I highly doubt you need to go to dental school to learn the ins and outs of the laws of the medical field. Lawyers can specialize in certain areas too, you know (i.e. medical malpractice lawyers). Dental school teaches you how to drill on teeth. You really don't need to know how to do that to defend a dentist in a court of law. I'd rather have a really good lawyer defend me in a court of law than a half lawyer who knows how to drill on teeth.
OK, your post has so many l ridiculous statements:
1. I never said you NEED to go to dental school to "learn the ins and outs."
2. Yes, lawyers can specialize too! As a matter of fact, they all have an area of expertise. "A medical malpractice lawyer?" Is that even a thing? (Sarcasm). If you need perio work done, would you rather go to a general dentist who knows perio? Or a dentist that went on to additional postgraduate training in periodontics?
3. "Dental school teaches you how to drill ON teeth." Where do I begin? Nevermind, that statement just speaks for itself. I guess people need 4 years of additional education as well as the many who choose 1 year PG programs just to "drill on teeth."
4. You are correct, you do not NEED a lawyer who went to dental school to defend you. But how do they defend you? How do they justify malpractice? Where do they get their information that the treatment their clients were rendered is considered malpractice? How do the lawyers know what is appropriate or not as far as treatment? Clinically, they don't. Unless there is prior legal precedence, they need to hire consultants for expert dental advice for the information. By "expert," I mean someone who has the credentials to defend or not defend the actions of the dentist involved in the legal battle. Credentials like...a dental degree!
4. So you would rather have a really good lawyer defend you than a "half lawyer who knows how to drill ON teeth." Tell me, what is a "half lawyer?" Someone who only went to half of law school? The scenario you are describing is someone who is an incompetent lawyer who happens to know how to drill "on teeth." I guess those 7 years of combined education don't really teach anything at all.
Your implication that dentists don't know how to do anything except drill on teeth is ignorant. Tell me, what school did you earn your dental degree from? There are dentists in this thread who say it is an excellent opportunity, perhaps you should take their opinions seriously because they simply know more about the field than you in every possible way.
Take a look at hospitals around the country. How many of them have executives who are physicians? A LOT. Do these executives NEED medical degrees/experience to run hospitals? Or does it just make them more qualified?