Dentists/anyone who may know: dentist claims I have 9 small cavities - wtd?

[JustMe]

I really am at a loss here, and hope for some help from the BBB. I have been going to my dentist for several years, and he has been great. Up until today, I have always felt very trusting about everything he has told me. There have been times I have gone to him thinking I had something serious, and it was nothing.

Today, I had x-rays. He has some kind of new equipment that I believe he got at the beginning of the year. He explained to me it detects very small cavities that the old equipment did not detect (and also uses very little radiaton - definitely a good thing). He first told me that I have 6 very small caviites - 2 sets of three that are in close proximity. However, by the end of the hygenist thought she saw 3 more and they changed this to 9. I was in shock/horror, and he reassured me that this was happening quite frequently with exams now that he had the new equipment, that they may have been there for quite a while, etc. The receptionist would have my treatment plan aka cost estimlate...well it is about $1000 out of pocket (and I have dental insurance, that's just my cost) and requires 3 separate visits. This was done so non-chalantly. I asked to speak to the dentist again and asked if it was really necessary. Dentist says yes, that this means they have decay/bacteria and I have some time, but should get this done within 6 months.

I am feeling really skeptical --so these might have been there for a long time, they are very small, and I have 9 of them! I really don't know what to do. I could go for a 2nd opinion, but then I assume my insurance wouldnt cover any of that. Please give me advice!

[ahisma]

That's a tough one. I had a somewhat similar situation, except it was a new dentist after our old dentist passed away. I went from having no cavities to having 6 fillings almost overnight!

I do know that when I switched dentists about a year later they called them "superficial fillings" and said that they would not have filled them at that point because they could have lingered like that for years without more harm.

[rupptopia]

Our dentist would say, let's not mess with them, just monitor them & make sure they don't get any bigger. Apparently my DH has a bunch of little cavities as well but they aren't worth the risk drilling away the otherwise healthy tooth & filling with foreign material. Not yet anyway. If the cavities are very shallow & only in the enamel you can encourage remineralization by using fluoride mouthrinses and xylitol chewing gum.

Sounds like the dentist has found a new moneymaker, wonder if that is how the salesperson sold him the new equipment - "will pay for itself in 20 visits!" :)

[wellyes]

Second opinion time for sure.

[JustMe]

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Sounds like the dentist has found a new moneymaker, wonder if that is how the salesperson sold him the new equipment - "will pay for itself in 20 visits!" :)


That is how I feel---but I have never had this kind of experience with this dentist before and it is about 6 years since I have been seeing him. I am just so confused!

About the 2nd opinion, so I just request my x-rays? I wonder how much I would have to pay to have someone look at them...

[Snow mom]

Definitely, definitely, definitely get a second opinion (or even go with your own gut and just get a new dentist for your next scheduled visit.) I had a new dentist and she insisted I had all these problems. And then each problem would turn into a bigger problem. She did over $4000 of work and was saying I needed an additional root canal, crown, and inlay. At that point I got a second opinion (should have done it earlier) and the dentist took xrays and said he saw nothing needing treatment. He did admit that if I asked 10 dentists I'd probably get at least 7 different opinions. It's impossible to know if I needed any of the $4000 of work she had already done, but I can tell you I have a lot less natural tooth in my mouth and several of the things she did cause me issues. You can't get back the tooth surface once it's been drilled out. While I didn't have any experience with the first dentist, she was recommended to me by a friend who hadn't seen her in a few years and was shocked to hear about my experience so I do think the $$$ signs can pop into the eyes of previously responsible dentists. Every time I sat in her chair I could almost see her thinking about her kids private school tuition. I believe the second opinion cost me less than $100. Ask around and then call a few places. Hope you can find some good news.

[Cam&Clay]

Our dentist would say, let's not mess with them, just monitor them & make sure they don't get any bigger. Apparently my DH has a bunch of little cavities as well but they aren't worth the risk drilling away the otherwise healthy tooth & filling with foreign material. Not yet anyway. If the cavities are very shallow & only in the enamel you can encourage remineralization by using fluoride mouthrinses and xylitol chewing gum.

