✓ Member
Is My Dentist Trying to Defraud Me
So I went to the dentist yesterday in the first time for several years and found out that I have a mouth full of cavities, supposedly 18, which seemed a bit absurd to me. It was about 10 years ago when I had them cleaned and X Rayed previously, and the dentist informed me that I had great beautiful teeth, and no cavities. I regularly brush and floss, and one would assume that I would be experiencing some sort of oral pain with all of this decay inside of my mouth, but ironically I have never experienced the slightest toothache. They did inform me that the majority of them are very small, definitely composites, with the exception of two that he recommended possibly filling with porcelain. Come to find out, these would cost between $145-195 each to fill ( me being a poor factory worker with no dental insurance just couldn’t help to think of the number of quality barbells that I could purchase with that money). Is it possible that my dentist is possibly wanting to “over treat” my teeth, all in good faith of course 😉, and should I be too alarmed considering I’m not in any sort of pain or discomfort, as of right now? Thanks.
✓ Member
If I am understanding this correctly, you're asking me....a guy who has not examined your dentition (and who is also not a dentist)....if it's possible that you have developed 18 cavities over 10 years when a professional (who is a dentist and who has examined you, but who also stands to make money based on services rendered) is stating that's exactly what happened?
Sure.
✓ Member
Yea, I was pretty much seeking an opinion of someone in the medical field( who doesn’t necessarily have to be a dentist, but probably knows more on the subject than myself), who doesn’t have anything to gain in the situation. My original title sounds a bit harsh I admit, I know that my Dentist means well, and he also has to make a living too. I should’ve titled it “Dentist unnecessarily wanting to fill cavities “. I’ve done some research, and found some material supporting the idea of it being potentially detrimental to fill very small cavities. Just want to weigh my options before dishing out $2500-$3000 and having someone drill away in my mouth.
Member
Dentists are in the business of making money, rarely do they care about your teeth. At least that's been my experience. Try this. Go to a different dentist in another town/city/whatever and see what they say.....Originally Posted by Bradley Gish
Member
If you want to, go and pay another dentist for a check-up and x-rays. If he sees the same problems then you'll know you can trust your dentist.
Also if you haven't had any problems for 10 years and are pain free why did you go? Most people go 6 monthly. There is a reason people back in history had wooden teeth...
Member
The probability is very high that your dentist is indeed NOT trying to defraud you but instead has your long term oral health as the primary concern.
Regular brushing and flossing does little to address the buildup of tarter and plaque which must be SCRAPED off at the recommended interval of 6 months. If you had not had your teeth scraped for 10 years it is very probable that the conditions were right for advancing gum disease and tooth decay.
So what happens if you ignore your dentist recommendations? Eventually the decay can reach the tooth pulp at which time the tooth will become distressed and the nerves can start to die (pulpitis). This can be EXTREMELY painful and generally requires root canal therapy to fix. If you think fillings are expensive wait until you foot the full root canal and crown bill of $2500+. Of course you could opt for extraction but if the number of teeth you start pulling gets excessive and you don’t want to be a gummy bear the rest of your life replacement teeth are also pretty expensive.
So what happens if you continue to ignore the now painful and increasingly dire situation in your mouth? The dead tooth (teeth) becomes a safe harbor for bacteria and gets infected. The infection can spread to your gums (abscess), bones, jaw, sinuses and lymph nodes. Unchecked the infection can become deadly or maiming.
If you don’t believe any of this go ahead and put your googlese to work and pay particularly close attention to the image search results.
I wish you, as I am certain your dentist does as well, the best in the future of your oral health.
✓ Member
Yea I'm just unsure. A second opinion might be in order here, though if the same diagnosis comes back I probably would just pretend it never happened. If a different one comes back, I'd go public lol.
✓ Member
I was incarcerated for several years, and the institution didn’t provide ideal dental services. I’ve been out now for a few years, on my feet, so figured it was time to get them cleaned at least.
I’m going to get another opinion from another dentist, and go from there. If true, then I’m going to prioritize the worst effected cavities first. Dental work is expensive when you work at a factory and the companie’s insurance doesn’t provide anything whatsoever for dental.
Member
When I was 19 a dentist told me I had 8 cavities. He said my mouth was full of decay. I went to another dentist and he said I had one cavity, which he filled. 43 years later at the age of 62 I have a grand total of 5 cavities in my mouth. I'm not going to the state my opinion about some dentists but I think it's obvious.
✓ Member
My personal experience and that of close friends and family has been that different dentists have highly variant levels of risk aversion. With the complete lack of diagnostic information we have, it’s impossible to tell where your dentist lies on that spectrum. It’s very possible a second opinion finds little or no need for the fillings. Seems unlikely you find someone who wants to do more work on your teeth.
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