<p>i have been fortunate in that my trusty former dentist retired, and sold his practice to a young dentist. The young man had gone North to Tufts dental school, then moved back to FL where he and wife have ties. He updated the X-ray machines, increased cleaning charges by $15. All the staff really likes him, and he lost none of the patients who gave him a try.</p>
<p>Ever since I was a kid of about 13 I have not trusted any dentist. I was a military brat when younger and had many dentists and few dental issues. Those cavities I had were filled and there was no stress. Once we started seeing civilian dentists after dad retired…there always seemed to be a ‘little’ cavity. The strange thing was that if we elected to hold off on the filling and seek another opinion, the other dentist would not even mention a cavity. Sometimes I would go years after having a cavity identified and future visits would not indicated a cavity. Most of the ‘proof’ was a shadow on an xray. I have enough photo developing experience at this point to know how easy it is to fake something like that now.</p>
<p>As I age, I see a lot of modern dentists offering more expensive options. One refused to pull a tooth (cheaper option). Instead he wanted me to go through a painful root canal that ‘might’ be able to save it. It is not a child, it is a tooth. I have 30 more of them (still have 2 wisdom teeth and that drives them all crazy!).</p>
<p>I feel badly saying this, but I don’t trust dentists. I am of the mind that if “it doesn’t hurt, don’t fix it”. That mindset has saved me a lot of money and probably unnecessary pain. My husband on the other hand has subjected himself to a lot of dental work, much of which has caused follow-up problems. </p>
<p>I even still have my wisdom teeth in my late forties. </p>
<p>No.</p>
<p>Over the years I have needed to change dentists for one reason or another. Each time, I “suddenly” had lots of issues that needed to be corrected. After about two or three examinations where I refused to agree to the cosmetic work, the dentist would stop pushing for it.</p>
<p>Dentists don’t make any money if they only examine and clean your teeth. The real money is in the cosmetic work.</p>
<p>Going on the dentist sub-forum of a graduate school forum was very enlightening.</p>
<p>Some dentists may just have different “quality” standards. Some may be happy with a lower standard of care or cosmetics. Ideally, you and your dentist should have the same standard and expectations. But you should always find someone who you trust. </p>
<p>I went to a dentist 20 some years ago who I thought was too aggressive and too expensive. I moved away shortly after getting a crown, feeling lucky to have a reason to get a new dentist… Since then I’ve had other work done over the years, and while my other crowns have come loose or needed replacement, other fillings have required replacement, the work she did is going strong and never given me a problem. </p>
<p>I’m going through a bit of dental trauma right now and thinking of leaving our dental practice after I have an implant done. Long story that I won’t go into, but I got a partial denture for just one tooth (I think it’s called a pre-molar -not quite in the front, not in the back) It took me a while to get used to it but I knew after two weeks that I couldn’t go through my whole life with it. I did more reading on the implant option and decided to go for that. Went to dentist and he said I needed to have a consultation with an oral surgeon and the cost for his part of the implant would be maybe a couple of thousand dollars. The tooth part would be done at the dentist and that would be another couple of thousand. At the same time someone my husband worked with said his wife was getting a single implant at a well known dental school in a close by city for about half that price.</p>
<p>I called that dental school up and confirmed the approximate price and then called my dentist, explained the situation and asked for a referral. The office manager said that she would call me back as that was not something they were used to doing. The next day she called me back and said that another dentist in the office was willing to do the whole thing for the same price as the dental school - they price matched! My local dental practice in less than 10 minutes away compared to the dental school which would involve either a traffic filled drive or a drive and trains. So, I’m going for the local option (btw, this new dentist is a grad of the dental school I was going to use) but am feeling a bit apprehensive. It’s so hard to know who to trust and I hate that cost and convenience is driving my decision. </p>
<p>I feel for you OP! Obviously, your not alone in your dental angst!</p>
<p>If by “dental school” you mean the students would be doing it, no thanks to that. I have had good experience with the faculty clinic, but wouldn’t let dental students do something like that no matter how cheap it was.</p>
<p>I did tell the hygienist at the faculty clinic why we had switched, and she warned me off one faculty doctor (out of the 10 or so in the practice) who is “aggressive” in finding things to fix. She said the rest are solid, and it has proved to be so. </p>
<p>I do trust my dentist, but he uses so many X-rays that I’m seriously thinking of changing. Plus he doesn’t take our ins anymore.</p>
<p>We had one dentist for a brief while whom we trusted, but he retired and a much younger fellow took over his practice. He couldn’t wait to do all sorts of expensive stuff to our teeth, and for way too many years (and way too many dollars) we let him. For me, the coup de grace was when he decided my H’s wisdom teeth needed crowns. I thought that was ridiculous, but DH wasn’t savvy enough to object. So, $4,500 later . . . . </p>
<p>We now have someone whom we trust. He doesn’t push anything unnecessary and I love his hygienists. </p>
<p>My old dentist developed health problems so when I switched I knew I had a lot of work to be done. That said, old dentist brought in an associate a while back who also had all sorts of stuff he wanted to do. I felt like I was talking to a used car salesman. He didnt last long in the practice.</p>
<p>I like the new dentist, but some of his hygenists have been pushy, recommending extra visits with them multiple times a year, etc. I declined.</p>
<p>I have had good experiences with my dentists but have chosen older ones who make their money off of restoring badly neglected mouths (in my opinion). Not much advertising for cosmetic procedures where I go. My husband has been through a bunch of them. He will get a second opinion if something doesn’t sound right. He has had more gum problems than I have, some of which haven’t sounded very real to me. </p>
