New Dentist....does this smell right?

[GOOFY4DONALD]

2400 for a cleaning???? I heard a radio commercial for a full set of dentures for 2500.

 

[JLKennedy]

Some people are more predisposed to dental problems. My oldest has never had a cavity. My middle child had 4 before 4. I have a heart problem and I seem to have weaker teeth.

There are things you can do to make your teeth better. cessation of smoking or smokless tabacco, daily flossing, good mouthwash, good toothbrushing.

It's just the difference between some people catching a cold every few months, and some never getting them. Don't assume the dentist is crooked. Get a second opinion if you aren't positive.

You are so right. My oldest has the ideal "perfect" teeth, or as perfect as you can get with a very slight (paper width) gap in her front teeth. Our pediatric dentist (who is a new solo practice out of dental school), is great. I love Dr. Andy! He basically said if she were his kid, he wouldn't pay for braces....our son on the other hand....whoa nelly! What a bad set of teeth. He is 4 and is going on Tuesday for 3 pulpotomies and 5 caps. He has 1 or 2 caries but has a lot of decay from "baby bottle syndrome."

DH teeth same way...my teeth, like DD. I think proper dental hygiene is a must. And FWIW, I too had a deep cleaning, after I had my braces removed. I wanted to ensure all cement was gone and my pockets were at about 3's. I do have one that is about a 5, but that is also the tooth that my bracket was on and bothered me the most. My dentist may laser some gum off to prevent any periodontal/gingivital issue later in life b/c flossing (seriously, after each meal) isn't improving it.

As for your x-rays, were they standard filmed radio's or on the computer? And to take that many, is sorry, a bit ********...why not just take a pan and get all the images in one including any bone loss?

I don't think it is a scam, especially if you haven't been to the dentist in years. If you go every 6 months as recommended, and he pitched a "deep cleaning", I'd be suspicious.

Also, the deep cleaning is NOT very painful at all. Your gums will be red, swollen and sensitive, but it's not like "drilling without novacaine". It really, IMO is not any worse than a normal scaling.

 

[DwarfMaster]

Do you have any problems with your gums? ......Deep cleaning is supposed to pull away the gums and clean under there. I had it done a few years ago, I had deposits under my gums. It was very expensive and I had a specialist do it.

Deep cleaning=scaling=root planing=periodontal treatment.

Yep ~ I recently had this done. My teeth are in great shape - no cavities But my gums are a mess

I did get a second opinion & both dentists agreed that I really needed to have this done. It cost me OOP about $200, the "cleaning" itself was around $2000 plus XRays. Your estimates don't seem too far out there to me ~ Great CoPay.
It was done in 2 trips. Not too too painful, just very sore afterwards.

 

[figment52]

I've never had an insurance policy that covered more than $1000/year for dental. PLEASE check your policy before you agree on anything else.

 

[sk!mom]

Hi, A DENTIST tried this on my DH a few years ago,same thing evaluation,x-rays and come back for the DEEP CLEANING. I told my DH to go to my dentist and see what they said. They JUST cleaned his teeth and it was covered by our insurance. My dentist never said he needed anything more and years later he just gets his yearly cleaning and has NO dental problems. So this sounds like a SCAM to me!! Joan

Same thing happened to my DH. It had only been six months since his last cleaning. Our dentist had retired and instead of going to the dentist I found he went to a new one nearer his office. They made similar recommendations as those above. He made an appointment with mine- they cleaned his teeth, said he looked great, and sent him on his way. Ten years later he still has never had that deep cleaning or any cavities. BTW- he's only had 2 cavaties in his life.

 

[daisyyy]

I think it's suspicious.... Several years ago, my husband went to a dentist, who was recommended by a friend after we moved and needed a new dentist. We went to him for a few visits, and realized he was billing our insurance for things he didn't do. (I can't remember the exact proceedures, but, we remember calling him about it, and of course he said it was probably just a mistake, and they would straighten it out... (of course they didn't since he was already paid by the insurance company).. but the next time it happened, we called the insurance company, and told them they shouldn't pay the dentist for the proceedures he didn't do. Once again he said it must be a mistake. (It was a small place, family business, never more than one patient at a time, and the dentist did the cleanings himself.).. I never saw it busy that there should always be a mistake.. We always caught it because we looked at the bill that we got in the mail that showed us what the insurance company paid vs what our portion was. . in anycase, we decided to switch dentists, since we just didn't trust him. We were afraid he would do unnecessary work. So... end of story... trust yourself, if you think it doesn't sound right, there's other dentists out there. Not all of them are bad.

