Tooth pain — cavities, chipped teeth, impacted molars — is not some discovery of modern man. In fact, new research suggests that our neanderthal predecessors may have tried to figure out ways to fix their aching teeth long before the dawn of human history. [More]
dentists
Waitress Pays Kind Diners’ Bill, Gets Free Dental Work In Return
By 1.25.17 — Updated: 1.26.17
In a world where there is no shortage of negative interactions between total strangers, it’s always nice to hear about people treating each other with a large dose of kindness. Like a meal at a New Jersey diner that started with one decent act and eventually resulted in free dental work. [More]
Police: Fake Dentist Made House Calls To Pull Teeth, Provide Dentures
By 12.12.16
Listen: if the dentist says he doesn’t mind dropping by your house to pull a few teeth, you might want to double check and make sure he’s a real dentist before you open wide. [More]
Yes, There Really Is A Dentist’s Office In A Kmart In Miami
By 2.26.16
We learned about Kmart Dental in Florida from reader Jason, who sent us a link and noted that it “has got to be the oddest thing inside of a Kmart anywhere.” We don’t know whether it holds any strangeness records, but a dentist’s office inside a discount store is pretty unusual. We wondered how they ended up there, and whether Kmart dental offices were a common thing that we had just never heard of, so we called them up and asked. [More]
Dentist Who Tried To Remove News Story From YouTube Drops Lawsuit, Pays $12K In Fees
By 2.17.16
A few weeks back we told you about a former dentist in Georgia who pled guilty in 2009 to filing Medicaid claims for procedures he didn’t actually perform, and who was trying to sue an anonymous YouTuber over a nearly seven-year-old news story that included allegations of physical assault from some patients. This week, the doctor agreed to withdraw his lawsuit and fork over $12,000 in fees for the unnamed defendant. [More]
YouTuber Being Sued By Dentist Explains Why It’s Important They Stay Anonymous
By 1.20.16
Yesterday we told you about Dr. Gordon Austin, a former dentist who is suing to unmask an anonymous YouTube user for posting a 2009 news report about allegations against Austin. We’ve since had the chance to communicate with the YouTuber via email to understand why they posted the clip in the first place and why, nearly seven years later, they are still fighting to keep it online. [More]
Dentist Who Pled Guilty To Theft Trying To Erase Past Allegations From YouTube
By 1.19.16
A retired dentist in Georgia, who pleaded guilty in 2009 to filing Medicaid claims for procedures he didn’t actually perform, doesn’t want the world to see a nearly seven-year-old news report about allegations from patients that he physically assaulted them while in his office. [More]
Dentist Who Claimed Copyright Over Patient’s Yelp Review Must Pay $4,766 In Damages
By 3.3.15
Way back in 2011, we told you about a dental patient who said his dentist had gone too far with a “privacy agreement” that preempted patients from publicly complaining about the doctor and claimed copyright on patients’ reviews. After nearly four years of legal wrangling, the dentist has finally been ordered to pay the patient nearly $5,000 in damages, though he may never get it. [More]
SCOTUS: Dentists Can’t Bar Other Businesses From Offering Teeth-Whitening Services
By 2.25.15
When you want to get your pearly whites professionally polished to their pearliest and whitest, going to the dentist doesn’t have to be the only option, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled today. The justices had looked at a case brought by the Federal Trade Commission against a North Carolina state board dominated by dentists that the agency said had unlawfully excluded non-dentists from teeth-whitening services. [More]
Florida Dentist Gets Thousands Of Calls Meant For Scammy Telemarketer
By 3.18.14
Scammy robocalls and scammy telemarketers hurt more than just innocent people who answer their phones at home. They also hurt the innocent people whose phone numbers they use to display on caller ID. Like the staff of a Florida dentist’s office who can barely have a conversation with their patients before another scam call target is on the line, ready to unleash a torrent of profanities. [More]
Criticize Dentist On Yelp, Get Threatened With Felony ‘Internet Business Defamation’
By 6.27.13
A Texas mother took her child to a dentist who only works on children based on the referral of the family’s regular dentist. She didn’t really like the specialist, and wrote a relatively short, clear Yelp review explaining why. That got her a letter from the dentist’s attorney ordering her to take down her review, OR ELSE. [More]
Dentist’s License Suspended Because She Shouldn’t Be The One On Laughing Gas
By 11.2.12
If you’ve ever been lying in the dentist’s chair facing the prospect of painful drilling and sticking needles in gums and oh god why, you might be familiar with the welcome relief nitrous oxide, aka “laughing gas” can bring. For the patient, of course. One dentist has had her license suspended for allegedly partaking in the silly gas in front of patients. [More]
Dentist Accused Of Offering Cash To UPS Employees To Let Him Perform Unnecessary Procedures
By 4.27.12
Authorities in California say that a Sacramento dentist not only performed unnecessary procedures on patients in order to rack up huge payments from insurance companies, but that he also enticed UPS employees into undergoing unneeded work because the company’s dental plan had no co-pay and no maximum dollar limit. [More]
Patient Sues Dentist Who Threatened Legal Action Over Yelp Reviews
By 12.1.11
A number of dentists who fear what effect a negative review on a site like Yelp can have on their business have been compelling patients to sign “privacy agreements” that aim to stop annoyed customers from going public with their complaints. But one patient has decided that these agreements go too far, especially after his comments on Yelp resulted in his dentist coming after him for money. [More]
Study: Dentists Less Likely To Treat Kids On Medicaid
By 5.23.11
Dentists in Cook County, IL, were more likely to provide emergency treatment to children who had private insurance than to those on Medicaid, even if the dentists were enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program, according to a new study. Medicaid typically pays less than private insurance plans, and experts say there’s “little market motivation” for practitioners to take on those patients, rather than just going with those who have private insurance. [More]
Dentist Left Instruments In Patients' Teeth
By 12.1.10
A New York dentist has been ordered back to school after being accused of leaving instruments behind in patients’ mouths during root canals. [More]
Dentist Won't Remove Braces Until You Pay Bill You've Already Paid
By 8.31.10
A woman in Chicago has spent the last 9 months attempting to have someone — anyone — remove the braces from her son’s teeth. See, the dentist that put them on refused to take them off because the dentist was convinced she hadn’t paid her bill in full. The dentist also called the police on her when she tried to dispute the issue in person. [More]
Do I Really Need A Deep Teeth Cleaning?
By 8.30.10
One of our readers just tried to take advantage of a $50 teeth cleaning offer from a local dentist, but once he got there he was quoted a new price of $1,136 for what they described as a “deep cleaning.” Was their revised offer legit? [More]
