I got back from the dentist today and they found 13 cavities. What strikes me as a bit odd is last time I went to a different dentist in may of 2004 they found 0 cavities. The time before that I went around fall of 2003 to another different dentist (I switch dentists every time due to scheduling) and they found 5 or 6. Before that I went in summer of 2002 and they found one cavity and one root canal. I don’t know, either the last guy missed a bunch or 13 cavities came out of nowhere in a year. Probably both. Either way, i’m going to get a 2nd opinion just to check to see if I really have 13 cavities by going to another dentist here in town to see what they think. I’m on a dental discount plan but this will still end up costing around $1400 total for everything, which sucks bad.
I should take better care of my teeth. I only brush once every day or so and use listerine daily, but that is about it. No flossing or fluoride rinses.
I was going to say something like “I asked them to take a picture of my teeth” and link to some really bad set of teeth but even i’m a little grossed out by what I found on google so I am not going to do that.
Yeah get another dentist’s opinion. Only question I have is … did the dentist seem delighted to find the cavities? I once had a dentist who seem to celebrate everytime he detected a cavity (“Oooo, did that hurt? Must be another cavity!”), probably because it meant more $$$ in his pocket. Needless to say, I had the work done, but changed to another dentist who acted more professionally.
When I started going back to the dentist in late 2001, my dentist seemed to have the same reaction. Despite poor dental care, all I needed was a root planing and 2 cavities filled. The wisdom teeth removal I chalk up to standard care with or without proper hygiene.
I had 8 cavities filled back in 1983 and they are still as tight as they were then. The dentist taps on them every time I go in for a cleaning. He’s determined to replace them.
Jesus. Actually when I first got the bill my first thought was some of what i’ve heard on SD of people getting 20k worth of dental work. If I don’t reverse this gingivitis and do at least some basic dental hygiene (flossing once every other day, brusing once a day) I will either have to get dentures or 20k in dental work someday, so this is a good wakeup call.
I’ve apparently inherited my deadbeat dad’s teeth, one of the few good things he ever gave me. I can get away with brushing once a day, although I usually do twice, and rarely flossing and I never have cavities.
Half my mother’s side got dentures at a very young age.
So I think you’re born with ‘hard teeth’, which are more difficult to get cavities in.
I used to brush 2x a day and that’s it. Floss only after eating stuff that was visible or annoying feeling. Six months ago my dentist said that I had early periodontal disease. This is not good! My mom has that, and I know how expensive it has been for her to repair the damage. Upwards of 20K for sure. The dentist said that mine was still reversible, and that I should get a sonicare toothbrush. And floss and Listerine of course. So, I did, and when I went back, he said my gums were ‘beautiful’, and that he was glad that somebody listened to him as so many people say they will do what the dentist says and don’t. No cavities, either. I have to say that I wasn’t happy about buying a toothbrush that cost over $100, but knowing what I know now, it was so worth it! I love my dentist…
I was engaged to a guy (did not marry him) whose father was a dentist. Free dental! Those were the days. He even gave me a gold tooth. (it is a crown in the BACK. i don’t have visible mouth bling.)
Anyway, sorry to hear about the cavities. 13 is a lot. I’d get a second opinion.
I am sure that genetics has something to do with how one’s teeth hold up… but just to be sure, Wes… you use fluoride toothpaste? You might want to start having fluoride treatments when you get your teeth cleaned. I have always had them, but also always brushed my teeth only once a day, and didn’t start flossing till I was in high school–but I’ve never had a cavity.
Coincidentally they had a current affairs show on TV last night in Australia that had a segment about dentists bullshitting patients about dental work they didn’t need. They sent in people with perfect teeth who were told they needed up to $1400 worth of dental work but it was all lies.
I’m one of those bastards whose teeth don’t go bad, either. Nice strong roots, only brush and never floss, no mouthwash…
But it kinda backfires when you go for wisdom tooth removal. DAMN that hurt.
I am pretty sure genetics plays a big part as well. I brush and floss 2x day, don’t eat sugar or drink sodas, rinse and have fluoride treatments 4x a year, and my teeth are still crap. I’ve had 3 root canals and a couple extractions, and my mouth is basically a cavity farm. The hygienist told me that my mouth seems to be unusually acidic. Too bad I can’t spit acid, that might make it all worthwhile! At least I don’t have any problems with plaque.
