Do dentists know what they're doing?
The gist
A patient recounts four dentists giving him conflicting advice on his bite and teeth.
The story raises the question of how patients judge conflicting dental opinions.
How it unfolded
- recentlyAt age 17, a dentist told the narrator his bite was off by fractions of a millimeter and that correcting it would prevent wearing down his teeth; the narrator agreed to tooth reshaping the same day.
- recentlyAfter the reshaping, his teeth fit together better but were shorter, which the narrator says made the impingement of his jaw into the right socket worse.
- recentlyAt age 20 in Florida, a dentist said he had no cavities but had started grinding his teeth, and made him a splint; the narrator said it worked well and his jaw never felt better.