Not a fan of my new dentist

[tmlskk01]

I have been searching for a dentist here in Nova Scotia since my tooth cracked off and has to be removed. I found one last week and went to my first appointment today. I was mainly going to have an exam and schedule to have the tooth removed or do it today. After a ton of xrays and prodding around she told me that it does indeed need to be removed as it is not infected but that I also have 6 teeth that need minor fillings! She said that she could do one today and we could schedule the rest after. So I'm already frustrated that I'm not getting the tooth thats been bothering me removed as its been giving me severe headaches all weekend to add to it she says she would rather book two appoinments to have the fillings done this week. I asked about the removal and she said "oh, Id rather take care of the fillings first" wth? So in the end I paid 290 dollars for a filling and an exam and she expects me to come back for 5 more fillings at 150 dollars a filling before she will remove my bad tooth? It doesnt make any sense to me at all. I wont even be able to afford to have it removed at that point! Am I being completely unreasonable?

[Poirot]

Go to a different dentist if possible.

[VeeVee]

You need to tell her you WANT the tooth removed first! Or you will find a new Dr.
Dentist just want to take as much $$ as possible - she probably is concerned you will not get the other teeth filled so she wants to get the money for that first. Your body so you tell her what you want!

My mom just switched dentists, he wanted to sand down her back teeth and refill them...wth? There not bothering her, nothing is wrong he just recommends it lol she found a new Dentist.

[tjthemanto]

I have been searching for a dentist here in Nova Scotia since my tooth cracked off and has to be removed. I found one last week and went to my first appointment today. I was mainly going to have an exam and schedule to have the tooth removed or do it today. After a ton of xrays and prodding around she told me that it does indeed need to be removed as it is not infected but that I also have 6 teeth that need minor fillings! She said that she could do one today and we could schedule the rest after. So I'm already frustrated that I'm not getting the tooth thats been bothering me removed as its been giving me severe headaches all weekend to add to it she says she would rather book two appoinments to have the fillings done this week. I asked about the removal and she said "oh, Id rather take care of the fillings first" wth? So in the end I paid 290 dollars for a filling and an exam and she expects me to come back for 5 more fillings at 150 dollars a filling before she will remove my bad tooth? It doesnt make any sense to me at all. I wont even be able to afford to have it removed at that point! Am I being completely unreasonable?

Most Dentist are well known scam artists , they will max out your plan ( insurance ) if you have any , at the first opportunity they get.

Some of them are just like dishonest car mechanics who will do all unnecessary work just to milk you.

Just removing the tooth wouldn't have earned her much , but doing those minor fillings which don't take much time or skill at 150 bucks each is a major cash cow for them.

I bet her plan is to do a root canal on your infected tooth at 700-800 bucks instead of removing it and plus add a crown ( cap ) on it , which is another 1,000 bucks or so.

[tjthemanto]

Lot of universities have dentistry schools , where students supervised by a Dentist ..perform ork on you at a highly subsidised cost , way cheaper than these other dentist.

Their work is equally good or better than most dentist.

[Safyre]

To find a good dentist (or other doctor) in your area, use RateMds.com

I always check out the ratings if I am looking for someone new or being referred

[tjthemanto]

I had a slightly infected molar a few years back , and the dentist wanted me to do a root canal on it at 700 bucks

Later on I just got the infection ( decay ) removed and got the cavity filled for around 100 bucks..till today the tooth is fine and I have never had any issues. So glad I didn't get the expensive and unnecessary root canal done.

[anisa]

if you want to broken tooth addressed first, then tell her that is what you want. it is totally your call.

the fact that you have decay on some other teeth and they need to be restored can't be ignored. the decay will get worse, and you could end up needing root canals down the road.

tell her you want some time in between the filllings, if you are concerned with the lump sum cost in such a short time frame.

[anisa]

Most Dentist are well known scam artists , they will max out your plan ( insurance ) if you have any , at the first opportunity they get.

Some of them are just like dishonest car mechanics who will do all unnecessary work just to milk you.

Just removing the tooth wouldn't have earned her much , but doing those minor fillings which don't take much time or skill at 150 bucks each is a major cash cow for them.

I bet her plan is to do a root canal on your infected tooth at 700-800 bucks instead of removing it and plus add a crown ( cap ) on it , which is another 1,000 bucks or so.

well, i wouldn't call scam artists. most are fairly professional. but they are in the business to make money, and because dental isn't covered it really feels like a lot of money. family physicians aren't called scam artists when they call for blood tests and x-rays right.

if you have decay, there are certain routine ways of taking care of it with different types of restorations. that $150 means an income of $50 for the dentist. They still need to pay their income tax out of that.

