Looking at this situation in its broadest view, I also would consider the other Principles of the ADA Code: Beneficence ("do good"), Justice ("fairness") and Veracity ("truthfulness"). Did this dentist have the patient's best interests at heart, and did he communicate truthfully with her about what was involved in her treatment? Was it ethical to start surgical treatment without discussing the necessary restorative treatment, including the estimated costs of such restoration? The ADA Code is our guide for our interactions with patients and "calls upon dentists to follow high ethical standards which have the benefit of the patient as their primary goal."1 In all instances, an ethical dentist has the best interests of his or her patient at heart.
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