<p>The young hygienists who work with him do suggest all kinds of things to me, though. I feel like they are fresh out of school and trying to recommend what they learned. </p>
<p>My H and i did switch dentists a couple years ago. After years and years at that office all of a sudden we were having tests done that weren’t being covered by insurance and being told we needed all kinds of fillings ‘redone.’ I had two root canals and two crowns (no infection, or disease - just told the fillings were decaying and they were too large to redo.) That didn’t bother me as the endodontist was very good. I got referred at one point to a specialist for “periodontal disease” who basically told me my mouth was in great shape (so i had a huge bill not covered to pay for the evaluation and no work to do after the evaluation.) We were hearing all kinds of doom and gloom about our “mouths” from the hygienist and when I requested a different hygienist I was refused. We just decided that this dentist and his staff were not on the same page as we were. </p>
<p>We’re quite happy with our new dentist and it’s so refreshing to go in and not have all the “doom and gloom” about our mouths. Also the ‘new dentist’ showed me my two gold crowns (that I paid for) and told me they weren’t gold but said they were fine…just not gold. The new dentists are very young and just starting their practice so I also feel 'good" about supporting them in the community.</p>
<p>I’m always been pretty “religious” about my teeth and seeing a dentist regularly and in my family people “keep their teeth” and live 'til their 90s. My bone density is very high and I’ve never had “mouth issues” or grind my teeth. I’m not sure what happened with our original dentist, but I am leery of the dental industry right now in general. </p>
<p>I like my dentist and do trust that he is a competent professional. He performs procedures well and with consideration for my comfort, which are my paramount concerns with any dentist. But my family too has been caught between an older dentist on the verge of retirement and younger dentists who identify lots of problems that require treatment. Leaving us to wonder - have the accepted standards of dental care changed that much, or was the old guy just sleepwalking through his last years in practice, or are the younger dentists maximizing their cash flow? Maybe it’s some combination of the three. </p>
<p>One of my kids was told she needed $1400 in fillings from the new guy 6 months after a checkup with no cavities noted. She was in the chair and he was able to do most of the fillings immediately, so we went with it (no second opinion) because insurance covered much of it and she was off to school in a few weeks. Interesting that so many have had similar experiences.</p>
<p>I absolutely trust the dentist we’ve been seeing for the last 25 years.</p>
<p>That said, I absolutely do not trust the younger colleagues he has brought into his office, all of whom resemble the others described here, who advise expensive treatments, fillings that really don’t need to happen yet, etc. My file and DH’s both are marked “see Dr X only” but the with my (young adult) children, I’ve had to call him and ask him to review his colleague’s recommendations…and he usually advises a “wait and see” approach.</p>
<p>I’d really appreciate it if I didn’t have to gear up to avoid the “upsell” every time I’m in the chair. It’s stressful enough already!</p>
<p>I don’t trust anybody. A Korean born younger friend of mine told me about a Korean saying that translates to “The elbow bends inward”, meaning that people are innately concerned with their own interests as the first priority. I’ve never forgotten it. It doesn’t mean that they are desperate crooks, but it means that you have to watch out for yourself.</p>
<p>Our old dentist milked our dental coverage to do the next 12 years of work over a three year period. I decided this in hindsight after we moved and every dentist I saw was “dismayed” over the lack of old fillings to be replaced. </p>
<p>I trust my dentist she seems to be reasonable as far as what needs to be done. However she is out of network so when I see her it costs more. DH and our sons go to a different dentist. We also trust him. He is in network. However he is also really busy because he is in network. So if you have a problem it takes a while before you can get in. So I keep going to my dentist and paying the extra money because if I have a problem I want it fixed sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>I wish a dentist would weigh in. Do doctors upsell, too?</p>
<p>Some physicians upsell by ordering tests that are covered by insurance but not normally recommended for the given patient’s situation (e.g. PSA screening for prostate cancer).</p>
<p>As far as dental work goes, if a dentist says that you have a cavity, s/he should be able to show you where a probe sticks in it (you should be able to see that in a mirror, or sort of feel it stick in the cavity as the dentist probes around).</p>
<p>Replacing old fillings is normally only indicated if they fall out, crack, or if cavities develop next to them (in which case probing should be able to show you the defects). So be suspicious if the dentist recommends replacing old fillings but cannot show you the defects. Note that some dentists capitalize on the mercury-in-dental-amalgam paranoia by recommending other kinds of fillings, which are cosmetically more like tooth color, but cost more and do not last as long if used on chewing surfaces of molars (so replacement due to failure is likely to be needed sooner).</p>
<p>
No, these aren’t students. These are graduated dentists that plan to be oral surgeons. Everything is supervised by a real oral surgeon.</p>
<p>We have been going to a dentist who was out of our insurance network for years. The kids and I rarely needed any work, but my H has had lots of crowns, etc. I had been suspicious of the quality of his work on my H, and then oldest D went to a new dentist when she was on her own and he wanted to fill 14 cavities. She negotiated that down to 4, but I did wonder if old dentist was too conservative. I was having issues some teeth and not happy with old dentist either so I switched to one some friends recommended who was in-network and she fixed my problems easily. I took both kids there and she found cavities that should be filled in both of them. H is still going to old dentist and is having another crown replaced at out of network rates. I am hoping to convince him to switch too. It is hard to know sometimes.</p>