Anyone ever got a second opinion from a dentist?

[mikeedler]

I have quite a few good friends that are dentists- in the Military. In my opinion, they are not very different than a mechanic you would bring your car to. Some are really good- and some just don't have the feel for it. After saying that, I'm glad I'm not a dentist- if you mess something up, you have some really big problems. And what they pay for Dental School, it is unreal! BTW 90% of the military dentists or contractors for the military that I've met seem to really care and know alot.

[flyboyx]

This is probably one of the most ignorant things ive ever read on this site

"according to my wife, there is no such thing as a good female dentist"

And yes, why invest in a 80k dollar panoramic xray machine when all you need is a 1.99 hand mirror

If you dont trust your dentist, find another. There are lots of reputable dentists out there.
unfortunately dentists are part of the human race and a given percentage are dishonest, Just like the general population

so...there are actually three "ig'nant" items you have listed there. which one is actually the "most"?

It makes for some good jokes but in the real world women IN GENERAL are better suited to dentistry. They are more caring, nurturing and detail oriented in most cases than their male counterparts. Women consistently graduate higher in dental school at least in Minnesota.. But people are people ..Some are good , some not so much

you can say its stupid if you wish. thats cool with me. i think its the TECHNICAL aspect that women IN GENERAL lack that pisses off my wife. drilling and filling is VERY technical for those of you that don't know. unfortunately, you apparently don't need to be very proficient in doing good restoration work eek through dentist school. since she has been in the industry for many years, i would assume she knows more about it than i do. don't get me wrong, i agree with you about most of the points you made above, however, in my 43 years, i have can say that every molar in my mouth is a crown. several of them have been redone because the original work was shitty in the first place. woman or man, most dentists are shitty and do shitty work because the lack the ability to grasp the proper technical aspect of the job.

don't get me wrong, i would rather have scarlet johansen's fingers in my mouth than some burly 50 something dude with banana fingers.

My main dentist is a woman but the lead dentist who does a once over after cleaning is a guy. They both are very professional, nice, and honest. The guy actually used to ref some of my hockey games when I was younger, so I guess Im on a more personal basis then most people. Also, I just got fitted for a night guard to help protect my teeth from grinding at night. When they found out insurance didn't cover any of it, they agreed to pay 5%. :)

What I'm trying to say is op, if you have any doubts, find a new dentist.

5%!!!? ??? wow. do you realize the lab cost for a night guard is only like 70 bucks? i assume your appliance cost between $300-700. the rest is profit for the company you call your dentist. no offense, but that doesn't even cover the inconvenience of them not having to deal with your insurance company. generally, paying cash is a 20-30% discount.

[jhaurimn]

My main dentist is a woman but the lead dentist who does a once over after cleaning is a guy. They both are very professional, nice, and honest. The guy actually used to ref some of my hockey games when I was younger, so I guess Im on a more personal basis then most people. Also, I just got fitted for a night guard to help protect my teeth from grinding at night. When they found out insurance didn't cover any of it, they agreed to pay 5%. :)

What I'm trying to say is op, if you have any doubts, find a new dentist.

[blunttech]

^ reason and logic,And a wife, whom I believe is a female dentist...

I never understood why people are still willing to openly discriminate against someone based on gender.

I have had a couple of dentists, male, and female..some are good, some are bad. no gender correlation.

It makes for some good jokes but in the real world women IN GENERAL are better suited to dentistry. They are more caring, nurturing and detail oriented in most cases than their male counterparts. Women consistently graduate higher in dental school at least in Minnesota.. But people are people ..Some are good , some not so much

[Pac1373]

^ reason and logic,And a wife, whom I believe is a female dentist...

I never understood why people are still willing to openly discriminate against someone based on gender.

I have had a couple of dentists, male, and female..some are good, some are bad. no gender correlation.

[Roysneon]

Get outta here with your reason and logic.

[blunttech]

This is probably one of the most ignorant things ive ever read on this site

"according to my wife, there is no such thing as a good female dentist"

And yes, why invest in a 80k dollar panoramic xray machine when all you need is a 1.99 hand mirror

If you dont trust your dentist, find another. There are lots of reputable dentists out there.
unfortunately dentists are part of the human race and a given percentage are dishonest, Just like the general population

[Stanley Rockafella]

so, in our experience, 9 out of 10 dentists are shitty or dishonest. according to my wife, there is no such thing as a good female dentist. probably one of the most unregulated medical fields ever.

this. my fave dentist was a guy in Calgary. Cool dude who also told me I had good teeth, and that there's no need for any work as long as I keep up with my routine.

Also the fact that my work benefits are paying the cost, makes her even more inclined to upsell on things I don't need.

Never knew that about the mirror thing tho. I looked at my teeth last night, and I can't see a spot or a marking anywhere she claims there is a cavity.

Funny, all the times I've been there, her staff she has as hygenists claim my teeth are fantastic and to "keep up the good work". obviously I'm not doing something right if I needed fillings. Something just didn't jive with me

[ParsedOut]

I'm gonna guess it's the lack of fapping has caused your teeth to start rotting.

Seriously though, yeah it's always a good idea to get second opinions on anything expensive or critical in nature.

[rturbo 930]

This thread is making me second guess the two cavities I had done a few years ago :/ I didn't think they felt like cavities.

[Thizzelle]

look in the mirror you can see cavities unless they are in-between teeth. I had a GF who was a dental assistant and I'd just have her check me out. Also have all the dental tools which is a plus.

[Roysneon]

Upselling in any kind of medical practice just seems so fundamentally wrong to me.

[flyboyx]

yes....the up-sale technique is the brady program that most dentists subscribe to. my wife used to be a co-owner in a dental practice. they were very reputable. now that the dentist she worked with retired, we have a really difficult time finding a good dentist because she believes that most are disreputable or simply are shitty.

we tried using online reviews to find a good one, but that simply is worthless because people either don't know what good dentistry is or the reviews were planted there by the office.

so, in our experience, 9 out of 10 dentists are shitty or dishonest. according to my wife, there is no such thing as a good female dentist. probably one of the most unregulated medical fields ever.

[Pantless Spency]

be careful always get a second opinion from a dentist or even a family friend who has some dental experience.


they tried to tell my buddy he had like 5 cavities.

got a second look from a family friend who is a dentist he had no cavities.


its them simply trying to get money from your insurance.

[gr8skyr]

I had this one tell me I need like $2k worth of drill and fill needed (like the wheel term for the forum?) and used one of these little cameras that magnifies your tooth like 5,000 times and puts it on the flat big screen in front of you. Made the tiniest little crack along an old filling look like the san andreas fault. I got me teeth cleaning done and ran away from there fast. Now about 15 years later, that tooth is exactly the same. Both my dentists since have never said anything about that little spot of amalgam. But my current dentist has done one crown on a different tooth that needed it, and a perfect job as you or I can't tell that its not a real tooth, and one overlay on another old filling that broke off in those next 15 years, No where near the $2,000 I would have been signed up for if I had not gone for second opinion! Now hear me mostly younger R3V'ers....don't neglect your teeth. I know if you don't have insurance it's expensive, but in the long run so worth it to have a good smile, gums that don't bleed and teeth that don't fall out of your head. I'm no saint, and did have some gaps in regular care during my life, but I'm sticking with the program now. Nearly 50 years now and pretty happy to never have had a toothache or a root canal.