Do you think he is lying to make more money?

amother

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:14 pm

I had a dentist who told me I had cavity after cavity. After filling it with what he called the "best" filling(expensive too), he kept telling me I had another cavity there.

I think he was lying to make money.

I switched and now bh had no cavities since.

So, now my son's orthodontist keeps saying my son has cavities (he is a dentist too and would like to service our son for cavities). But, I just took my son to his dentist 2 weeks ago and he was fine. My son had no pain and doesnt eat candy/soda...So, I'm going back to the dentist for x rays.

But, I think dentists(and mechanics) might be dishonest because they can say whatever they want and say "this is wrong and needs to be fixed". And, nobody can check if its correct(you definitely cant).

So, did anyone ever have this experience with dentists?

I mean if many ppl dont have cavities, dentists will not earn much with only checkups and cleanings.

leah233

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:21 pm

I don't know about this dentist but I stopped going for dental checkups when I realized that a checkup always equals one to three cavities.

Whether the checkups were one year or five years apart.

And even in the days I went for yearly checkups I still got root canals anyway.

Last edited by leah233 on Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

abound

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:21 pm

some are honest and others are not. I never had a cavity till I once switched dentists and the new dentist found 7 cavities. She drilled and filled the. I then went back to my first dentist and he said she literally drilled holes and filled it up. You need to find a dentist you trust and go to more opinions until you find the one you trust.

amother

Lilac

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:23 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

my friend "suddenly" had cavities and switched somewhere else for a second opinion...she had NO cavities. 1st dentist was trying to make money.

leah233

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:24 pm

chanatron1000 wrote:

If he uses X-rays, you can ask him to point out where the cavity is. You should be able to see it.

I once tried that. She snapped at me that she has no time to teach me dentistry.

She didn't have to do that of course. She could have pointed to any place the x-ray was a lighter color and said it is a cavity.

amother

Magenta

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:25 pm

My friend is a dentist and she explained it to me that cavities are not really a black and white thing. Some dentists are more conservative and will let little caries in the teeth be unless they start causing problems. Others like to fill anything they see. Its not necessarily being dishonest. Its really their judgment call.

esther11

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:26 pm

I’m actually horrified that dentists would make that type of thing up!! Bh I have experience with dentists I trust.
When my children have had cavities, the dentist has literally showed me the hole or the xrays. For myself I use a Frum dentist who has only found 1 in the past 5 years of consistent check ups (and there was associated pain).

I think you need to find someone you trust and advocate for yourself more, ask to see the xrays of the area, etc. Many dentists are trustworthy, so definitely find someone who will work with you!

Elfrida

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:26 pm

I can't comment on the specific situation, but my dentist once explained to me that there are two main schools of thought about dental treatment.

Some dentists like to open, clean out and fill every micro-cavity. They feel that by doing this they ensure it remains a minor cavity and reduces the future risk of extensive dental work like root canals. A kind of insurance policy.

Others feel that doing this threatens the integrity of the tooth. That doing this does tend to limit the development of the cavity, but each time you drill into it the tooth becomes inherently less stable, and the more you drill, the more you risk the tooth completely breaking down. They prefer to monitor micro-cavities and only treat when they have reached a certain size.

It is more likely that your previous dentist was of the first school of thought than that he was completely unethical.

chanatron1000

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:28 pm

leah233 wrote:

If a dentist snaps at you, that is enough reason to find another dentist either way.

happyone

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:34 pm

Years ago my sister was told she has sixteen!!! cavities. My mom walked out and went to another dentist and was told she had two that needed fillings and two that need watching. Yes! That's possible.

amother

Linen

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:41 pm

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

I use a practice that I think is really honest - my DH has been going for 40 yrs. There are 2 dentists from 2 diff generations with years of experience- both honest - and they have diff opinions about which cavities need to be filled.
I’ll make an appt bec one said to with diff dentist. When I come in diff dentist isn’t sure. They discuss it over my mouth - why yes or no. It’s been interesting to hear. More often with baby teeth then adult teeth. But it has happened to me also.

amother

Azure

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 2:42 pm

There have been lawsuits against pediatric dentists in my area for telling parents that all their teeth need to be pulled and expensive caps put in.

Always get a second opinion if a dentist tells you that you or your child need extensive dental work.

amother

Firebrick

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 3:06 pm

amother [ Lilac ] wrote:

my friend "suddenly" had cavities and switched somewhere else for a second opinion...she had NO cavities. 1st dentist was trying to make money.

I'd like to point out that I was once involved in a discrepancy between 2 dentists. The first said my child had 4 cavities and the second one said there's only 1 cavity. I asked the first dentist which teeth had the cavities. He gave me their numbers. I identified them to the second dentist. He explained it by simply saying in layman's terms that the first dentist isn't wrong. The first dentist is a machmir. The slightest spot on a tooth is considered a cavity by the first dentist. The second dentist said that he's not so anxious to fill cavities and it's possible that very tiny cavities can go away on their own so he doesn't consider it a cavity.

My point is that there's room to have a difference of opinion without anyone lying.

amother

Cyan

Thu, Aug 20 2020, 3:45 pm

I had an interesting experience. I go for biyearly appointment and once I was told that I needed a filling replaced. Came back a few weeks later and the same dentist couldn’t find any problem with it and sent me home. I believe the next check up they found no issues and then the next one the hygienist found an issue with that filling. She told the dentist that her toll was sticking to a spot. He examined it and said we’d watch it but no need to do anything now 🤷‍♀️