Brush each tooth 32 times and pay for at least that many unnecessary X-rays

Lobbyists for dentists have launched an expensive campaign to get people to brush and floss.

Healthy advice.

But what the Wisconsin Dental Association doesn’t advertise to Wisconsinites who routinely have their teeth cleaned by a dental professional, is how avarice and dishonest the dentists and their assistants really are.

Call almost any dentist’s office and the person answering the phone immediately asks whether the caller has dental insurance. The initial visit with the dentist is $65 or more, X-rays range from $65 to $160 depending on how many are taken and the cleaning is $65 to $75. So instead of cruising into your local dentist’s office for a routine $75 cleaning, the cost quickly adds up to a big bill.

The receptionist says, “It’s the law!” that dental hygienists are not allowed to clean teeth without a dental exam. They say it “legally” can’t be done. Pressed, they say they “don’t know for a fact that it’s illegal.”

So the people answering the phones in a dentist’s office are misinforming the public by citing an imaginary law. They are also misrepresenting themselves as attorneys.

Clearly it's an excuse, not a rule.

There is no law requiring new dental patients to receive diagnostic services, especially if all they want is a routine cleaning.

The state Department of Regulation and Licensing answers this question many times. There is no law that requires a dentist to examine, consult or perform X-rays. Instead, a dentist may tell a patient that s/he will not perform a service unless the patient also receives diagnostic services. It is then up to the patient to decide whether to stay or go to another dentist.

Unfortunately, it's a deceptive dental office policy that has evolved overtime and has become common practice among most, if not all, dentists.