Dentists a Far Cry from "Horrible Bosses" and Professionals

New York, NY, December 17, 2014 (Newswire.com) -
Of all the business professionals out there, dentists have got to have the most undeserved and unfair reputation. Time and again and going back several decades, they have been portrayed by film and TV media to all-out psychopaths with a sadistic love of inflicting pain and emotional torment upon their patients, who are perhaps more adeptly referred to as “victims.”

The Little Shop of Horrors (1986) saw Steve Martin getting his jollies from hurting patients and when he wasn’t doing that, he was getting as high as a kite from sniffing nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. His advice to his son in the film is: “Be a dentist, people will pay you to be inhumane.”

There is the horror movie The Dentist (1996), which essentially brings to cinematic life anyone’s worst and most irrational fear: that his or her dental healthcare professional turns out to be an insidious psychopath. The 1969 movie Cactus Flower featuring Goldie Hawn and Walter Matthau also featured a sadistic, emotionally abusive dentist.

Then of course there is Horrible Bosses (1 and 2), the most recent addition to the collection of films and TV shows to have depicted dentists to be morally depraved creatures. In these films, Jennifer Anniston plays a barracuda of a boss who finds creative (and illegal) ways to convince her dental assistant to sleep with her and in doing so, to cheat on his fiancé. This role is reminiscent of Anniston’s boyfriend in the hit TV series Friends, who was also a dentist and who also dabbled seriously in infidelity.

Could the Media be Contributing to Lower Standards of Oral Health?

All of these movies and shows are comedies that work towards the goal of making people laugh through satirizing popular stereotypes. The same could be said for movies that paint lawyers to be ruthless, loveless and amoral and salesmen to be sleazy and unscrupulous. But ask the majority of New Yorkers who have been to their dentist recently and the reality isn’t in line with the stereotypes these movies are portraying.

“Dentist are often portrayed negatively in film and on TV,” says New York cosmetic dentist Dr. Debra Glassman, who also ironically has many movie star clients. “They definitely have fun at dentists’ expense. Patients have to have complete trust in their dentist,” she adds. “I treat everyone as if I’m the one who’s in the chair.”

So while dentists can certainly laugh at themselves, one must wonder about the damage this could be doing to the public perception of dentists. There are already so many fearful people out there, so to reinforce this fear could be preventing them from seeing their dentist for the routine dental care they need to maintain a good standard of oral health.

Everyone knows (or should know) that you need to see the dentist and oral hygienist at least twice per year for a check-up and professional teeth cleaning. This preventative health care could mean the difference between receiving prompt treatment for ailments such as gum disease, and leaving it completely undetected. Dental phobia is one of the more common of our irrational fears with 10% of New Yorkers being so terrified of the dentist that they can’t even walk past a dental practice!

Could popular film and TV media be stoking the fires of these fears and, in doing so, keep these people from professional dental attention and treatment?

Some Good News For Dentists: The Public Trusts You!

Perhaps not, because according to numerous public polls and surveys that have been conducted in countries across the world, dentists typically rank in the top 10 of trusted professionals. In other words, of all the professions in the primary, secondary and tertiary job sectors, the public finds dentists to be among the most trust-worthy.

A good example is the December 2012 results of a telephonic survey done by www.Gallup.com, which is a powerhouse polling institution. When asked to rank 22 different professions on a scale of 1 to 5 based upon honesty, integrity and ethics, the American public’s true sentiments were revealed with the top most trustworthy professionals being (in order): nurses, pharmacists, physicians, engineers, dentists, police officers, college teachers, clergy, psychiatrists and chiropractors. Used car salesmen and congressmen represented the least trusted professions, which doesn’t come as any surprise whatsoever.

The Final Word

The characters portrayed by film and TV and the reality you’ll find in a good dental office in New York are worlds apart. Dentists adhere to the same codes of conduct and have the same integrity and commitment to quality and compassionate patient care as any medical doctor. A dental practice is a safe and pain-free environment where patients can get their teeth cleaned, repaired or even replaced and their smile perfected. It’s not a crime scene. One can only hope that the public recognizes these works of fictional comedy for what they are…

And that’s fictional comedy.

About Dr. Debra Glassman

Dr. Debra Glassman and her husband Dr. Steven Glassman are a cosmetic dentist duo that has been serving the advanced and sophisticated dental needs of New York City and surrounds for many years. Together, they run a practice of outstanding repute and routinely cater to the needs of well-known celebrities with dentistry services that range from general to cosmetic and from dental implants to teeth whitening. Dr. Debra is the creator of the StarBrite toothpaste for at-home teeth whitening, as well as its associated products.

Contact Glassman Dental!

To find out more about Glassman Dental or to schedule an appointment and become a Glassman patient, call their New York dental practice at 800-396-7898. Alternatively, you can request an appointment with them by filling out the form on their website’s Contact Page.

Physical address:
Glassman Dental Care
160 West End Ave, #1R,
New York, NY 10023