Why do people with basically no true dental knowledge, give people dental advice?

I realize that this is a site for people to get advice from many different sources, but I don't understand why some people with only vague dental knowledge or no dental knowledge, are on here giving dental advice. That would be like me getting on the section about vehicles and telling people what is wrong with their cars. I wouldn't have a clue and would be giving bad advice. I have seen some dental advice on here that is so off the mark, that it is almost funny. I don't know if some people are making up what they are telling people or they are repeating something they heard somewhere. There are alot of people getting on here and asking questions, really looking for good, solid dental advice and they don't know what to believe when they are getting so many different opinions. I have seen people give totally wrong advice to someone, and yet they get voted Best Answer, when someone else actually gave them a more accurate answer. Why are people giving such bad dental advice?

Why do people with basically no true dental knowledge, give people dental advice?
They just want to amuse the rest of the world. I love it when people say, "I doubt you are a real dentist, but..." That's one reason I disabled my e-mail connection through Yahoo!
Reply:Absolutely, but sometimes, I think the asker gets what they deserve. (haha) "I've had a toothache for 6 weeks now. What can I do and do NOT say go to the dentist. I hate dentists and will not go." Have at 'em, I say! Report It

Reply:"cause there's not much to dentistry is there? It takes 6 years to be a doctor and learn about the whole body but 5 to learn just about teeth, how slow are dentists?
Reply:good question, i agree 100%, but i did see a question asked by a dental nurse a month or so ago, wondering if she should use gloves whilst developing xrays, as the pt had HCV, so maybe she should not be answering any questions either, somebody gave her some great advice, told her that she could get a vaccination for hepatitis C.. so they are people out there that are giving info that is potentially dangerous...


ps i am a dental nurse aswell, so i am not saying that all dental nurses have lack of knowledge


pss this was a brilliant question though good one
Reply:I agree with begrimm666. I know that I answer dental questions based on my own personal experience. I won't answer questions that I know nothing about, like questions about braces. Now questions about veneers and getting teeth pulled I will answer because I have been there. Most people just want to feel like someone else knows what they are going through and have people help them the best way they can. Some of the questions on here are quite ridiculous-they should know to go to the dentist, but most people are looking for a quick fix.
Reply:I agree with you I have been in the field for about 20yrs and I do read the answers and sometimes do not make any sense. I always tell them they should consult the dentist first for their problems because if we just give advise then we are not really helping the person by telling them what to do at home. They always need to see a dentist to get the problem solved. The advise by the dentists do help these people on the site.
Reply:Some people answer questions based on their personal experience of having dental work done, maybe it isn't to exact detail but at least they are trying to be helpful. As for the outright stupid answers, I would think that the person asking the question would have basic common sense to realise that it is way off the mark.It's better to have feedback off 10 people than none at all. Maybe I am guilty also of answering questions I know little about, but if it is constructive then why not try to at least 'help' others, it's only 5 minutes of your time.
Reply:I agree with you partially. Too many people are giving bad advice. Having said this though, dentistry isn't exact. There isn't a right and wrong answer all the time. I have seen self proclaimed dentists give answers I don't agree with and I have seen self proclaimed dental assistants miss the answers as well. I am a dentist in Indiana. I answer these quesstions for fun...normally I would get paid for it :) (by the way...I'm not always right but I have researched most of my answers) but I don't mind. I think some people just want to vent (not many people like dentists). Others have personal experiences which they would like to share. But all in all, if I were someone in need of dental help, I would go to a dentist...not someone in a yahoo answer forum. Good question!
Reply:I try to give Dental advice an the information I have obtained on here so far I have only been a Dental assistant for about 9 months so if I don't know what the answer maybe than I just leave it alone like most of the lab and fake teeth deal
Reply:And the same goes for the medical section, and I suspect most of the others. What is disheartening is seeing someone obviously post a homework question, someone answering with patently wrong information, and then the asker choosing that as the best answer. If they used it on their homework/test, they got it wrong!





There are some questions/categories that require nothing more than life experience/common sense, which at times seems to be lacking. If the questioner is Level 1, I generally just skip on by, as it appears they never, ever check back.
Reply:I agree with your opinion and understand your feeling. One time after I gave a professional opinion to a question, not only my answer was not voted, I got an angry email from the asker!





Nevertheless, I think, even though the system is not perfect, it is a good place to start. I am just so happy that many people are concerned about their teeth and their oral health.





I believe with good intention, eventually, in the long run, the dental professionals, like yourself, here will stand out as "true."
Reply:I know quite a bit but only answer a question if I have had personal knowledge of the situation. I cannot believe the people who answer questions and that they have NO clue what they are talking about. I cringe when I read some of the answers and I think people just post to try and get their numbers up. For example: Someone asked about dental implants and someone answered "they look daft on your head" now what kind of answer is THAT? Totally uncalled for.





I am not a dentist but my own prosthodontist knows that I try and do the best by people and be helpful. It is because I read and read and read. I will only answer a question if I truely have the right answer to give them.
Reply:Half the time it's a homework question a kid is cheating on, and people give wrong info just to confuse the lazy kid.





I really wish Yahoo would do something about these lazy kids getting a free ride.
Reply:we all have teeth and we all have some sort of experence with dental problems





secondly, dentistry is unaffordable for many people - a visit to the dentist can cost hundreds and some people simply cannot afford it.





the goverment should help, but they are busy spending a billion dollars a day killing Iraqi children