Are dentists scamming us?

An investigation into overtreatment, insurance, and the history of dentistry.

Hey NOs,

We’ve all been there… you’re seated back, mouth open, instruments scraping your teeth. And all of a sudden your dentist says you have ten cavities and they all need to be treated immediately! Is that true, or does that dentist just need some cash?

Steve Martin playing a pretty MEAN dentist in Little Shop of Horrors

(Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Others)

On today’s episode, we ask the question: Are dentists scamming us? We dive into the dark history of dentistry, find out why dental insurance sucks, hear from someone who uncovered a dentist drilling teeth for profit, and talk to a startup founder who’s looking to upend the whole industry.

Lilly Kaplan — licensed therapist and Reality Test newsletter author — sits in for Manny this week.

Do you need therapy? 🫂

Listen to: Do you need therapy? (ft. Lilly)

Our guests this week are:

• AJ Jacobs, journalist and New York Times bestseller.

• Dr. Sarah Stuefen, general dentist in Iowa and spokesperson for the American Dental Association.

• Dr. Cheryline Pezzullo, general dentist and clinical associate professor.

• Dr. Brandon Zeidler, doctor of dental surgery.

• Tyler Burnett, cofounder of Wally Health.

Here’s a photo of me post-bowling incident:

Related Links

• One in Three Young Adults Skip the Dentist, and That’s a Problem

• Dental Fear is Widespread—But Most People Want Treatment

• ​​I Have Dental Insurance. Why Do I Pay So Much for Care?

• A Brief History of America’s Most Outrageous Dentist

• The Truth About Dentistry by Ferris Jabr

• The Politics of Everything Podcast: More Reasons to Hate the Dentist (ft. Ferris Jabr)

• Dr. Brandon Zeidler breaks down his experience with Dr. Lund in way more detail

• WV Dental Loss Ratios Published

Have a question you want us to answer or a dentist story you want to share? Email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286