Is my dentist lying to me (he said I have NO cavities)?
I haven't seen a dentist for like 4-5 years (insurance issues). I've had a history of cavities and I've had a lot of fillings done. So I finally went to the dentist, they took a ton of X-rays and did a cleaning. The dentist comes in and said I don't have ANY CAVITIES. I did not believe him. One of my previous dentists' told me that cavities often start as a little dark spot on your tooth...I HAVE TONS OF THEM! This current dentist said that they aren't cavities but rather "stains". Is he a quack? Or is he just too lazy to want to have to fill all my teeth?
Do you LOVE or HATE visiting the dentist?
Many people cringe at the idea of having a visit at the dreaded dentist but there are others who positively drool at the idea of lying down on the dentist chair and being poked and prodded! Lately I was experiencing a painful toothache which later turned out to be a wisdom tooth becoming infected. I was given antibiotics and mouthwash for the pain and for added measure he gave my teeth a good clean! Later when I came home and showed my husband my newly cleaned teeth he was soooooo...... depressed! He said I was lucky to get my teeth cleaned and wishes it was him in the dentist chair instead of me! So what are your views? Do you LOVE visiting the dentist ..... OR Do you HATE the idea of stepping foot in the place? I'd really like to know your input people, please!!
Dentist lying about what my insurance covers?
very easy fix......call your dental insurance carrier ask them to send you an EOB ( explanation of benefits) for all your kids services. It will show in DETAIL what the charges are , what they cover AND WHAT YOUR BALANCE is !! That is all that you owe. I have to say that in the past 11 years I have never come across a patient that understood how their dental benefits work. Make sure your educated because its your responsibility. Next time : you can ask the dental office to PREAUTHORIZE all services to your dental provider. Then you will get in writing from your insurance company what they will cover and what your balance will be. Then you will know ahead of time, so no surprises. I hate to see people assume they are being lied to or cheated unless they know all the facts. Remember us dentists are at the mercy of the insurance companies too. The first person who responded said it best ....did you know what your dental %'s are?
Is the dentist lying when they say I have beautiful teeth? I take OK care of them, but never floss and sometimes should brush longer. My teeth don't look that great to me.
Believe your dentist. If a dentist tells you that you have a beautiful set of teeth, you do. Who sees more teeth than a dentist? Who is better qualified to make such a determination? Dentists are the best single evaluators of whether teeth are beautiful or not.Many factors go into the evaluation of a “perfect smile”. For instance, I am a dentist with a daughter who has absolutely perfect teeth. They are flawless. She’s never had a cavity. She does not have any gum disease or inflammation. Her teeth are perfectly shaped and of the right size for her face. She has no gaps between her teeth. Her teeth are aligned perfectly. She has a perfect bite. Her teeth are white and have no discoloration. When she smiles her teeth are her calling card.Trust me, when a dentist tells you your teeth are beautiful, you can trust that opinion.
How do I know if my dentist is lying about the number of cavities I have to make money?
Outright lying and performing unnecessary treatment is very, very unlikely. Early decay between teeth can only be seen on an X-ray. Although you may have been going to your dentist every 6 months, X-rays are not usually done at every visit, especially in patients who do not have a history of frequent decay. Additionally, if your old dentist used traditional X-rays and your new dentist has digital X-rays it can be much easier to detect very early decay as the image can be blown up and the contrast adjusted to pick up nuances that can't often be seen on traditional film. Decay that has invaded through the enamel into the underlying dentin requires treatment, but there can be some difference of professional judgement as to when to stop "watching" an area of early demineralized enamel and when to treat it. What can you can do? Dentists detect decay three ways: from X-rays, visual exam, and by feel with instruments (dental explorer). Ask your dentist to show you how they found the decay and what the decay looks like on your X-ray or visually on your tooth (with an intraoral camera if they have one) and be curious and ask questions such as when do they recommend filling a tooth rather than trying to remineralize the enamel and "watching" it. Most dentists love to answer their patient's questions and show them why they need the treatment that they are recommending. Also, try to bring copies of your most recent old X-rays (or have them emailed if digital) when changing dentists. Sometimes a spot that looks like very early decay can be an old lesion that has remineralized and if this is the case it may appear visible but unchanged over the years (and this knowledge may prompt your new dentist to watch rather than treat). Lastly, you can get a second opinion from a third dentist but be sure to bring your current and ideally your most recent previous set of X-rays. Some dentists will do these second opinion visits as a no charge consultation.
