A piece in the American Student Dental Association’s September newsletter discusses do-it-yourself dentistry, a trend that is spreading through a number of YouTube videos highlighting the practice. For example, there’s a video seen nearly 2.2 million times that is titled “Dentists Hate This Video!” and it shows a young woman using a do-it-yourself method to fix a cavity. Her video is one of hundreds touting all kinds of homegrown cures for dental problems, and, of course, they all come with disclaimers that limit any liability when things go wrong.
The article states that lack of dental coverage and dental fear are the motivation of most of the “do-it-yourselfers.” Those two factors, combined with internet access, have resulted in a do-it-yourself mentality of dental diagnosis and treatment that isn’t likely to end well. In addition, a growing number of people who take dental care into their own hands are motivated by trust. That is, trust in themselves and not in someone else like a dentist. Building trust with my dental patients is the most important thing I do – it’s fundamental to everything else. The dentistry part is easy and works out great once there is mutual trust.
You’ve heard the saying about lawyers: “he who represents himself in court has a fool for an attorney.” The same can be said for DIY dentists. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with doing some things yourself in order to save money. I personally am a DIY type guy. Painting a bedroom, installing a ceiling fan, reupholstering furniture, changing my own oil? All fine for most people, but not law, or medicine – maybe not taxes – and, definitely, not dentistry! Good Dentistry shouldn’t come with a disclaimer.