Why is the ethical guardrail on behavioral-science-based dental selling so important? Because the same techniques that produce ethical conversions can also be deployed to manipulate patients into care they do not need, and the profession's credibility depends on the line being held. Behavioral science is morally neutral. The findings on reciprocity, anchoring, scarcity, loss aversion, decision fatigue, and choice architecture apply equally to selling something genuinely beneficial and to selling something harmful or unnecessary. Retail industries and some healthcare adjacent fields have used the same techniques to push consumers into purchases that did not serve them. The dental profession's reputation, and [...]