I grew up without any dental coverage and you are right; if you say first thing "I have no coverage and pay for everything out of pocket" you typically get a very different experience.

It's not just the dentists that are perfectionists, but culturally perfect teeth is an expectation in a lot of the world now. I get it; a kid who's hesitant to smile because they're embarrassed with their teeth is heart-breaking, but it's also very expensive.