I think Dentists are the best marketers of the health world.

Off the top of my head:

• There are only two checkups that you’re generally expected to get on at least an annual basis, regardless of your actual state of health: Go to your doctor, and go to your dentist. They’re the only two medical professionals who send cute little reminder notes out in the mail which say “don’t forget your checkup, it’s been six months!”
• I think far more than any other specialty, there are a prolific number of substantial, expensive, and increasingly common procedures that dentists perform. Everyone gets braces. Everyone gets cavities filled. Plenty of people get wisdom teeth pulled.
• It’s common knowledge that you’re supposed to devote 5-10 minutes, twice a day, SPECIFICALLY to taking care of (brushing) your teeth. Innuendo aside, there’s no other part of your body that receives this kind of dedicated attention.
• Of the library of possible medical maladies, I think having serious tooth trouble is by far the least embarrassing. Which means I’m both most likely to talk about it with my friends, and I’m also most likely to actually do something about it when I see a dentist. Think about how different your reaction would be if you heard that a friend is seeing a dentist regularly versus seeing a psychiatrist regularly. Think about how likely you are to respond if you’re advised to see a dentist for a mouth problem compared to seeing a psychiatrist for a brain problem.

Which leads me to the following line of questions: Why not annual checkups with your family psychologist? Why not nightly 5 minute stretch routines prescribed by your long-time physical therapist?

And more centrally: Are we really just that poor at taking care of our teeth, or were the founding fathers of dentistry just really exceptional businessmen?