A new dental scam is to pull healthy teeth to sell you expensive fake ones

Pervasive Overtreatment and Fraud Anecdotes

• Many commenters report dentists diagnosing cavities, root canals, crowns, or implants that later dentists say are unnecessary or never mention again.
• Several describe sequences of multiple dentists each proposing very different, expensive “treatment plans” for the same mouth.
• Some fillings, crowns, or root canals recommended as urgent were skipped; years later the teeth remain fine.
• A subset had teeth or baby teeth nearly pulled, or heavily drilled, in childhood or youth, leaving long‑term damage and ongoing maintenance.

Wisdom Teeth, Implants, and “Preemptive” Work

• Wisdom tooth extraction is often pushed even in asymptomatic adults; multiple people kept theirs for decades without issues.
• Others did genuinely need extractions for impaction or decay, illustrating real gray areas.
• Newer corporate/implant centers are accused of recommending full‑mouth extractions and implants where conservative treatment or single‑tooth work would suffice.

Financial & Structural Incentives

• Heavy education debt, fee‑for‑service billing, and profit goals (especially in the US) are seen as strong drivers of overtreatment.
• Private equity–owned chains and corporate dental groups are singled out for aggressive upselling, financing offers, and marketing.
• Dentistry’s separation from general medicine and insurance is viewed as historical and policy-driven, with perverse incentives for procedures over prevention.

Difficulty Vetting Dentists

• Commenters see dentistry like auto repair: extreme information asymmetry and wide variability in diagnoses.
• Heuristics mentioned: distrust “too nice” or highly marketed offices, corporate chains, and frequent “treatment plan” pitches—but others note this can mislead.
• Word‑of‑mouth referrals and long waits at small, conservative practices are seen as positive signals.

Ideas for Mitigation

• Strong themes: always get second opinions, especially for extractions, implants, root canals, or large quotes.
• Suggestions include: AI/x‑ray review services, independent x‑ray centers, insurance‑funded second opinions, separating diagnosis from treatment, and even sting operations or big‑data fraud detection.
• Some see systemic reform (better regulation, integrating dentistry with health insurance, curbing private equity) as necessary to restore trust.