Why is explaining the "do nothing" outcome part of a dentist's professional disclosure obligation? Because patients deciding about treatment need to understand the consequences of the option they have always had available, which is to continue doing nothing, and the doctor has a professional duty to make sure that consequence is honestly disclosed. The case presentation walks through three or four treatment options. The do-nothing option is the fourth or fifth: what happens to the patient's dental situation if they decline all of the recommended treatments and continue with their current trajectory. The disclosure is not a scare tactic. It is [...]