teeth, single, double or triple canal.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Well. One could say it was a cost cutting innovation designed to get at the root of the problem!

[BlazingArizona]

One who would tell me the tooth, and nothing but the tooth!

[Larry Lucido]

I had two root canals with crowns and got billed $2300 each after dental insurance. Then I did the math and realized that, with 32 more teeth, this could start to get expensive. I warned my teeth that the next one that gets out of line gets pulled out with a string and a doorknob.

[pabianice]

So THAT’s why my teeth keep trying to staple papers together...

[Larry Lucido]

Then I did the math and realized that, with 32 more teeth

Yeah, I'm not good at math.

[Larry Lucido]

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Dentists are such bores as they are always down in the mouth! Even though they are well drilled the old grind just wears them out! It is really not a profession one would care to sink their teeth into. It is only occasionally that a dentist has a crowning experience!

[andy58-in-nh]

I will never look at paper clips quite the same way again. If Obamacare ever goes into full effect, modern dentistry may give way to Truth Decay.

Frankly, I avoided dentists for many years (most of my 20s and 30s, actually). I was most fortunate that I started to go again when I did. And I was also lucky to get a good one - she is a sweet and very, very bright person, which does help. (and a Republican, I believe, like her much more famous sibling). I've only had a handful of cavities in my life (five, I think), and I have actually had three filled (or refilled) now without Novocain. It was not that bad. I'm not a Spartan, either. It depends how extensive and close to the nerve root the decay happens to be.

What I've learned is that the health of your gums is far more important, anyway. I brush and floss religiously now and have managed to reverse some of the damage I did by staying away all those years. But if you ever come across the film Marathon Man... you may want to pass.

[Joe 6-pack]

When I was 17, I had a root canal done by an individual who was rated as on of the top oral surgeons in Pennsylvania. While I don't think any root canal could ever be described as a pleasant experience, about a year later when I got my first panorex X-ray for the military, the work he did was readily evident, and I remember marveling at how fine his craftsmanship looked.

It gave me a real appreciation for the obvious precision and attention to detail with which he had worked.

[proxy_user]

This guy is absolutely the top root-canal specialist in Manhattan. He charges high fees and is fully booked.

It was expensive, but I don’t want any trouble.

[hampdenkid]

I thought Medicaid and Medicare didn’t cover dental. Does anyone know the lowdown on this?

As to using paperclips, I would think dry wall nails would have a much longer shelf life.

[Jonty30]

You don’t need to pay $2300 for dental work.

Your teeth will fall out for free.

[Ditto]

Aren’t paper clips stainless steel?

I'd guess with the price of stainless, it would be overkill to make paper clips out of it. Paper clips don't have to be rust resistant, stand up to the elements or last for decades.

[Puppage]

It was expensive, but I don’t want any trouble.

I sure can't argue with that logic.

[righttackle44]

Some paper clips are made of stainless steel, but others are made of galvanized steel wire or brass.

[Focault's Pendulum]

My personal favorite was when a dentist told me as a 12 year old that “you don’t really need novacaine for this filling, it’s so small you won’t really feel much at all,” and then proceeded to drill. I felt everything.

Same here. After I stopped shaking, I was allowed to pick out a small toy to take home. As if getting a Cracker Jack prize reject was any consolation.

I always suspected that my folks didn't want to pay extra for the Novocaine. They always denied it, but I remained suspicious.