Sounds like the dentist has found a new moneymaker, wonder if that is how the salesperson sold him the new equipment - "will pay for itself in 20 visits!" :)

Same here. I have had a few small ones for years that she is just watching.

[baileygirl]

Can you get your teeth sealed to prevent bigger cavities?

[ncat]

Get a second opinion!

I had a dentist like that as a teenager when our insurance changed (except for the having been happy with his work for years part). My parents let him fill all the "cavities" he found. I had a lot of problems with the unnecessary fillings. As an adult on my own, it was years before I would trust any dentist.

[BabyMine]

Since this is out of ordinary why not call and ask to see the cavities and/or ask about a wait and see approach.

[katerinasmom]

The pediatric dentist that I just took my kids to took xrays of DD2's teeth with one of those low radiation super fancy digital xray machines. At first she said that she saw a small cavity but decided to retake the xray of that particular tooth. She said that on these new machines sometimes there's a smudge or something that makes it look like there's a cavity when there really isn't anything and she didn't want to start drilling perfectly good teeth since the cavity was not visible on the surface. The second xray showed a perfect tooth. I'd definitely get another opinion.

[Katigre]

I would absolutely not fill them at this point. ITA with the PP to get a second opinion AND to request a 'wait and see' approach. I have a few small spots on my enamel that your dentist would likely consider cavities, but my dentist has said to just watch and see. Not until they penetrate completely through the enamel would he fill them. Here is why...

Getting dental work is not risk-free. Puncturing the tooth enamel with drills and sealing it with fillings has long-term consequences (especially as you age and fillings fall out - the older you get, the higher your health risk of dental work). If you take the risk-benefit analysis of a cavity that is causing pain or is deeper into the enamel (this can still be a small cavity, but not what you're talking about) then it's worth it.

But to drill-and-fill a small cavity (especially a whole mouthful - 9!!!!!) then the risks seem to be greater than the benefit.

[ladysoapmaker]

I have deep grooves on my teeth. if the xray is not set up correctly it looks like I have cavities.

I had a dentist tell me I had a bunch of cavities and they needed filled asap. Only 2 of the teeth actually had cavities. Turns out he misinterpreted my grooves as cavities.

I would either have him retake individual xrays of the suspect teeth or go get a second opinion.

Jen

[MamaMolly]

We switched dentists recently due to a move and I *did* need a good bit of work (2 fillings and what turned out to be 3 crowns), but I felt very comfortable about letting her do it because she also said I had 2 places that needed careful brushing/flossing and needed to watch, but she didn't want to touch them at this point.

Get a 2nd opinion.

[KpbS]

I would probably wait 3-6 mo and then go to a different dentist for a cleaning and exam. I wouldn't mention the "9 cavities" and just see what they find and what their recommendations are.

[stinkyfeet]

Did your dentist use a type of laser/light device to check the cavities? If so, they do detect cavities that you cannot necessarily see with the naked eye. This device "quantifies" the the severity of the cavity.

I have a few cases using this device where, for whatever reason, the cavity could not be detected with the naked eye and the X-rays were suspicious, but not obvious. I believe I prevented root canals on these teeth by going in early to remove decay rather than "waiting and seeing"

I hope this helps!
--dentist who is a SAHM for a few years while the kiddos are still little :)

[reneed]

My dentist (NEW) told me I needed 14 fillings. I let him fill one and he HURT, so I switched. The new dentist told me I had NO cavities and still 10 years later I don't have any. Get a second opinion!

[mackmama]

I agree on the 2nd opinion. I had a similar situation as yours where I was told that I had several cavities and needed an extra deep cleaning procedure (which is supposed to be pretty painful). We moved, so I ended up changing dentists shortly thereafter. The new dentist did not agree - and now it's 6 years later.

[JustMe]

Thanks you everyone! Sigh, I just am so disappointed in this dentist. I do understand the comment about possibly saving me from root canals, but given how little the cavities were I think at least some more discussion about why and other options were definitely called for. So, I guess I will begin doing research for a 2nd opinion. I don't want to get x-rays done again, so I guess I will need to request those. I am sure that won't cause warm, fuzzy feelings at the dentist's office, so I am going to assume I am going to have to like my 2nd opinion dentist enough to stay with him/her :(