No cavities for 30 years, now have 4 at new dentist (teeth, implant, effect)
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How do I go about getting a second opinion when I finally found a dentist that takes my insurance, he says I have 4 cavities. I haven't had a cavity since high school, now at 60 I suddenly have 4. I don't know whether to trust him or not. He took X-Rays and immediately said there were four cavities. Then proceeded to aggressively pick and spray water all over, giving me no time to close my mouth to suck the water up. He did the x rays and the cleaning with no assistant. And wants me to come back for a 2 hour appointment to do the 4 cavities. I think it is a newer practice funded by hhs but takes any insurance. Are these second rate facilities and would you go back?
How do I go about getting a second opinion when I finally found a dentist that takes my insurance, he says I have 4 cavities. I haven't had a cavity since high school, now at 60 I suddenly have 4. I don't know whether to trust him or not. He took X-Rays and immediately said there were four cavities. Then proceeded to aggressively pick and spray water all over, giving me no time to close my mouth to suck the water up. He did the x rays and the cleaning with no assistant. And wants me to come back for a 2 hour appointment to do the 4 cavities. I think it is a newer practice funded by hhs but takes any insurance. Are these second rate facilities and would you go back?
Dentists base their recommendations on opinions just like any other MD. Dentists, just like any other professional also differ in their diligence and expertise. They all must interpret xrays. Its possible your previous dentist didn't detect very early signs of decay or didn't do anything other than watch it because it didn't seem to be progressing. Very small early decay can be overlooked. Also remember that teeth are not impermeable permanent structures. They can start to decay at any time especially if your care and diet has changed or you have some other health issue going on.
I don't understand why doing the xrays and cleaning without an assistant would be a problem. There's no law requiring a dental assistant. Filling 4 cavities over a two hour period doesn't sound terrible but it would depend on where they're located and how complicated each repair might be. They may be small and in easy spots to deal with. Billing you for one 2 hour session that addresses the problem may be less expensive than having you come back multiple times. They only need to prep everything once. If the cavities are scattered all over your mouth probably not a great idea due to needing to numb more than one region.
If you don't trust this one's evaluation get a second one. That's what it will be too...an opinion. How could any of us tell you whether this is a good practice or not? FWIW, my current dentist doesn't take my insurance. They have found it often turns out that charging a patient directly without billing insurance ends up costing everyone less. If you can't afford your dental work find a dental school that might provide lower cost procedures.
Last edited by Parnassia; 05-21-2021 at 03:31 PM..
When i found a new dentist because my former one dropped out of my plan, I had my former dentist e-mail my latest x-rays, which showed no cavities so the new dentist wouldn't rip me off and tell me I had numerous cavities just to make money. It turns out the dentist looked at my x-rays, and ended up finding one cavity while examining my mouth (which I suspected), so I trusted him after the first visit. It turns out I really like the new dentist.
If you sit for two hours for a four cavity procedure, you might put yourself at risk for TMJ syndrome from the strain of leaving your mouth open so long. It's happened to me on a one hour visit, I suffered terribly with jaw and facial pain. The dentist gave me prescription ibuprofen, and I developed a canker sore on my gum from the medicine, and it took me one year to get rid of it.
Regarding the no assistant issue, in covid world, you are putting yourself at risk of breathing in viral particles from a patient who had a cleaning from the dentist (assuming your dentist has no assistant or hygienist) with aerosols going all over the room. My dentist has a hygienist and told me I wouldn't be treated in her room, so there would be no aerosols near me. My dentist has a hepa filter running in his room to thwart viruses.
How do I go about getting a second opinion when I finally found a dentist that takes my insurance, he says I have 4 cavities. I haven't had a cavity since high school, now at 60 I suddenly have 4. I don't know whether to trust him or not. He took X-Rays and immediately said there were four cavities. Then proceeded to aggressively pick and spray water all over, giving me no time to close my mouth to suck the water up. He did the x rays and the cleaning with no assistant. And wants me to come back for a 2 hour appointment to do the 4 cavities. I think it is a newer practice funded by hhs but takes any insurance. Are these second rate facilities and would you go back?