I think my dentist is lying about me needing a root canal?
He is not lying. The tooth does not have to be swollen or discolored to need a root canal. It also can take several months to see the abscess on the x-ray, which is why it did not show last August. Come January the dark spot will have grown. You have another question where you say the root canal was caused by an infected filling. The filling is not infected. Your tooth is, and it is not because of the filling. Sometimes it just happens - the filling may have been deep (due to the amount of decay), and the nerve was probably already irritated prior to the dentist doing anything. The nerve has now started to die, and that is why your tooth is hurting. The dentist is not to blame, and neither is the filling. Sometimes root canals are just necessary. You can't always predict when a tooth will need one; it is possible that it needed it four months ago when you had the fillings done, but you weren't feeling the pain yet at that time and it was too early to show it on an x-ray. Perhaps you are right and he just isn't a very good dentist. Maybe the filling was so deep it should have had the root canal done instead of the filling. After which it will need a crown, since it is a back molar that you chew on daily. But if he had told you four months ago that you needed an expensive root canal and then an expensive crown, would you have believed it then? Most dentists do not like to do root canals unless they are absolutely necessary, as they are so expensive and the tooth is dead afterward. But it really sounds like the tooth just needed a filling, and unfortunately the tooth did not like being filled. I do not think the dentist is to blame in any way. Sadly, these things happen.
My dentist says I grind my teeth and need a night guard. Should I trust him since I was shocked and have no awareness at all of grinding my teeth?
I concur with my colleagues on this one too. Most parafunction (grinding, clenching, etc) occurs at night and people are unaware of it. I think a night guard is one of the better investments we can make to help our teeth over their lifetime. However, a lab produced one that a dentist has prescribed and designed is essential to help decrease the risk of joint damage if worn. Over the counter types can be deserting the joint, causing more muscle pain and fatigue as well as headaches.
Do dentists lie?
Not if they have integrity and moral fiber. Check reviews. Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion. If they all match, use the original consult. Everyone will have different opinions on how to diagnose and treatment plan. Most health professionals have dedicated their lives to helping others. Let them do their job. Good luck!
Can dentists tell if I lie about how often I brush/floss my teeth?
Not really. We can see some things that can be an indication of you not telling the truth but we can never be 100% sure. Most of the key information from this would be in your gums. Are they swollen? Bleeding when we poke them? ie. are they inflamed? Are they healing since last time? Unclean teeth usually gives some degree of gum disease and it takes more than just brushing before you go visit the dental clinic to mask it.Also the amount of calculus you have could be somewhat of an indication. But these are really just proxy markers and we can't tell for sure. Maybe you do brush and floss twice per day and your technique, perhaps you have a genetic predisposition to getting these problems and so forth.We can, of course, colour your teeth with a dye that marks all the bacteria on it but that really just tells us how well you have brushed that specific day. Might be good information but it won't really tell us what you do the other 364 days of the year... and those are the days that matter if you want to keep your teeth from falling out.That being said why would you lie about something like this though? I did it myself when I was younger and I think it was a mix of shame (brushing is good and what you're supposed to do, everyone knows that! Yet I wasn't doing it as much as I should) and not wanting to hear the nagging about it. I have a changed perception now and I urge you to tell your dentist (or hygienist) the truth. While periodontitis might not be an issue for you at moment chances are that in a few years time it will be and the key factor to prevent it is your daily cleaning regimen. The number one treatement option, and the basis for really having any success, is to make sure patients do their part. We see you maybe once or twice / year but it really is the other 364 days of the year that count and if we're not getting correct information about what you're doing during the time outside our chair then prognosis and planning proper treatement from our side becomes a lot harder.
Periodontal disease and lying dentists?
I just switched dentists because I've changed insurance. I brush my teeth regularly, floss, use mouthwash, waterpik. Except regular maintenance I've never needed any work. The new dentists said, I have periodontal disease and I need antibiotic therapy, scaling, rooth planning. I didn't say anything, I left his office and immediately went to another dentist to get second opinion. They did another X-ray and the second dentist said, my teeth are in perfect shape. Which one is telling the truth and which one is lying? My teeth are not bleeding, not hurting, my gums are nice pink color how can I tell if I have periodontal disease or not?