Golly - J Brown's diatribe about dentistry (Letters, December 19) was a real eye-opener.

There's me, trained for six years, slaving over a hot drill and post-graduate courses for more than thirty years, and I don't seem to know half as much about the job as Mrs Brown.

I always thought my curing light emitted a strong, but normal, blue-white light (they have exactly the same bulb a slide projector uses). Now Mrs Brown informs me it is ultra-violet.

I always thought my "infected" injection needles were one-use sterile disposables. I must complain to the manufacturer.

I never knew that homeopathic remedies "healed" periodontal (gum) disease. I was always taught it was caused by bacterial plaque.

If Mrs Brown is right, her natural remedies will make her a fortune.

It just goes to show you can never trust a long, intensive education to teach you the ropes.

What you actually need is serious input from a professional... er... whatever Mrs Brown is.

-M Boyask BDS, ed_nmra@mboyask.freeserve.co.uk