Not going to tax the middle class

[Marvin S]

Milking stools are pretty stable with 3 legs...j/k

Ours were one legged , worked my way through my last two years of HS milking cows. There is nothing like putting your head in the flank of a milk cow on a cold wintery morning to make one realize that's what life is about.

But that's not how I want our income sourced!!!

[road kill]

Ours were one legged , worked my way through my last two years of HS milking cows. There is nothing like putting your head in the flank of a milk cow on a cold wintery morning to make one realize that's what life is about.

But that's not how I want our income sourced!!!

Or a fresh class and a warm biscuit!!!!!

[starjack]

Milking stools are pretty stable with 3 legs...j/k

Milking cows sure wish i could go back to them days.

[huntinman]

Or a fresh class and a warm biscuit!!!!!

your teacher let you eat in class?

[Buzz]

As I said, I took no offense. I just wanted to correct your impresson that that had been little change in dentistry as opposed to medical. The fact is that many of the advancements in medical have been incoroported into dentistry. As to oral surgery, you do see the advancements but I assure you there have also been in advancements not only in other areas I cited but also in fillings, crowns and bridges. Advancements in efficiency, materials and preparation of teeth. These are things you probably can't see.

As to insurance companies, my experience was that I did not allow them to influence my practice to any extent. Dentist as a whole are very independent and value that independence and maybe that is the reason for the way that the profession has been so stable. Yes the insurance companies have tried to exert more control but overall they have been unsuccessful. As to malpractics, I suspect that premiums have gone up percentagewise as much as physicians as a whole.

I refer you to Buzz'z chart showing the increase in the cost of healthcare as a % of GDP, It corresponds almost EXACTLY with the creation of medicare and medicaid. Something those in favor of nationalizing healthcare conviently overlook.

My experience with dentistry indicates vast advancement since the days when I got amalgam fillings as a kid. Twenty five years ago I had a root canal. Ten years ago that crown came loose and the post pushed through the root on my tooth. At one time the only option would have been extraction. I was able to go to an oral surgeon how went through my jaw bone, drilled the root, filled it and replaced the post. Then my dentist was able to put on a new crown. The surgeon stated that he couldn't guarantee the fix for 40 years, but noted that he couldn't guarantee anything for that time. He said that the material he used to fill the tooth was relatively new and bio friendly, meaning that my body would not likely reject and that the bone would likely grow back in. Subsequent x-rays have shown that indeed it has.

This fall I bit into a sausage and cracked a tooth on a piece of bone. Tuesday this week I had my appointment to have a crown installed to make the repair. The dentist now has a machine that he can image my teeth. The machine then makes 3-D models of the teeth and from a block of porcelain he mills out a crown while I wait. In 1 1/2 hours I walked out with a new crown that fit perfectly. No temporary and no waiting for a crown on a metal base to come from the lab. No biting into molds. It is amazing. Ten years ago I paid $800 for my crown. The whole process took 1 1/2 weeks. Tuesday I paid $940 for a better crown that I walked out with, same day.

[road kill]

your teacher let you eat in class?

It's worse than you think, I was trying to spell cup!!!!

[huntinman]

It's worse than you think, I was trying to spell cup!!!!

You on an iPad? I hate the auto spell

[caryalsobrook]

My experience with dentistry indicates vast advancement since the days when I got amalgam fillings as a kid. Twenty five years ago I had a root canal. Ten years ago that crown came loose and the post pushed through the root on my tooth. At one time the only option would have been extraction. I was able to go to an oral surgeon how went through my jaw bone, drilled the root, filled it and replaced the post. Then my dentist was able to put on a new crown. The surgeon stated that he couldn't guarantee the fix for 40 years, but noted that he couldn't guarantee anything for that time. He said that the material he used to fill the tooth was relatively new and bio friendly, meaning that my body would not likely reject and that the bone would likely grow back in. Subsequent x-rays have shown that indeed it has.

This fall I bit into a sausage and cracked a tooth on a piece of bone. Tuesday this week I had my appointment to have a crown installed to make the repair. The dentist now has a machine that he can image my teeth. The machine then makes 3-D models of the teeth and from a block of porcelain he mills out a crown while I wait. In 1 1/2 hours I walked out with a new crown that fit perfectly. No temporary and no waiting for a crown on a metal base to come from the lab. No biting into molds. It is amazing. Ten years ago I paid $800 for my crown. The whole process took 1 1/2 weeks. Tuesday I paid $940 for a better crown that I walked out with, same day.

Really glad you had a good experience. when I retired I wasn't quite satisfied with the imaging and milling process, but was sure they would eventually get the bugs out. That milling machine cost about $120,000 when I retired. Don't know what it cost today. By the way, preparing the tooth using that technique requires a much higher proficiency in peparation than it does when I was in practice. Today it would require a lot of changes by me to do such a crown and a lot of time to be comfortable with the technique. Chalenges like that make me miss working.

[huntinman]

Really glad you had a good experience. when I retired I wasn't quite satisfied with the imaging and milling process, but was sure they would eventually get the bugs out. That milling machine cost about $120,000 when I retired. Don't know what it cost today. By the way, preparing the tooth using that technique requires a much higher proficiency in peparation than it does when I was in practice. Today it would require a lot of changes by me to do such a crown and a lot of time to be comfortable with the technique. Chalenges like that make me miss working.

Yeah, but then you would be spending less time in the duck blind and chasing the the dogs...

[caryalsobrook]

Yeah, but then you would be spending less time in the duck blind and chasing the the dogs...

Thought about trying to work part time but then I couldn't take off for months with my dogs like now. I can't wait to see your new pup, with no politics AND JUST DOGS