I went for a check up last week and it was a new dentist who had just taken over. He said that he had been looking at some old x rays which were taken at least a year ago, if not longer. From looking at those, he said that I needed a big filling on one side and a tooth removed from the other side, as he said that it was a ticking time bomb, so ideally it should be removed straight away. I reluctantly agreed to the filling, but told him that I didn't want the tooth removed, as it wasn't causing me any problems. As I recall, the x rays were taken because I had an infection in the region at the time, but some antibiotics cleared it up. The previous Dentist disn't say that I needed a filling or a tooth out when he looked at the x rays. I can't decide whether this new Dentist is ultra keen and getting me to spend money that I don't have to or whether the previous denist was too lax. Surely the new Dentist should take some up to date x rays, rather than act on old ones. I have an appointment for the filling this week and I don't know whether to cancel it. It is impossible to get a second opinion as Dentists are not taking on any new patients in the town where I live. My husband has recently been struck off because he didn't book a 6 monthly check up and now he can't get in with a new dentist.
Confusing check up appointment
- Thread starter Fuseta
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honestdoc
Verified Dentist
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- Jun 14, 2018
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When a new dentist is proposing treatment that is more costly and invasive, definitely get different opinions. I'm sorry your area do not have available dentists. In the Pacific NW where I practice, we have too many dentists (very desirable living environment). With all x-rays being digitally based, request them (have the staff include the date) and post them here so we can evaluate them.