Do American dentists tend to suggest people remove bad teeth?
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I'm in my 40's and would rather have them all pulled (except for the anchors) and have dentures made up. Seems like every time I go to the dentist I have to hear the "c" word (crown). I already have 5 of them. They said they can't pull out all my teeth (they can't remove teeth that don't have problems (?) )
I'd rather have the dentures and not be bothered about it LOL but that wouldn't make the dentists too much money
Mine also got re-infected, probably after 5 years.
My dentist hates root canals because he believes they are bad for overall health. There is a lot of controversy about them, though the anti crowd is in the minority and viewed as fringe by the establishment.
I live in a city in the SF Bay area, and when I wanted a root canal vs the alternative, my dentist said there was not an endodontist in our county he would send a member of his family to, and sent me to one in a neighboring county. This one was amazing, and had state-of-the-art equipment, found a very tiny 4th canal that the majority of endodontists would have missed (thus sealing in bacteria) and which would have caused me problems in several years.
To the OP - the reason for extracting a tooth might be many-fold - but when there is an infection causing bone loss, a simmering one that might not cause pain but which left untreated will spread, then the wisest and most preventative path might be an extraction. It's not as simple as 'want to save teeth' or not - it's about overall dental and body health and what is the best path to get there.
Americans have some of the best teeth in the world, and there's a reason for that. It's not just that we go to the dentist more often, but also about dental practices. My sister lives in France, and years ago had her teeth cleaned when she was in the States, something that took her a long time to get convinced to do. Why? Her French dentist told her Americans have their teeth cleaned too often, and that the result of teeth cleaning was to wear down the enamel! Seriously!
I'm in my 40's and would rather have them all pulled (except for the anchors) and have dentures made up. Seems like every time I go to the dentist I have to hear the "c" word (crown). I already have 5 of them. They said they can't pull out all my teeth (they can't remove teeth that don't have problems (?) )
I'd rather have the dentures and not be bothered about it LOL but that wouldn't make the dentists too much money
^You hit the nail on the head! Yup. dentures don't make much money for dentists.
I, too, have encountered dentists who refuse to do a simple extraction and make you go to an oral surgeon.
Also, I inherited a dental condition that leaves me with bad teeth that are weak.
At one point, I had so many pulled that I went to dentists asking to pull the rest on my lower jaw and they refused. Instead, they tried to sell me thousands of dollars of dental work, even when I told them I knew my teeth well enough to know that it was a waste of money.
I even asked one dentist if I could just save the 6 front teeth in the lower jaw since they were worn down to the gum and have a plate made that fit over them. He insisted that it could not be done because the plate wouldn't fit.
Finally I went to a dentist who specialized in dentures. Without my asking, he told me that I could save the those 6 lower teeth and get a denture. It's important to save a tooth or two on the lower jaw since without teeth, the bone starts to deteriorate. This same dentist noticed that I had a broken tooth on the top and offered to pull it! It was cheaper than going to an oral surgeon and the results were the same.
So...my suggestion is to look around for a dentist who specializes in doing dentures. S/he would be more open to doing things your way. The dentist I used now has other dentists in the practice but he himself still specializes in dentures.
Americans have some of the best teeth in the world, and there's a reason for that. It's not just that we go to the dentist more often, but also about dental practices.
There's another reason: culture. Americans are very fastidious about their dental health. Bad teeth are more execrable and embarrassing than for example obesity. Persons with missing teeth are condemned as having poor personal behavior, a maladroit sense of aesthetics, and lack of class. Uncorrected missing front teeth are regarded as being repugnant, and testament to extreme poverty, or much worse.
Americans are incessantly smiling, displaying their pearly whites with every such grimace. Teeth become important because they're so prominently displayed. In cultures where adults are not expected to smile to each other (unless there's already strong affection between them), lips tend to be pursed, teeth hidden, and there's less aesthetic importance assigned to dental health.
Returning to the OP's question, I add my voice to those who contend that American dentists are actually quite opposed to tooth-extraction, instead recommending root canals and other such treatments. Besides the obvious self-serving financial reasons, in American culture it's just unacceptable to pull a tooth without a follow-up procedure, such as dentures or implants. Dentures are rarely worn by persons not yet elderly, especially if most of the teeth (and gums and bone) are healthy, but a few here and there are missing. Then the suggested remedy is evidently implants - an even more lucrative procedure.
^You hit the nail on the head! Yup. dentures don't make much money for dentists.
I, too, have encountered dentists who refuse to do a simple extraction and make you go to an oral surgeon.
Also, I inherited a dental condition that leaves me with bad teeth that are weak.
At one point, I had so many pulled that I went to dentists asking to pull the rest on my lower jaw and they refused. Instead, they tried to sell me thousands of dollars of dental work, even when I told them I knew my teeth well enough to know that it was a waste of money.
I even asked one dentist if I could just save the 6 front teeth in the lower jaw since they were worn down to the gum and have a plate made that fit over them. He insisted that it could not be done because the plate wouldn't fit.
Finally I went to a dentist who specialized in dentures. Without my asking, he told me that I could save the those 6 lower teeth and get a denture. It's important to save a tooth or two on the lower jaw since without teeth, the bone starts to deteriorate. This same dentist noticed that I had a broken tooth on the top and offered to pull it! It was cheaper than going to an oral surgeon and the results were the same.
So...my suggestion is to look around for a dentist who specializes in doing dentures. S/he would be more open to doing things your way. The dentist I used now has other dentists in the practice but he himself still specializes in dentures.
What is the name of the condition?
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