Anybody know anything about Dentistry?

[turbot2496]

I go to the dentist every 4 to 6 months for checkup and cleaning. Anyway last time I went, he said I had a small cavity. Scheduled me to come in 3 weeks later to fill it. I've had cavitys filled by this guy before but when I came in the prep procedure was different. They put some kind of plastic deal in my mouth and a clamp to hold my mouth open. He's never used this stuff before. I asked him "Your just filling a cavity right" and he said "yeah". Well anyway he starts drilling and drilling and drilling. Never had anybody drilling this long. After a bunch of this he stops and tells me the cavitys in the nerve and I'm gonna need a root canal. I flip and ask him hows it possible a small cavity got so deep in such a short time. I'm cussing mad and he goes to get the X-rays and trys to show me how they didn't show that the cavity was that bad so he didn't know. I thought they found the cavitys when they took that pick and stabbed your teeth with it looking for soft spots. Anyway I vented on the guy and told him what the heck do I come to the dentist for every 6 months? I should just come in when I feel pain if I wanted a mouth full of porcelain.
I'm getting a second opinion from another dentist around here but the only problem is I feel like all these guys around here golf with each other and I don't know if I'll get an honest opinion. This root canal is gonna cost major bucks even with my insurance and I was in absolutly no pain when I went in for the fill. So anyway I'm filling kind of abused and am wondering if I'm getting jacked by this dentist

 

[Weazel]

Don't feel bad about it, 'stuff' happens I guess. I'm surprised the dentist actually tried to show you the XRay to explain how he had missed it. I would be inclined to trust him because of that.
Anyway, if you weren't feeling any pain in the root while he was drilling then the novacaine must've done it's job. I think novacaine would numb the root first and work it's way up into the tooth, so the root (where the cavity supposedly ran off to) would be even more numb.
A root canal is one of the few things I haven't had yet (knock on wood). I'm a 26-year old with full braces and have had 8 teeth pulled (among many other fun and games), so I feel like a dentist/orthodontist's practice dummy. I know how you feel, and it sucks when they tell you that more work is necessary than you were hoping for. It definitely couldn't hurt to get a second opinion, but if the guy wanted to take you for a ride because he needed the money, there are a lot more expensive things he could've dreamed up.

 

[lyonsd]

Yes. I have seen every Three Stooges film involving dentistry. I've also read a book about Doc Holliday.

Originally posted by turbot2496
I go to the dentist every 4 to 6 months for checkup and cleaning. Anyway last time I went, he said I had a small cavity. Scheduled me to come in 3 weeks later to fill it. I've had cavitys filled by this guy before but when I came in the prep procedure was different. They put some kind of plastic deal in my mouth and a clamp to hold my mouth open. He's never used this stuff before. I asked him "Your just filling a cavity right" and he said "yeah". Well anyway he starts drilling and drilling and drilling. Never had anybody drilling this long. After a bunch of this he stops and tells me the cavitys in the nerve and I'm gonna need a root canal. I flip and ask him hows it possible a small cavity got so deep in such a short time. I'm cussing mad and he goes to get the X-rays and trys to show me how they didn't show that the cavity was that bad so he didn't know. I thought they found the cavitys when they took that pick and stabbed your teeth with it looking for soft spots. Anyway I vented on the guy and told him what the heck do I come to the dentist for every 6 months? I should just come in when I feel pain if I wanted a mouth full of porcelain.
I'm getting a second opinion from another dentist around here but the only problem is I feel like all these guys around here golf with each other and I don't know if I'll get an honest opinion. This root canal is gonna cost major bucks even with my insurance and I was in absolutly no pain when I went in for the fill. So anyway I'm filling kind of abused and am wondering if I'm getting jacked by this dentist

Hmmm...looks like we're going to have to blast.

 

[Lee_Burough]

That little sharp thingy they use to test your teeth doesn't have eyes

That rubber thing is a dam to keep the tooth and the hole he makes in it clean. A routine thing in the dentist offices I've visited.

You're going to have to decide whether you trust him or not....To go to another dentist or not. You prolly pissed him off real good already, will he take you back?

Trust is the real question.

 

[turbot2496]

Thanx for the replys

I just thought I would have felt something in the tooth if the decay had reached the nerve like he said. Weird thing is before I had dental insurance I never went to the dentist. Probably hadn't been to a dentist in 6 or 7 years since I was a kid when I started going again. First visit no cavitys and no problems. Second visit after 6 months had a cavity. Since then about every year or 2 another cavity. I brush and floss like crazy and thought the whole point of these dental visits was to prevent stuff like this and catch it before you need a root canal or some such. Like I told the dentist, If you can't catch this stuff then I'm just wasting my time coming in here. I should just wait till I feel some pain and then come in here and get drilled. Ahh guys probably on the up and up and I made no accusations to his face or anything to burn a bridge, and he took my frustration in stride. I just never thought I'd have to deal with this stuff if I took care of my teeth. I just figured people that had alot of dental work didn't take care of their teeth very well. Oh well welcome to the world.

 

[zam70]

Part of it is prevention the other part is genetics.

Like everything else, your teeth get old and start to wear out.

 

[REDS HOT AIR]

I have always had weak enamel on mine so I know all about dentist...crooks

I just started having them pulled out instead of fixed

now I have a mouth full of nice healthy plastic ones

 

[KEVINS]

You got novacaine?????????????
When I broke my front teeth out I had to have root canals done on both and they NEVER gave me a shot!! They just started threading those tiny lag bolts in and yanking them out!!!
I took it like Rambo, tho!!

