What do you think of when you hear the word, "dentist"? Probably, you think
of a man in a white coat who owns his own dental practice, someone whom
you've known for years. He's holding one of those mirror things and maybe, a
drill. Perhaps you've been going to his office since you moved into your
current home. He's a well paid professional like your medical doctor and
your lawyer. Well, let me tell you about dentistry in the age of
Neoliberalism. My dentist is very skillful. She attended four years of
college, four years of dental school, and had one year of, I suppose, the
equivalent of internship. She has two part-time jobs in two different
offices owned by two male dentists. She works two full days and every other
Saturday in the office where I see her. She has no fringe benefits at either
job. She feels very lucky to have medical insurance through her fiancee's
work in a hospital to which she is entitled because they are registered as
domestic partners. Neither of her jobs has a path toward permanency, let
alone partnership in the practice. When I expressed shock, she and her
assistant said, "That's dentistry today. That's what it's like".
Miriam