Have you ever suspected that your dentist told you that you have vcavities that you do not have? (teeth, hurts)

[Utopian Slums]

I ask this because i am seriously questioning this.

Situation:

Last year i was very ill and i know i've had 4 cavities needing to be filled but took 2 years away from the dentist for various reasons. I'm semi-close w the hygienist. And i "drill her" (hee-hee) on the state/condition of my teeth everytime i see here. I also am semi-skilled at reading dental xrays.

She told me that the cavities i had did not progress. In over 2yrs this is a big surprise for me. And that she *thought* that i *might* have 1 more cavity.

The dentist comes in and tells me i have 4 more cavities. All are supposedly "inbetween teeth." I am actually much better at flossing than brushing so this surprised me.

The 4 older ones are on top right and left and bottom right and left. Coincidentally (hee-hee "dentally" sorry! ) The new cavities are spread evenly- one in each quadrant just like the others i knew i had before.

I'm in my 30s and still have a lot of enamal on my teeth. This dentist also tried to tell BOTH my roommate and i that we grind our teeth and to get a mouthguard. Neither of us do and ever since then, i have been suspicious of his financial motives.

So people who know about dental issues- what do you think??

[AnonChick]

When my dentist says he sees something suspicious in the x-rays, he shows them to me and points out what he finds suspicious about them. He uses the x-rays of my own healthier teeth to show how the suspicious part is different from what they should look like, so I know he's not showing me some perfect model of fake teeth for comparison.

I know that there exist some dentists who will interpret "suspicious" as "when in doubt, cut it out." Others will take a wait and see attitude. Depending on the severity of the suspicion, you can choose to cut or keep as you see fit.

[toofache32]

I've gotten pretty good at interpreting my own EKGs from my cardiologist's office. His front desk girl says my right bundle branch block is unchanged, and I agree. But then my cardiologist came in and said that my EKG shows some heart failure. I was shocked because nothing hurts, which means nothing can be wrong. His employee said everything was OK and I trust her because she has much more training and education even though she isn't licensed to render a diagnosis. Any thoughts?

[Utopian Slums]

^ Yes. Thoughts:

- unnecessarily snarky answer
- not nearly as great of a comparison as you think it is
- "front desk girl" : "dental hygienist" as "fast food worker" : "paralegal"
- EKG : X-ray as EEG: lab work


In other words, it's an x-ray of teeth which is not the most complicated of diagnostic tests. (Dentists do many complicated things which I have much professional respect for. Reading a simple x-ray of first surface enamel decay is not on of them.)

LPNs are often "not licensed to diagnose" but it doesn't mean they don't know how after seeing the same presentation for decades. And they are licensed in their field. Moreover, dental hygienists may not be able to legally "diagnosis," but they ARE trained to interpret simple xray findings.

We both know that cavities don't hurt so i don't see your point there. (Again, another over reaching comparison.)

Anyone else?

[sunshine809]

I believe yes. I have gone to one dentist that says I need certain things and then have gone to another dentist who says I need something completely different and didn't even mention what the first dentist said. I don't trust them at all!