OP already stated that dentist says the tooth needs to be removed. how are you reading 'root canal' in that? lol

Lot of universities have dentistry schools , where students supervised by a Dentist ..perform ork on you at a highly subsidised cost , way cheaper than these other dentist.

Their work is equally good or better than most dentist.

New grads from dentistry school find jobs as associates with established dentists, because they don't have as much practical experience. so they aren't as good as established dentists YET. you might be surprised how much they watch the experienced dentists and consult with the experienced dentists while performing routine fillings and such. like with any profession, you do need some practice to become proficient.

I had a slightly infected molar a few years back , and the dentist wanted me to do a root canal on it at 700 bucks

Later on I just got the infection ( decay ) removed and got the cavity filled for around 100 bucks..till today the tooth is fine and I have never had any issues. So glad I didn't get the expensive and unnecessary root canal done.

decay means the tooth structure has been eaten up by bacteria, infection means the decay is so deep, that bacteria have entered the root. if you only had a filling, you probably did not have an infection. no dentist would only do a filling when there is infection in the canal. a very deep filling however can cause sensitivity, and when you have really deep decay, sometimes a root canal is recomended, because a pain free restoration cannot be guaranteed when you have a very deep filling. there would be no sense in taking a chance by doing a deep filling that might need to be removed just to do a root canal and another filling on top of it again (paying for the filling twice)

there is no need to demonize a dentist for doing the right thing. they aren't the one who caused all the decay in your mouth, are they.

[lessthannat]

If I didn't have my insurance, I would not get half the things that my dentist recommends. After my appointment, sometimes I look at what they bill the insurance company and it just makes my head spin

You should go see another dentist that is more to your liking, unless she gives you a actual reason as to why she cannot fix the problem tooth prior to doing all the other work

[KrazE]

Having dental work is terribly expensive, but in the end it's up to you to tell the dentist where you would like to start. They can recommend treatment, or the order in which treatment is performed, but you have to speak up for yourself if you want it altered; I have been through this with my dentist and it's never a problem, I simply tell him I would prefer that he do 'this' at the appointment and we can re-adjust the treatment plan as needed.

[tmlskk01]

I have a dentist back home that I adore, has been amazing over the years and takes great care of my familys teeth. the last time I went less than a year ago I didnt have one cavity. I only chose to go to a new dentist because I wont be going back home `till christmas break and a month is a long time to have a toothache, I told the new dentist that I wanted to have the tooth out asap several times but she seemed to avoid it. I`m pretty shy so I didnt think anything of it until I got home. I called the office and left a message saying that I would much rather have the tooth pulled at my appointment tomorrow than have fillings because honestly on my student budget I can only afford one or the other. Now when I`m back home I`ll go see my regular dentist and have those fillings if I do indeed need them as my parents will be able to help me out.
Thanks for all the replys!

[matrix82]

I would get a second opinion. Were your other teeth bothering you at all? I know I paid $110 for a small filling in NB, so 150 per tooth isn't way out of the ball park. I wonder if she wants to fill the other teeth first so that they don't get any worse. I don't know though. It sounds like you aren't comfortable with this dentist's plan, maybe discuss with her that you want that bad tooth fixed first and then fix the other ones after. See if you can get a quote before the work is done, and ask about a payment plan if you need one. At least you can claim it on your taxes.

Good luck, sounds like you have a sore mouth.

[anisa]

good plan it kind of sucks that she is ignoring you. tell her straight up that you will be getting your family dentist to do the fillings.

also while you are there tell them you need copies of the xrays they took, so that you don't have to take them again when you go back home. in fact, call them before the appointment, so they can have them ready for you in time when you get the tooth pulled.

dentists see all scenarios, so don't be shy. just tell them!

[tmlskk01]

I would get a second opinion. Were your other teeth bothering you at all? I know I paid $110 for a small filling in NB, so 150 per tooth isn't way out of the ball park. I wonder if she wants to fill the other teeth first so that they don't get any worse. I don't know though. It sounds like you aren't comfortable with this dentist's plan, maybe discuss with her that you want that bad tooth fixed first and then fix the other ones after. See if you can get a quote before the work is done, and ask about a payment plan if you need one. At least you can claim it on your taxes.Good luck, sounds like you have a sore mouth.

I honestly had no pain in any other teeth then the one I want to have removed. I even checked out the others when I got home and couldnt feel or see anything wrong with them. I asked reception on my way out how much I should expect to pay for two fillings and she said 150 dollars per each surface, so anywhere between 3 and 5 hundred! I have really nice teeth in my opinion and visit the dentist every 6 months so «i was shocked when she said I needed 6 fillings