The Indian Dental Industry’s Dark Secret

Dentistry in India has quietly become one of the unregulated goldmines for clinics looking to extract money—sometimes more aggressively than they extract teeth.
Unlike cardiology or oncology, dental problems rarely demand immediate emergency intervention.
And that’s exactly why the industry exploits fear.

Dentists use medical jargon, complicated X-ray images, fear-inducing terminology like “infection spreading to the brain,” and exaggerated consequences to push expensive procedures—often completely unnecessary.

1. The Classical Dental Scam Model: Disturb → Damage → Dependence

Step 1: Disturb the tooth that doesn’t need disturbance

A tooth that could be preserved with:

• a simple fluoride treatment,
• a minor filling,
• a short-term medication course

…is deliberately “cleaned,” “scraped,” or “filed” in an aggressive way.

This disturbance opens the gateway to pain that the patient never had before walking into the clinic.

Step 2: Convert the minor issue into a major procedure

After disturbing the tooth:

• A small sensitivity is labelled as “nerve exposure”.
• A tiny cavity is declared “deep infection”.
• A mild gum irritation becomes “advanced periodontal disease”.

And the recommendation quickly escalates to:

• Root canal
• Crown
• Extraction
• Full bridge
• Implant

All for a tooth that needed none of these.

Step 3: Damage surrounding teeth to ensure repeat business

This is the dirtiest trick in the book.
Once one tooth is treated aggressively, the dentist subtly “affects” neighbouring teeth during cleaning or drilling.

Within 1–2 months, the patient comes back saying:
“Doctor, now the next tooth is also paining.”

Exactly the plan.

2. The Anesthesia Scam: Numbing the Mouth to Numb the Truth

“Deliberately cleaned, scraped, or filed in an aggressive way — but hidden under the cover of anesthesia.”

One of the most silent and dangerous dental frauds happening today involves misusing local anesthesia to secretly damage healthy teeth without the patient realizing it.

Step 1: Overloading anesthesia deliberately

Certain dentists intentionally inject more anesthesia than medically required.
Instead of numbing only the affected tooth, they numb the entire upper and lower jaw.

With the whole mouth numb, the patient cannot feel:

• scraping,
• poking,
• drilling,
• or forceful pressure
  on other teeth.

Step 2: Disturbing healthy teeth during the numb window

While pretending to “check alignment” or “verify surrounding structure,” the dentist starts touching, scratching, or scraping completely healthy teeth.

Because of numbness, the patient:

• cannot detect the intrusion,
• cannot sense enamel being damaged,
• cannot feel gums being poked,
• cannot protest or stop the dentist.

This becomes the perfect cover to engineer future dental problems.

Step 3: Planting fear BEFORE the pain comes

Right after the procedure, the dentist casually remarks:
“That lower tooth also feels weak. You may not feel it now because of the anesthesia, but it needs attention.”

This psychological planting sets up a future sale.

Step 4: Pain appears exactly after 2–3 months

Micro-damage + enamel scraping + gum disturbance

Pain shows up after 8–12 weeks — precisely when the dentist predicted.

The patient believes the dentist’s “earlier diagnosis” was correct.

But the truth is:
The problem was created during the numbness phase.

3. Root Canal: Dentistry’s ATM Machine

If there is one procedure that is pushed more unnecessarily than any other, it is the Root Canal Treatment (RCT).

Why?

Because it is the most profitable.
The typical chain looks like this:

• RCT charge: ₹5,000–₹15,000
• Crown: ₹5,000–₹20,000
• Scaling: ₹1,000–₹5,000
• X-rays: ₹500–₹1,200

One tooth alone generates ₹12,000–₹40,000.

Multiply that by 32 teeth.
Welcome to the business model.

The reality:

80% of RCTs advised in India are not medically required.
In most cases, sensitivity or minor infection can be treated with:

• medication,
• non-invasive pulp therapy,
• gel desensitizers,
• small fillings, or
• enamel strengthening treatments.

But “RCT” is the magical three-letter word that converts a worried patient into guaranteed revenue.

4. “You Need a Crown” – When You Actually Don’t

Crowns are recommended like Prasad.
Even a small cavity that could be filled is turned into:

• “You need a crown, otherwise the tooth will crack.”
• “The filling won’t last.”
• “This is the safest option.”

Truth:
A crown is recommended only when the tooth is significantly broken or weakened.
But dentists drill the tooth more than needed just to justify the crown.

Crown = ₹7,000–₹25,000
Filling = ₹800–₹2,000

See the difference?

5. Full Mouth Rehab Fraud (₹1.5 – ₹5 lakh)

This is the industry’s jackpot.

A patient walks in for one tooth.
Walks out with a treatment plan for:

• 10 caps
• 6 RCTs
• 4 extractions
• 2 implants

They show photos, videos, and intimidating 3D models to over-explain the “urgent need”.

Truth:
Most full-mouth rehabs are unnecessary and cause irreversible damage.
Once teeth are drilled, they cannot be un-drilled.
The patient becomes dependent for life.

6. Cementing Cavities to Trap Patients

Some dentists intentionally fill cavities with temporary cement but claim it’s permanent.

Why?

Because temporary cement:

• wears away,
• causes pain again,
• exposes dentin,
• needs “urgent treatment”.

The patient then returns:
“Doctor, it’s hurting again.”
Exactly the plan.

7. Scaling Over-Polishing Scam

Unnecessary aggressive polishing scrapes enamel.
Scraped enamel leads to sensitivity.
Sensitivity becomes “infection”.
Infection becomes “RCT”.
RCT becomes crown.

A perfect upselling ladder.

8. X-Ray Manipulation: The Silent Weapon

Digital X-rays are easy to manipulate:

• Over-contrast shows harmless shadows as “cavities”.
• A mild gap looks like a “dangerous infection pocket”.
• A tiny spot is labelled “nerve exposure”.

The patient sees the black/white scary picture and agrees.

9. Package Deals: Dentistry Becomes an EMI Business

Chains offer “Smile Correction Packages”:

• ₹40,000
• ₹1,20,000
• ₹2,00,000

These include unnecessary caps, veneer-like trims, whitening, polishing — all of which damage natural enamel permanently.

Teeth become weaker; patient becomes dependent.

10. Fear Marketing: They Use the Brain Card

Sentences commonly used:

• “This infection can reach your brain.”
• “The tooth can burst.”
• “You may lose the entire jawbone.”
• “If you delay, the pain will become unbearable.”

Truth:
99% of dental issues do NOT spread to the brain.
But fear sells.

Conclusion: The Patient Becomes the Product

Dentists who follow ethics are real gems.
But the growing majority treat dentistry as:

• a business,
• a target-driven enterprise,
• a cosmetic correction market,
• a revenue-per-tooth model.

The tragedy?
The teeth that God designed to last 90+ years are destroyed in 9 months.
Just because the patient trusted the wrong dentist.

Disclaimer:

This article targets only those dentists who work without ethics. We hold full respect for good and honest dentists — they need not take any offense.