 

[brooklynheights]

I had not gone to the dentist in over 5 years having had a great dentist who retired I was afraid to go again my old denist was great I found a new dentist he let me have a interview with him 45 minutes talking to him seeing and hearing what he does he even looked in my mouth told me i had no cavites just needed a routine cleaning I chose him as my dentist so 18 months later when he said I had a "nice cavity" I let him fill it (I was scared to death)and he made sure I was comfortable and made it thur it I would not trust this it does sound like insurance jackpot for the dentist some dentists like to take advantage of them

 

[disneymom3]

OP here! Please keep the comments coming. Trying to get DH agreeable to a second opinion even if it's on our own dime.

I have never had a cavity (nor did they find any), I'm a regular brusher and rarely eat sweets (don't like them). Now I am an on again off again flosser...I know bad.

Please keep your stories coming!

You know, a lot of dentists around here will do a first consult for free. Look around for one of those and make sure you get those x-rays! If your insurance is anything like mine they won't pay for the full set of x-rays except every three years.

 

[mom2brina]

Just curious, is this dentist part of a national chain or franchise? Affordable Dentistry, or Heartland Dentistry??? On my last visit, my dentist and I were talking about the changes that dentistry has seen recently, and she mentioned that there are some companies that are trying to create a sort of national 'store', or brand for dentistry. She likened it to Lenscrafters. Instead of going to see an eye Dr. in their own office like most other Dr.'s, you go to that national brand name store. Anyway, she went on to say that she has had a few new patients come to her with these "treatment plans" and they are totally bogus. I asked her, what about the insurance companies ... isn't this fraud? She said that they are very carefull about the way that it is worded in the plans. I would definitely be getting a second opinion if I were you!!

 

[MK2thcleaner]

As for your x-rays, were they standard filmed radio's or on the computer? And to take that many, is sorry, a bit ********...why not just take a pan and get all the images in one including any bone loss?

A "pan" or panoramic xray, while filled with certain details actually does a poor job of showing bone loss and cavities.

OP, since you had an uneasy feeling about the treatment plan, I would echo previous sentiments and get a second opinion. Having said that, with the further information about your perio readings, I do think it's quite possible that the diagnosis is accurate. Some dentists, like some people, are bad apples.

Yes, open treatment areas are more common in newer offices, kind of like open floor plans in new homes.

If there is a dental or dental hygiene school near you, as a PP suggested, I would suggest a visit. Schools will take more time, but much less money. You can be assured that you will receive thorough care, as a student and an instructor will exam and treat you. At our school, appointments are 3 1/2 hours long, and a patient can require mulitiple visits to get totally completed, but the cost makes it worth it if you have the time. My private practice office charges around $1000 for full mouth scaling and root planing(deep cleaning) including exam and xrays, but the school charges $100 for the same treatment. 10% makes it worth it!!!

Periodontal disease is on the rise. 2-3 of every 4 patients has some form of it. Don't ignore it just because you think the dentist wants a new boat or to make the car payment. Find out the signs and symptoms and see where you fit in. Do your gums bleed when you brush or floss, do you have bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth, do your teeth look longer-the gums pulled away, do you have red gums rather than pink, do your teeth wiggle in their sockets, does gum disease run in the family or does a family member have dentures that they got because of teeth "falling out"? All of these are questions to ask yourself.

Cavities: chew xylitol gum or suck mints. it will help. read up on it. Cavities are a disease that is spread. We can give it to our children. Kill the bacteria, stop the cavities. xylitol will help with that!

Finally I will share one last story. I had a patient a few weeks ago that needed full mouth scaling and root planing. She had been having regular cleanings back east, but just moved to my area. She walked in thinking she'd be getting the same, but had no idea that her gums were in bad shape. She had large amounts of tartar build up throughout her mouth-EVERY TOOTH-under the gums and above the gums. It was black and hard to remove. She was a difficult patient to deal with for many reasons including her need to spit into a kleenex and/or cup rather than swallow her own spit as I worked, even though I was rinsing and suctioning her thoroughly every minute or so. All this takes lots of extra time. I truly believe that her last dental hygienist didn't want to take the time to give her the treatment she needed. She is high maintenance, so why not just polish her up and get her out of there? It's very sad because she'd been treated regularly, but never FULLY treated. I said all that to prove that there are times when the new office is being truthful in their treatment plan.