When was the last time you had x-rays and a yearly tooth cleaning at a dentist, prior to this visit? How long ago?
People don't just suddenly get cavities out of nowhere. They start with a tiny bit of decay that isn't even enough to show up on an xray. They gradually get bigger until they need to be dealt with. That can take awhile. If you say you "finally" found a dentist that takes your insurance, I have to assume you've been without any dentist at all for a year or more. That's plenty of time for a little bacteria to cause a cavity.
It seems you do not like the way he treated you. i think it is more about your feeling about the dentist than his way of treatment. You can see for yourself in the X-ray you can see the cavities. and as you grow older you teeth are effected more to decay.
When was the last time you had x-rays and a yearly tooth cleaning at a dentist, prior to this visit? How long ago?
People don't just suddenly get cavities out of nowhere. They start with a tiny bit of decay that isn't even enough to show up on an xray. They gradually get bigger until they need to be dealt with. That can take awhile. If you say you "finally" found a dentist that takes your insurance, I have to assume you've been without any dentist at all for a year or more. That's plenty of time for a little bacteria to cause a cavity.
Thanks, I usually went once a year till the Fauci virus, once they started again my normal dentist was almost a year out with appointments. So maybe 2 years, 3 for exrays. I only made the appointment because I lost a filling. I just expected him to replace the filling. And then resume with my normal dentist. Nothin doin! He started with the full spectrum of xrays, then commenced to a high pressure water cleaning , then made me an appointment for for 4 cavities. Couldn't understand too much of what he said .
Thanks, I usually went once a year till the Fauci virus, once they started again my normal dentist was almost a year out with appointments. So maybe 2 years, 3 for exrays. I only made the appointment because I lost a filling. I just expected him to replace the filling. And then resume with my normal dentist. Nothin doin! He started with the full spectrum of xrays, then commenced to a high pressure water cleaning , then made me an appointment for for 4 cavities. Couldn't understand too much of what he said .
Well, in order to do a quality job replacing the failed filling he'd need to make sure there was no decay present in that tooth before putting a new filling on it. Chances are the reason the filling came out was decay underneath. Old fillings, particularly amalgams eventually get loose and allow bacteria to work its way underneath, leading to decay. Just slapping a replacement on the same hole would be irresponsible. So, that means doing an xray of that tooth which means any cavities in the adjacent teeth will also show up. Might as well do a full set of xrays at that point which would detect the other cavities. I suppose you could have refused the additional scans, the cleaning, or the other fillings, but he could also refuse to provide a patient with sub standard care.
Last edited by Parnassia; 05-29-2021 at 01:46 PM..
I have been going to the same dental clinic for the last 20 years,the lady who owns the business always tell me I have 1-3 cavities and if I dont fill it ,root canal would cost me more !
Sometimes I will have it filled,sometimes I will just say may be later.
someone pointed out to me with floride in water and toothpaste,it is not that common anymore to have cavity( I brush my teeth and floss every nite)
Then she found cavity with one of my bridges,it cost me bundle to replace it,thats was 2000.
I went to see her office last week,her dental technician took Xray and told me there is decay and I need a new bridge,total cost with cavity filling would be $1800.
When I called to make appointment,the clerk took my file out and I asked how bad is the cavity,she said it was HUGE!
Yesterday I went to another dentist for a second opinion,they took xrays and showed it on the monitor,there is no decay~
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I am wondering with rent and utilities and supplies and staff payroll,they cant make enough to pay the bills with just check up and cleansing,so they will have to find other ways to make money-implant,cavity,new bridge?
A friend of mine worked for her husband who is an OB.GYNE,she told me without surgery,they lost money,you just cant pay bills with visit,pepsmear?
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