[se2437]

6 months ago I went to my usual dentist of the last 20 years for my bi-annual cleaning. I had no problems, and he could not find any new problems.

Just recently tried a new dentist, said I felt fine, and he says I need $25,000 of dental work to remove all the silver filling and replace them with 12 crowns and overlays on the rest. I am 54 years old. I do not have periodontal disease but the new dentist says I should have all this work done as quickly as possible to help deter that possibility.

Should I seek a 3rd opinion? What other recourse do I have? Having a hard time understanding this. Would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

[jakester]

Uhh... look no offense but isn't it obvious that this "new" dentist is trying to cash in on you?

Anyone who wants to rip apart your mouth and wants to do it "quickly" is out of his mind with lust for money... and the fact that he is saying that timeliness is a factor in regard to periodontal disease isn't really the issue... he fears that if you don't act quickly you'll change your mind and he won't get that $25,000 worth of cash for this huge dental job.

Maam, at your age, you have to rely on good wisdom and sound judgment. Take your dental records from your old dentist and go and find another reputable dentist who isn't gung-ho about ripping your mouth apart.

[se2437]

The new dentist implies that he is "progressive" and suggests that my previous dentist is "conservative", perhaps "nearing retirement", etc. I don't completely discount this argument but I don't completely buy it either.

I've made an appointment with my previous dentist to see what he says (without telling him about the new dentist).

Still wondering though what other recourse I have. Should I see a 3rd dentist? Are there any other avenues I could pursue too be sure I am getting a balanced view?

Thanks.

[KISS]

He has something he doesn't like: silver fillings. Politely ask him for some information as to why silver fillings need to be replacedand see what you get. Don't let him tell you and do your own research so you have some ammunition.

You'll win. A small BBB complaint might knock him down a notch.

You want a balance. I always get: "You have a lot of old fillings, but they are fine". As the teeth turn into 3/4 filling, you have to wonder whether a crown would be a good replacement. Crowns without root canals are the way to go.

Then I have two difference in opinion with my peridontist and wisdom teeth. Peridontist says that they are functional, Dentist says too difficult to work on. So, when things get tough, I go to a dentist friend from long ago.

My dentist didn't believe in implants, but 2 bridges failed. Saw my "friend" and he was more versed in the thechnology and I decided to get one. Best decision. The procedure was not without a comedy of errors: infection, gums grew over healing screw, dentist didn't have longer allen wrench etc. so things took longer. The tooth decayed from the inside out due to trauma as a teenager.

Your $25K dental work is absurd. Ask if you can speak to other patients who have had similar problems. Check the BBB. He needs a new boat or something.

[KISS]

My dentist calls himself conservative too, so he is not likely to learn implant restorations or have digial cameras that can show you inside of your mouth or even digital x-rays oe even sedation.

But he is a great dentist that takes care of your teeth and fills teeth with the latest technology and is gentle as can be.

Both missed the need for "jaw bone lowering surgery - misnamed crown lengthing surgery" prior to a crown that my peridontist picked up on.

[se2437]

The new dentist says the life expectancy of silver is 25 years. He says the seams are leaking and that there is probably bacteria under the filling. To be fair, he promotes acting quickly also because it allows him to do a quadrant at a time, which is cheaper. If I don't get the work done, I will "pay for it down the line". Well, you kind of pay for everything down the line, don't you. Cosmetics is not a priority for me. Just seems kind of drastic...

[flossie]

There is no need to replace silver fillings just because they are over 25 yrs old. The reason to replace them would be if the margins are failing (there's a space between the filling and the enamel of the tooth). When this happens there is a RISK of bacteria leaking under the filling causing decay (cavity).

If you don't have periodontal disease at this point, leaving the fillings as is isn't going to speed up the disease process.

Did he take x-rays? Did he take intra-oral photos? Did he show you what he sees?

I'd strongly recommend you ask your friends about their dentists and if one is highly recommended make an appointment for a second opinion.

There is no need to rush into replacing ALL your fillings in a short period. You could plan on replacing one quadrant a year, ask the dentist to choose the worst quadrant to begin with.

Good luck.

[Fr_Chuck]

Run from that office as fast as possible. Had a similar issue, after several 1000 dollars of treatment one year, I moved and just went in to get cleaned to new dentist, they came up with 5000 needed, I laughed at them and did not even get the cleaning from them. Did not trust them not to cause issues to treat.

[N0help4u]

I know some dentists that specialize in removing fillings and alternative meds doctors that say when they are that old it is often better to leave them alone. Also you want someone that specializes in removing them IF you are having health problems related to them. Often the process of removing them can cause more problems than leaving them go if they have gassed out over the years. If they have gassed out then you really don't need to worry about the toxins

This site has doctors that can answer your questions of things to look for so that you don't end up in a costly scam.

Under detox -silver fillings link

Pompa Health Solutions - Silver Fillings

[smearcase]

Why did you leave the first dentist after 20 years? If not for a very good reason, go back and say.

[twinkiedooter]

Good honest dentists are very hard to find. Please rethink the "I've got to go to a new dentist" thoughts. There is nothing wrong with your teeth. Your regular dentist has been taking good care of your mouth, why would you want to totally have it redone?

For $25,000 to redo your mouth considering you have no problems is totally unrealistic and would be done to solely buy the greedy dentist another yacht.

As Chuck said above - RUN like the wind away from this quack. Yes, he is a quack. Just because he practices dentistry does not mean he is not a quack. There are a lot of quack dentists out there who think just because they charge exorbitent prices a patient will happily pay them for their supposed expertise.

My son went to a dentist once in Missouri in a smallish town. He had somewhat of a toothache. They took X-rays. Showed me the X-rays. There were two black marks on the X-rays that they said were cavities in his teeth. They did a cleaning on his teeth and he was fine. It turned out that he just had a plaque build up which was causing the discomfort and not cavities at all. I asked to see the X-rays again and I moistened my finger and actually rubbed his "cavities" off the X-rays. I guess you could say I'm an instant dentist that fills cavities with no drilling and no pain. Yes, I did complain to the local BBB and they did nothing. I did find out about a year later that this bunch of quacks packed up their office and left town for parts unknown. I wonder if they got wind of the tar and feather party that was headed towards their office??

[N0help4u]

The BBB doesn't do anything. They just make a list of complaints and then if somebody calls inquiring about their reputation they say they have had XX amount of complaints against them.

[flossie]

The place to make comments (both negative and positive) is at a site called RateMDs.com.