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From
Arsh Raziuddin
While most of the professionals who care for our teeth are reputable and honest, dentistry is less science-based and regulated than other fields. Some patients pay the price.
In the early 2000s, Terry Mitchell’s dentist retired. When one of his wisdom teeth began to ache, Mitchell, an electrician in his 50s, started looking for someone new. An acquaintance recommended John Roger Lund, DDS, whose practice was a convenient ten-minute walk from Mitchell’s home in San Jose, California.
Dr. Lund extracted the tooth with no complications. Mitchell never had any pain or new complaints, but in the space of seven years, Dr. Lund gave Mitchell nine root canals and just as many crowns. Mitchell’s insurance covered only a small portion of each procedure, so he paid about $50,000 out of pocket. He had no idea that it was unusual to undergo so many root canals. (A typical person might get one or two in a lifetime.) And he trusted Dr. Lund.