FindaDentist

rhay

February 17th, 2010 at 3:07 am

id go for a third opinion. you cant make that judgement yourself without being a professional.

Dental Commando

February 17th, 2010 at 3:54 am

Diagnosis of oral disease is not always as exact or as consistent as you may expect. Gum health for example runs the spectrum between perfect and dire and the point at which you would classify it as needing treatment varies between dentists.

Maybe you could ask your friends if they have a dentist with a good track record of looking after their teeth and get an opinion from that one.

cocodeville90

February 17th, 2010 at 4:10 am

You don’t. Usually, things work out better all around when they are referred to you by word-of-mouth; as: through friends or acquaintances (that have favorable concepts about their own personal provider), upon tedious inquiry, as you seek for a competent one (many are not)…Not an easy task!

honey

February 17th, 2010 at 4:50 am

From my experience, dentists are like hair dressers. Once you find a good one, stick to them. I have seen so many dentists and they all have different opinions. Some are very money minded. My mother saw one dentist that wanted her to have 3 teeth out. He said they had to go. They weren’t painful and told my mum that if she didn’t get them out she will be in agonizing pain in years to come. Well…. 25 years have passed and not a problem… Don’t believe everything you hear.

spongebobrogers

February 17th, 2010 at 5:38 am

Find a good dental hygienist in your area. They should do a periodontal probing. This will give them measurements of how your gums and bone levels are doing 1-3 is normal and everything is fine. 4-5 is slight gum disease and you still may be ok or if your gums are very red, inflammed, and bleeding when you brush and floss you may need gum treatment. 6-7 is moderate gum disease and you most likely need some gum treatment to hault the progression of this problem. They can usually also show you the bone loss on the x-rays, and they can usually show you the cavities also or they may say see how the instrument sticks here this is a sign of a cavity. Some dentists watch smaller cavities until they grow slightly and then fix them. However, if the dentist or hygienist does not bother to explain any of this to you, move on. Oh yeah, if you have dental insurance, the gum treatment normally has to be pre approved, or you can request this. This means they have to send x-rays and perio measurements to your insurance company. The insurance company will review your x-rays to make sure that the period measurements agree with what is on the x-rays and that you actually need the treatment. This is one good thing about insurance. It will help prevent you from being taken advantage of. If the insurance does not approve, you may not need it. However, not all insurances cover this treatment so be sure they do before judging. You also might want to go back and ask to be shown the perio probings and x-rays.

Kell

February 17th, 2010 at 6:27 am

That’s a good question!! In the office I work in, we have several dentists, and sometimes we run into the different diagnosis dealings.

It sounds like the professionals you saw were fairly close in their opinions. One was more “aggressive” than the other.

Dentists have different opinions on their treatment plans, just as you and I may have a different treatment plan for the way we handle our lives. Some are aggressive and fill a tiny cavity as soon as they see a small spot on an x-ray, while others will take the more conservative route, and explain, “you have a small cavity starting right here, but if you keep it really clean, floss several times a day…then perhaps we won’t need to fill it”.

Same goes for gum treatment, oral surgery, and orthodontal treatments. Some dentists want to ensure you truly need to see a specialist before they send you (as there are some patients I have encountered who are easily angered if we send them to a specialist and the specialist says all is “okay”).

I have never heard of a dentist or office recieving commission for referals. I do know that some offices take referrals very seriously, and will make time to meet with the referring office to get to know them…so they know their patients are truly in good hands…but never a commission. In fact, I believe that is illegal (but I could be wrong!).

We have had a couple of patients who want copies of their x-rays, so they can go get a second opinion…and we always support that because we always want our patients to be comfortable.

It’s your mouth…you have to be comfortable with the treatment being completed on you. It’s okay to ask questions…I encourage you to ask them. You sometimes have to go with your gut.

Dr Harry W

February 17th, 2010 at 7:14 am

Dentist do not normally get any referral fee. Some are more through than others, Will bet you have perio problems but would have to see X rays to be sure. Doc W

JoeyJoeJoe

February 17th, 2010 at 7:45 am

It’s a really good question. Having a good dentist is like having a good car mechanic. Because if I bring my car in and he tells me I need to new Johnson rod, I don’t know jack about cars and just go, ok, replace it. It’s the same with your dentist. If he/she says that you need a root canal(and you’re in no pain), you better trust that person. My dentist has always been a family friend or someone who comes highly recommended. And I don’t switch dentists. I stick with her. She knows my teeth and has been working on them forever.

muki

February 17th, 2010 at 8:15 am

Yes.dentist cure on the basis of symtomes.ther may be a possibility that there r same symtomes for many diseases.U can not take own dicision.It should b leave on dentist.