I Don't Get It

Susan and I went to the public golf course in Saratoga today and one of the men who was pared with us asked if we were local to Saratoga. I explained that I had recently opened a new dental practice in Saratoga and that we were considering moving there as well. The starter was over hearing our conversation and told me that he had a crown fall out recently and he had to go back three times to the dentist to have it recemented and did I accept GHI insurance. Oh and by the way, he was retired and needed to watch his money.
What I don't understand is the wide spread assumption that ALL dentists are the same and that the ONLY thing that separates one dentist from the other is cost. This gentleman had lived more than 6 decades and he had not learned some of the fundamentals of American society which are:
1. You get what you pay for
2. Professionals that take care of us differ vastly in their level of knowledge, skill, talent and their concern for their patients, clients or customers. Some professionals are fabulous while many are not.
3. Your body, your teeth, your car or your house do not know that you are retired and that retirement means that you need to get the BEST VALUE for the dollars that you spend.
I just don't get it...or maybe I just don't understand.