Wisdom Teeth War Erupts in Utah

   The oral surgeons of Utah County have their underpants in a great big bunch. At issue is a general dentist operating as "Wisdom Teeth Only." You may have seen his billboards along I-15. The oral surgeons paid for a billboard that says "Heath Hendrickson of Wisdom Teeth Only is NOT an Oral Surgeon." They have made a website called trooth.com, get it? Don't you love the photo? I believe that one of the most important things that I do is to help people get over their fears. It's one of the most rewarding things I do. I love it when I can build a more trusting relationship with those who have been traumatized, usually by schlocky dentists. Then these idiots put out this picture.

   Last Friday they actually picketed his office!! For those who may care why a bunch of highly educated "professionals" would be acting like 2nd graders, here's the explanation.

   Heath Hendrickson is a general dentist. I guess he liked doing wisdom teeth. He bought a practice from an oral surgeon in Provo that was named Wisdom Teeth Only. Apparently his niche is lower prices, he can do it for less than the specialists. He takes even the crappy insurances. He and his brother now have several offices by that name. Apparently there are so many dentists in Utah that he has put the oral surgeons in more of a pinch.
   Here's the back story. Dental school is 4 years after college. You're called a general dentist and you can do root canals, wisdom teeth, whatever you're comfortable with; hopefully only what you do well. After that you can go to school for a few more years and be a specialist- orthodontist, endodontist (root canals), pediatric dentist. Or a few to a lot more years and be an oral surgeon. Most oral surgery programs now give you an MD degree.
   The bureaucrats have had endless meetings and decided that a general dentist can say they have a practice "limited to oral surgery." You must tell patients that you are a general dentist and that they have the right to go to a specialist. You also can't use the word special or specialist or specialize.  They have also decided that a patient can sue for malpractice if the general dentist did not do what a reasonable specialist would have done.
   There are, of course, turf wars. There can be turf wars between oral surgeons and plastic surgeons. One of the big advertising "plastic surgeons" in Utah is actually a dentist who became an oral surgeon. There are turf wars between insecure plastic surgeons and dermatologists.
  I think the bottom line is not what degree you have, it's how good you are. Most of us who went to school 20 years ago could no longer describe the front door of the place. I can't and I've been back many times. I've given them lots of money. It's not what you knew 20 years ago, it's what you know now. I have nothing against other oral surgeons. I don't like doing wisdom teeth. I'm not jealous of oral surgeons. I'm glad they're around. I'm pretty impressed with the surgeons that I refer patients to.
   A degree is no guarantee. The number of letters after the name is no guarantee. There is an oral surgeon right now in the south valley who has a drug problem. The records are public at dopl.utah.gov. He lost his license in New York, but is on probation here, working every day. There is an oral surgeon in Layton who the records describe as a drug and sex addict. He is not allowed to be alone with a patient of either gender. He's not even on probation anymore. An oral surgeon in Ogden used to have patients wake up with their clothes buttoned up wrong- just like the Seinfield episode! He finally quit. I know a periodontist (gum surgeon) who did so may drugs that she started surgery on a patient after she had forgotten the anesthesia! She is still working in Salt Lake.
   The other bottom line is that patients should research anyone who is gong to treat them. Most of the bad news is on google. Things like malpractice, license probation and crimes will show up. A single bad google review is not terrible, it's realistic. Someone gave me a bad review. If there aren't any bad reviews they may be stacking the deck. Good luck choosing, and research carefully