The Dark Side Of Dentistry
The Dark Side Of Dentistry is the whistleblower podcast the dental industry doesn’t want you to hear. Hosted by The Drill Teller, a licensed insider still working in the system. This show exposes the shady tactics used by corporate dental chains and DSO’s to squeeze profits out of patients. From inflated treatment plans to fake diagnoses, from probing “trainings “to scare tactic screenings, each episode breaks down how the industry really works behind the front desk. No fluff. No Fear. Just facts from inside the machine.
Subscribe and Follow
On X @thedrillteller
#DarkSideOfDentistry, #DentalScams, #CorporateDentistry, #DentalTruths, #BehindTheSmile, #DentalIndustryExposed, #PatientAwareness, #UpsellingInDentistry, #PeriodontalScams, #DentalPodcast, #OralHealthSecrets, #DentistryUncovered, #ExposingDSOs, #DentalFraud, #ToothTruth #Dental
The Dark Side Of Dentistry
Unmasking the Crown Con
The Crown Con exposes how corporate dental chains transform minor cavities into $1500 paydays, convincing patients they need expensive crowns when simple fillings would suffice. This whistleblower account reveals the industry's profit-driven practices where $10 materials are marked up to $1500 treatments through strategic manipulation and pressure tactics.
• Corporate dental practices track dentists' filling-to-crown conversion rates through performance metrics
• Dentists face pressure to recommend more crowns instead of fillings to increase practice revenue
• Ceramic CAD/CAM crowns cost practices less than $10 in materials but are charged at $800-1500
• A 2018 study in the Journal of American Dental Association found 25% of crown recommendations are unnecessary
• Young dentists with $300-400K in student debt are particularly vulnerable to corporate production pressures
• Patient "Mike" was told he needed three crowns ($4000) when second opinions showed most needed no treatment at all
Email me at thedrillteller@protonme or follow me on X at @TheDrillTeller. All stories and questions will remain anonymous. Stay sharp, stay skeptical, and remember: in dentistry, your best offense is knowledge.
Welcome back to the dark side of dentistry, where the white coats and bright smiles aren't always what they seem. I'm the Drill Teller, a whistleblower still inside the dental industry, here to expose some of the biggest scams and hidden practices most patients never see. I'm not here to start trouble. I'm here because I've seen too much and it's time you knew what you're really getting into. If you think you know dentistry, think again. Today we're diving into the most outrageous scam I've ever witnessed from the inside the Crown Con, where minor cavities are magically transformed into $1500 paydays for corporate dental chains, all at your expense. You trust your dentist to tell the truth, but in too many practices the truth has a price tag. Well, let's pull that mask off and show you how the system is designed to turn your trust into profit. Today we're unmasking the Crown Con, a shameful $1500 scheme where corporate dentists exploit your pain for profit. They'll claim your cavity's too big for a simple filling, then push a crown that costs them pennies to produce. It's not care, it's calculated greed, and I'm outraged for you. Now I work inside a corporate dental chain and I see the deception up close. In episode one we revealed how dentistry's profit obsession hurts patients. Now I'm blowing the whistle on crowns because you deserve the truth and the tools to protect yourself. This is a fight for your health and your wallet. Let's do this, let's lay bare the crown scam and, believe me, this is a betrayal that cuts deep.
Speaker 1:A crown, sometimes called a cap, is recommended when a dentist claims your cavity or fracture or damaged tooth is too big for a simple $150 filling. Now, that phrase too big that's the key word. That's their weapon, deliberately vague, to manipulate you into costly treatment. It's not about evidence, it's about their bottom line and it's infuriating. Crowns are the engine of this deceit. Ceric crowns, as we do, are milled in office same day using digital machines that patients think signal advanced care. The reality is that the materials are a simple ceramic block and milling components that cost the practice less than $10. I repeat, less than $10, yet they charge you $800 to $1,500 for that crown. A filling might earn them $100 after insurance, but a crown delivers 10 times that in profit and it's a financial no-brainer for them and a devastating loss for you.
Speaker 1:I witnessed it firsthand and I still do every day. They track every procedure with cold precision. One specific metric or report stands out how many, three or four surface fillings a dentist is diagnosing. If a dentist records too many, management would intervene, pressuring them to recommend crowns instead. Of course, they would frame it as a better option for the patient, but I saw right through the lie. It was about revenue, not your health. There's a study in 2018, and you can look it up in the Journal of the American Dental Association that confirms up to 25% of crown recommendations are unnecessary.
Speaker 1:Driven by financial incentives, not medical necessity, dentists would exploit your trust, warning without a crown your tooth could fracture, leading to worse problems. I saw them inflate minor cavities, claiming they were near the nerve when a filling would have sufficed. And these seric crowns. They make this scam seamless. They're cheap, they're fast. It lets the practice cash in without any lab delays. This isn't dentistry. It's a calculated hustle and every patient deserves better.
Speaker 1:I saw a betrayal of everything Everything dentistry should stand for. Dentists, often young and saddled with $300,000 to $400,000 in student debt, were coerced by production quotas. These dentists right out of school are preyed on by corporate dentistry. They love them. Every week, management would dissect their numbers. If your crown count was low, you'd face a performance review.
Speaker 1:I once overheard a manager tell a dentist. Let's call her Dr Sarah. You're diagnosing too many. Three surface fillings, crowns, are the standard. Dr Sarah knew it was unethical, but the pressure was crushing. Defy the system and you lose your livelihood. This wasn't about healing, it was about profit at any cost.
Speaker 1:Patients suffer the most. I recall many patients, but one in particular, mike, who came in for a cleaning and he was told he needed three crowns a $4,000 expense. Well, mike was terrified, believing his teeth were failing. He came back two weeks later because he was smart enough to get a second and third opinion revealing the truth. Two of those cavities required no treatment at all and the third needed a simple filling. Mike escaped, but most patients don't. They trust their dentist, unaware that they're being exploited for their quotas.
Speaker 1:If today's episode hits home, if you've ever been diagnosed or pressured into a crown, I want to hear from you. Email me anytime at the drill teller at protonme. That's the drill teller at protonme. All stories, questions, comments will stay anonymous. Follow me on X at the Drill Teller. I'm still in the industry and, again, I'm not doing this to start fights. I'm doing this because I'm tired of watching patients get blindsided. It's time to take back your power. It's time to take back your power. Stay tuned the dark side runs deeper than you think. You've been listening to the Dark Side of Dentistry and I'm the Drill Teller, still inside the system, but here to shine light on the truth that they don't want you to hear. If you've got a question, a story or just want to connect, email me at thedrillteller at protonme. Follow me on X at the Drill Teller for more behind-the-scenes revelations. Stay sharp, stay skeptical and remember in dentistry, your best offense is knowledge. Until next time, keep your teeth strong and your guard stronger. Thank you.