x-rays reveal fissures, cracks, cavities that are hard to see by eye - magnifier or not

do not skip

and let's not go overboard here, folks -- there are lots of good dentists out there who are not greedy

I concur. The trouble is finding one when you're a new patient.

Of the four dentists I've ever used before moving to Phoenix, I loved them all, except the one who, while pulling a tooth, slipped and knocked another one out. I really had never heard of this sales pitch thing until recently and it appears to be very common in Phoenix among somewhat new dentists.

I should add that within one mile of my house are more than 20 dentists' offices. I don't mean offices with 20 dentists. I mean 20 different buildings that house dentists. A lot of them are vacant and there are still more under construction. I have no idea what's going on with this or if it's making the established dentists charge more or look for other sources of revenue.