Dentistry, Honesty, Boca Raton and South Florida - Part 1

Why is it that a lot of people do not trust their professional team any more?
We as a society have become suspicious of all advertisement for a long time. Notorious not trustworthy were for a long time car salesmen, repairshops, contractors, handymen. Lately, we became more suspicious of our attorneys, doctors, investment advisors, accountants, realtors and... dentists. Why the change?
As a dentist, let me speak for my profession.
I live and practice dentistry in Boca Raton, Florida, a very affluent enclave of our affluent society. South Florida is a magnet for many dentists, not only because of the weather, but also because of the demographics of the potential dental patients. Most people in South Florida moved here from other places and don't really know each other. This is a first problem: one does not know whom to trust!
The second problem is even worse. It is an embedded conflict of interest in the patient-doctor relationship to begin with. If the dentist finds more "stuff", there is more treatment to perform, therefore the compensation is larger. Even if the dentist is conservative with the treatment proposed, the patient may be still suspicious, unless there is a trust between the two. This will be the subject of another blog.
So, the more findings, the more treatment, the more revenue for the dentist. What can be done about this build-in conflict of interest?
In summary, these two problems (and there are more) of most everybody being new to the area and the build-in conflict of interest both merge into the issue of trust.
Does anybody agree with me?
I presume some dentist will disagree with me, even feel offended.
In the next post I will get into the issue of trust and try to give some solutions to this question.

mr