Ucbalumnus, first article was helpful. The tooth looks gray. My dentist would have watched but not done anything if the orthodontist didn’t insist it be cleared before ordering the braces. I really appreciate your helpfulness.
My new dentist did take xrays and showed them on the screen, tooth by tooth. At this point I’m not really questioning the need for work as much as which work to do and first.
This dentist recommended an oral b toothbrush and showed how it gets between teeth. After showing me, he never said anything else about it, but I wondered if he would get something out of me buying one? Do dentists sell them at their offices?
He also suggested whitening trays after getting some fillings done between some front teeth. I’ve never tried whitening but he probably mentioned it since I said I hated my smile. Do most middle aged people do whitening?
“Do most middle aged people do whitening?”
I have too many crowns to be a candidate.
I had a dentist that was constantly tying to push new things on me. Once when I refused to get some new diagnostic test that detected a certain type or oral cancer, she tried frighten me into getting it by making me sign a waiver attesting that she had offered the test and I had refused it. But I was happy to sign it because cancer diagnostics is my field, and I knew that the type of cancer in question is almost unheard of in nonsmokers, and I’m a nonsmoker.
After that I got a new dentist.
^^^ I get offered the same test and they make me sign a waiver everytime. I’m also a nonsmoker. So @Scipio, you’re saying it’s really completely unnecessary?
I have a mouth full of fillings from a dentist when I was a teenager. He always called them “pre-cavities”. My mom never questioned what he said needed done. I am obsessive about oral hygiene and for at least a decade later, I questioned how I could possible have so many cavities.
It takes a long time to work up to switching medical providers in a town that has few of them. Switched dentist, finally. New guy always said he’d watch a spot and within 6 months, it was usually gone or not suspect. I’ve had one or two cavities in 20+ years, and I’m stuck with a mouth full of fillings Grrr.
I am so sad that our beloved dentist of 25 years retired last year. He was very honest, and for many years just tracked some cavity degradation but did not suggest work. Years ago I had 3 crowns, and they are holding up well.
I’ve had a few dentists over the years and this thread makes me wonder if some of the work I’ve had done (fortunately, not a whole lot) was necessary. I do have a wonderful dentist now that doesn’t seem to push anything.
But, the real reason I’m posting is to thank @momsquad for post #50 in which she indicated that annual x rays aren’t necessarily needed for everyone. I googled it and will ask at my next visit. I’m pretty sure dh and I have x rays once a year. Could be mistaken but definitely worth asking about. We’re about to lose our dental insurance so 100% will be on us. Would save us both the radiation exposure AND $$.
Here are the ADA’s dental radiographic recommendations:
https://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Publications/ADA%20News/Files/Dental_Radiographic_Examinations_2012.pdf?la=en
For an adult “recall Patient* with no clinical caries and not at increased risk for caries”, the recommended interval is 24-36 months for posterior bitewings. However, for an adult “recall Patient* with clinical caries or at increased risk for caries”, the recommended interval is 6-18 months for posterior bitewings.
My husband avoided going to our former family dentist for several years because, every time he went in, the guy was nearly salivating at the prospect of his teeth failing and him needing some extensive procedures. He really developed a phobia of going. My daughters and I continued to go, but eventually the dentist started saying the same thing about me.
I found a new practice that had a lot of things going for it, including being much closer to our house. The dentist came in, talked to him a bit, and basically said he was fine. There were things to keep an eye on that come with age, but nothing he was concerned about. So far the dentist has said a variation of the same thing - either, “ok see you in six months” or “everything looks fine, but we’ll keep an eye on XYZ.”
It was worth the hassle of switching to find someone we were comfortable with.
“It was worth the hassle of switching to find someone we were comfortable with.”
The hard part is finding that right dentist - someone skilled yet honest and not aggressive in recommending work. How have people gone about that? Trial and error? Recommendations from friends?
IME, you start with recommendations from friends and then assess that provider yourself.
“@Scipio, you’re saying it’s really completely unnecessary?”
Well, in biology you can never say absolutely never or completely unnecessary, but if you are a nonsmoker your chances of getting the cancer that test detects are very, very low. The very low risk is certainly not sufficient to justify the expense of the test, IMO.
@Scipio I had the same offer for “only $50”. I asked what my risk factors were that would indicate it’s a good idea. Deer in a headlights look came back to me. (non smoker too with no family history of cancer)
@Scipio - ditto. That test is $50 thrown into the dentist’s boat fund with no real benefit to folks without risk factors.
My ‘litmus test’ for a good dentist begins with the way I am treated by the hygienists. After our all time great dentist passed away we cycled through 3 other dentists before finding our current dentist.
Hygienists who pushed lots of extra services such as fluoride rinse (not covered by insurance and useless for adults) and tooth whitening were hallmarks for negative experiences with the dentist.
We had a very good dentist for about 10 years who I found by asking the local popular oral surgeon (professor at dental school) who he went to for his dental care. Hygienists at his practice were very thorough and no extra ‘services’ were ever promoted. Upon retirement the practice was sold to a bean counter dentist and suddenly the same hygienists were pushing fluoride rinses, teeth whitening and a proposal for an exorbitant deep gum cleaning for my husband- not covered by insurance. Also, this dentist would pop in at each six month cleaning visit and bill us for an ‘exam’, even though only one visit per year was covered by insurance. Good bye.
I found our current dentist by first obtaining a list of providers from our insurer. Next I excluded all the practices with flashy web sites and extensive advertising, a good dentist builds a busy practice by word of mouth. I checked credentials and chose graduates of schools with established research programs. Finally I crossed off names of dentists who were not 10 years younger than me to minimize the need to start over again after another retirement.
The great thing is that once you find an ethical dentist they put you into contact with other ethical professionals should the need arise. Our dentist has a dental school buddy come to his office to do osteotome implants for people who can’t afford to go to the periodontist or oral surgeon. He freely gripes about poor reimbursement from the insurance companies but never pads his profits with unnecessary work.
My wonderful dentist of 20 plus years sold his practice and retired last summer. The longtime hygienists and office manager are no longer there. I’ve had 2 visits with the new group and I’m unsure if I’ll continue. During the cleaning the hygienist told me I had some plaque near the gemlike (yeah, I know) and proceeded to give me instructions on how to brush my teeth (year, I know how to do that). She asked me what toothbrush I used. I told her I’d been using a Sonicare for many years. She suggested that perhaps my toothbrush was an outdated model and oh, by the way, they have Sonicare toothbrushes for sale at the front desk. After the visits, I’ve gotten emails asking me to “like” them on Facebook and rate them on Yelp. The culture and priorities of this practice sure have changed.
Are the dentists now running the price new dental school graduates with $300,000 of dental school debt plus whatever debt they have from buying the practice?
The 2 dentists in the practice have been in practice for at least 20 years.