• Tooth reshaping at age 17: A dentist convinced the author to shave down teeth to fix facial asymmetry and jaw pain; the irreversible procedure worsened the jaw impingement.
• Conflicting treatments for bruxism and jaw issues:
  • In Florida, a dentist recommended an anterior bite splint that relieved pain and stopped nocturnal grinding.
  • Later, an upscale Utah dental office warned that splints loosen front teeth, diagnosed 12 questionable "cavities," and pressured immediate fillings.
  • A low-frills dentist ("Dr. Frank") debunked the 12 cavities as "trolling for dollars" on tiny radiographic shadows that often resolve or require no intervention.
• Escalating and contradictory specialist recommendations:
  • A Burbank practitioner scolded the author for severe wear, demanded a night guard that subsequently ruined his bite alignment, and referred him to a TMJ specialist.
  • An elite Beverly Hills oral surgeon asserted the jaw was severely deformed, declaring that only a 9-month, $100,000–$150,000 surgery involving sawing the jaw bone and bone grafting could fix it.
  • A modest orthodontist contradicted the surgical plan, suggesting the surgeon "treats every mouth like a nail" and recommended basic Invisalign instead.
• The cyclical loop of Austin dentists:
  • A dentist ("Hottie Doc") diagnosed six cavities, dismissed hard brushing as a cause of gum recession, and referred him out to both an orthodontist and a periodontist.
  • The periodontist (Dr. Gupta) contradicted the dentist, insisting hard brushing still causes recession, claiming gum tissue never regrows naturally, offering a $10,000 gum graft, and insisting periodontal work must precede orthodontic treatment.
  • The periodontist dismissed the orthodontist's competence and recommended starting the entire cycle over by consulting an oral surgeon in California.

Hacker News Discussion

• Severe diagnosis variance: Commenters shared numerous personal experiences of moving between dentists and receiving wildly contradictory assessments—ranging from a clean bill of health to quotes for dozens of cavities, root canals, and crowns.
• Historical investigative validation: Readers cited famous consumer investigations (such as a 1997 Reader's Digest report where one journalist visited 50 dentists across 50 US states and a similar Swedish public TV study), which confirmed massive variations in diagnosis and pricing for the exact same teeth.
• Incentive structures and "trolling for dollars":
  • The discussion highlighted misaligned economic incentives in private practice, private-equity rollups of dental clinics, and commission/revenue-share models for hygienists pushing add-on treatments.
  • Some noted that diagnosis discrepancy also exists among salaried public healthcare dentists, showing that subjective clinical judgment and differing intervention thresholds (e.g., "watch and wait" vs. immediate drilling) play as large a role as greed.
• Comparison to auto mechanics and contractors: Several users likened modern dentistry to car dealerships or trade contractors, where technical opacity and information asymmetry make it nearly impossible for laypeople to distinguish essential medical interventions from speculative upsells.

• Manufacturing Process: A key technical clarification is that Invisalign does not 3D print the aligners themselves. Instead, they 3D print high-precision resin molds for every stage of treatment, and the clear plastic aligners are then thermoformed over these molds.
• Scale of Operations: Align Technology is highlighted as one of the world's largest users of 3D printing, consuming massive amounts of resin to create millions of unique, custom molds annually.
• Patient Experience:
  • Discipline: Success is highly dependent on the user wearing the trays for 22+ hours a day.
  • "The Invisalign Diet": Many users reported losing weight because the hassle of removing trays, eating, and brushing made snacking inconvenient.
  • Refinements: Most patients warned that the initial set of trays is rarely the end; "refinement" stages are common to fix minor misalignments or bite issues.
• Professional Oversight vs. DIY: There was a significant debate regarding the high cost ($3k–$8k). Professionals in the thread noted that the price covers the risk of "root resorption" (permanent tooth damage) if moved too quickly, which is a major risk in "Direct-to-Consumer" (DTC) models without orthodontist supervision.
• Technological Shift: The discussion noted the move from uncomfortable physical "putty" impressions to intraoral laser scanners (like iTero), which create instant 3D digital models of the patient's mouth.
• Competition: While Invisalign has a massive patent moat, competitors like LightForce (3D-printed brackets) are emerging, claiming faster treatment times by using the "physics" of traditional braces with 3D-printed customization.

for - health - teeth - regrow

https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/17oxi03/the_most_common_dream_in_every_country_mapped/

According to this map "The Most Common Dream in Every Country" the West spends a lot of time dreaming about their teeth falling out.