Get second opinion...

 

[Little6pack]

Originally posted by REDS HOT AIR
I have always had weak enamel on mine so I know all about dentist...crooks

I just started having them pulled out instead of fixed

OH I know this route.. BOTH DENTIST & CHIRO QUACKERS SUK!

I stopped going to the chiro & feel better. Next I am leaving my dentist.

I been there the past 3 times & he can make up his mind on what he should do. He wants me to pull my 4 wisdom teeth. They are not even bothering me. Only one had poked out only to crack & break off.. I said hey lets just pull that one.. I can't win with this guy.
Next he wants me to go to periodontist because cavity is too close to gum..

I suggest like RED YANK them all & get plastic. The Doc nearly had a heart attack when I said that..

 

[sixgun86gn]

I was a Dental specialist in the ARMY.I know that a cavity can look small until you start drilling out the rotted tooth.Sometimes they end up being completely hollow.From the outside looks like a little hole.

 

[Pronto]

Ever poke at some rust on a car that just looked like a little bump and then a big flake comes off with a gapping hole under it? Same thing happens to enamel. Enamel is the hardest bone in the body but under it is dentin, then the pulp. Dentin is soft so once the decay gets under the enamel it's party time. You could have a little pin hole and a crater under it. That's why they pick and push at the crevices in the teeth.
Steve, they are on the virge of telling to find another dentist anyway. Your little tirade that you went on about your kids and mother in law at your last visit really turned them off. I know you like to act like a wiseguy sometimes to be funny but that time you ruffled alot of feathers and sounded like an a$$. In a round about way you embarrased me since my wife works there too.
As far as dentures go-NO THANKS. My teeth might be crooked but I will take care of them for life. If you break a finger nail you don't cut off your hand.
I fail to see what the big deal is to brush your teeth and floss once a day. 5 minutes care would save so much stink, grossness and $$$ but as the saying goes: "You can't save someone that doesn't want to be saved."

 

[Little6pack]

Somehow I knew you would find this post

I only remember telling him the story that I am more than 1/2 way through life.. Can't recall the KIDS & MOM in law one but I bet it was a doozey..

 

[ALBERTAN]

This sort of thing happens. Not routinely, fortunately, but it does occur. The explorer test (catchiness) is not completely reliable for cavities on the biting surface and is totally useless for "flossing" cavities which originate between the teeth. Many/most cavities are first detected on radiographs. There needs to be significant decay before it shows. Sometimes rather grossly decayed teeth get missed because the enamel is more or less intact (a break in the outline of the enamel is usually the first sign that something is wrong) and the dentin does not show decay as well because it is lighter to begin with.

So to answer your question....it is very possible and in fact quite likely that your dentist is on the up and up with you. He probably stopped so many times because he was in as much shock as you.

BTW, I doubt your dentist was too put off by anything you may have said to him. It's a fairly common occurence we learn to take in stride early on.

 

[Buick From Hell]

If your dentist is working from a 110 year old cinderblock building and is using belt-driven drills and pink ceramic spit-sinks, then MAYBE I'd be worried that he's trying to make a spare buck on the side...

Otherwise, he has nothing to gain except losing his license by doing work on you that you dont need. JMO...

 

[turbot2496]

Thanx Guys

Appreciate the opinions and the education. I feel alot better about the situation now. On the subject of wisdom teeth I got mine pulled a few days ago under advice from the guy and it do suck. Definatly goes against my life philosophy of No Pain ... No Pain. Anyway what should I go with for the crown? Gold or Porcelain? Its not on a visible front tooth and I guess I'd rather have something that lasted rather than looked good.

 

[49-blues]

I went for the whole mouth of porcelan and all the nerves taken out so i can not get anymore tooth aches- cost $26,000.00 ,$1000.00 per tooth- Could have bought a couple more GN S.

 

[REDS HOT AIR]

Originally posted by 49-blues
I went for the whole mouth of porcelan and all the nerves taken out so i can not get anymore tooth aches- cost $26,000.00 ,$1000.00 per tooth- Could have bought a couple more GN S.

g/d I'll gum my food before spending all that

 

[Pronto]

I prefer gold (since that's what I do anyway) but porcelain fused to gold is nice too if the prep has the clearance. Depending on the size of the prep the gold can be heavy. I done some multible units in full gold and they really can be felt. Since there is less gold on a PFG crown they are not as heavy. Sometimes the gold crowns transfer extra hot or cold to the tooth since gold is a good conductor and that may make them uncomfortable momentarily, at least mind do but only with extreams.
49-blues, I don't know why you would need so many root canals done unless you had worn down all your teeth to stubs and the Dr. wanted to open your bite to make a decent space for the restorative work.
Red- Is your nose touching your chin yet? Lack of support for the lips and nose will eventually cause the nose to droop down and the chin to roll up for that cranky old geezer look. My mom is 84 and has all her teeth so you can't just blame aging on losing your teeth. BTW she grew up in West Virginia.

 

[REDS HOT AIR]

no nose to chin here not yet atleast

I'm only 30 I guess I have a few years befor im sniffing my chin hairs

bad enamel runs in my family ... spend lotz of $ trying to save mine even from a real young age but did no good enamel would just crumble

sucks but oh well