Wisconsin board revokes license of air abrasion dentist.
In July 2004, the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board revoked the
license of Lee R. Krahenbuhl, D.D.S., who owns and operates the
Advanced Care Smile Centers in Appleton and Oshkosh. The board
ordered the revocation in July 2004 after concluding that Krahenbuhl
had falsely diagnosed 13 cavities in a patient and proposed to charge
$1,500 for unnecessary repairs. Case records indicate that the
patient became suspicious and consulted three other dentists, each of
whom said he had no cavities and needed no dental work. This was the
third time that the Board disciplined Krahenbuhl for
misrepresentation. In 1993, his license was suspended for 30 days
based on a criminal conviction for Medicaid fraud. In 2002, he was
disciplined in connection with faulty root canal treatment and
misrepresenting that an x-ray film was the patient’s post-treatment
film. http://drl.wi.gov/dept/decisions/docs/1202011.htm In that case,
the Board suspended his license for six months, ordered a $5,000
fine, banned him from doing more root-canal work, and required his
practice to be monitored by another dentist for a minimum of two
years. In April 2005, a Winnebago County Circuit Judge upheld the
Board’s 2004 revocation order. Krahenbuhl plans to appeal to a higher
court. Various reports indicate that Krahenbuhl was combining air
abrasion with the use of a disclosing dye to detect tooth decay. Air
abrasion uses a fine-tipped instrument to blast air and aluminum
oxide particles that rapidly abrade the tissues to which it is
directed. Disclosing dyes can help dentists judge how deep to drill
or scoop out decayed areas when preparing teeth for fillings, but
they are not reliable for determining whether or not a repair is
needed. That requires the use of a probe to detect areas of softness.
For additional information about Krahenbuhl, see http://www.dentalwatch.org/reg/kr.html
Better luck with that second opinion!
I’m getting pissed. When I made the initial appointment I assumed I had some cavities so I made 2 appointments, one for the next day as well as the original inspection. I shouldn’t have gone to the second. It took them 3 hours to do 3 fillings, and they were done by an intern. I have had fillings before and they usually only take a few minutes each. And it is a day and a half later and I cannot eat out of the right side of my mouth, when I do I get a stinging pain like i’m chewing on aluminum foil.
Dammit. My 2nd opinion is on tuesday, tomorrow i’m calling tons of dentists to find a 3rd opinion sometime next week (hopefully monday or tuesday afternoon for the 3rd opinion). If the 2nd and 3rd say these dentists are not telling the truth I don’t know what i’ll do. I will be very pissed. When I went in they wanted me to get resin fillings ($150-200 per tooth) on all 13-16 cavities (I think its up to 16 cavities now), but I said I only wanted resins on canines and incisors. Had I agreed to all the work they wanted it would’ve cost upwards ot $3500.
Suffice to say, even if I do need 14 fillings I am not going near this dentist again. Nowhere near them. If I still have this pain in my mouth next week i’m going to try to get a refund and take my business elsewhere to get them to fix the damage these people did. I am not letting the intern or the dentist redrill and spend another 3 hours with the intern trying to learn the ropes by taking 10x as long as she should and screwing up anyway. God i’m getting pissed about this. If they tried to fuck me I will probably go to the state attorney general and the ADA or whoever you report these people too. I am not really a mean person, but I am a poor college student w/o insurance and they know this. If they tried to get me to spend $2-3k on unneeded dental work knowing full well that I don’t have alot of money then that would piss me off intensely, for all they know my unneeded dental work money comes out of my food and tuition budget. If I were wealthy or had good insurance, I don’t think i’d care but fucking with me when i’m poor and you’re not makes me mad as hell. I hope that I don’t really have 13-15 cavities, but i’ll have to wait and see.
Either way, i’m not just mad about the prognosis anymore, i’m mad about how inept the dentist was. Her intern took 3 hours, tripped over the cords connecting the devices in my mouth (which would’ve ripped the side of my mouth open had she actually tripped fully on it), and screwed up my teeth even though she took 10x as long as any other dentist I’ve ever had to do a filling. I naively got 3 fillings yesterday. I probably made a mistake but at the time I still wasn’t sure, I figured maybe they were just really looking out fo rmy well being, I didn’t know they’d have the intern screw my teeth up. I have had fillings before and I have never had this pain when eating like I am having now.