My job is to present the information, your job is to decide what to do with it.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[RobinFabulous]

A "pan" or panoramic xray, while filled with certain details actually does a poor job of showing bone loss and cavities.

OP, since you had an uneasy feeling about the treatment plan, I would echo previous sentiments and get a second opinion. Having said that, with the further information about your perio readings, I do think it's quite possible that the diagnosis is accurate. Some dentists, like some people, are bad apples.

Yes, open treatment areas are more common in newer offices, kind of like open floor plans in new homes.

If there is a dental or dental hygiene school near you, as a PP suggested, I would suggest a visit. Schools will take more time, but much less money. You can be assured that you will receive thorough care, as a student and an instructor will exam and treat you. At our school, appointments are 3 1/2 hours long, and a patient can require mulitiple visits to get totally completed, but the cost makes it worth it if you have the time. My private practice office charges around $1000 for full mouth scaling and root planing(deep cleaning) including exam and xrays, but the school charges $100 for the same treatment. 10% makes it worth it!!!

Periodontal disease is on the rise. 2-3 of every 4 patients has some form of it. Don't ignore it just because you think the dentist wants a new boat or to make the car payment. Find out the signs and symptoms and see where you fit in. Do your gums bleed when you brush or floss, do you have bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth, do your teeth look longer-the gums pulled away, do you have red gums rather than pink, do your teeth wiggle in their sockets, does gum disease run in the family or does a family member have dentures that they got because of teeth "falling out"? All of these are questions to ask yourself.

Cavities: chew xylitol gum or suck mints. it will help. read up on it. Cavities are a disease that is spread. We can give it to our children. Kill the bacteria, stop the cavities. xylitol will help with that!

Finally I will share one last story. I had a patient a few weeks ago that needed full mouth scaling and root planing. She had been having regular cleanings back east, but just moved to my area. She walked in thinking she'd be getting the same, but had no idea that her gums were in bad shape. She had large amounts of tartar build up throughout her mouth-EVERY TOOTH-under the gums and above the gums. It was black and hard to remove. She was a difficult patient to deal with for many reasons including her need to spit into a kleenex and/or cup rather than swallow her own spit as I worked, even though I was rinsing and suctioning her thoroughly every minute or so. All this takes lots of extra time. I truly believe that her last dental hygienist didn't want to take the time to give her the treatment she needed. She is high maintenance, so why not just polish her up and get her out of there? It's very sad because she'd been treated regularly, but never FULLY treated. I said all that to prove that there are times when the new office is being truthful in their treatment plan.

My job is to present the information, your job is to decide what to do with it.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for that, very informative

 

[tiggertabi]

I went to a new dentist last year because my tooth was bothering me, i was sure that I had a cavity. I talk to them, they told me that I needed a $500 not covered by insurance guard for sleeping. I walked out of there angry but also hopeful that i would not have the pain anymore. I switched dentists, however, because I did feel like I was at a car sales office, pressured to do whatever they said. My new dentist said I didn't need anything, and even if I did they should have had me try one of the cheap ones from teh store first to see if it helped the problem at all... Needless to say I was pretty angry.

 

[LKHomemail]

my mum had a dentist that would constactly scale / pick at her caps with the tool thing. she ended up having at least two crowns per year . she finally caught on. she is way too trusting. she would max out 2K in dental insurance a year and have at least 1K out of pocket.

i once went to a new dentist and was told i had six cavaties. i went for a second opinion and they said none. i think some dentists can be like auto mechanics and find or invent things wrong. there should be some sort of undercover sting to bust these bad dentists. i'd love to see a MSNBC special invenstigation.

 

[tpclady]

I came online looking for new mouse info and saw this post and HAD to reply! I have no idea if your new dentist is good or bad but I thought you needed a little dental info from somebody who knows a little about what they are talking about.... 1st - deep cleanings have nothing to do with cavities, it is gum disease, 2nd- a good dentist wants to see you for a consult/eval/ appraisal whatever you want to call it before they jump into a routine cleaning. If you do need a deep cleaning and they do a routine cleaning you will have wasted your money and your insurance is likely to pay nothing for the needed treatment stating they just paid for a cleaning. 3rd- a 'FMX' is needed every 3-5 years which consists of 18 individual xrays and "bwx' are needed 1-2x a year which consists of 2-4 individual xrays. If a particular tooth is being looked at they might need a 'pa' of it which would be in addition to the standard 'bwx'. 4th- dental ins now a days is really dental assistance not ins. Most only pay $1000-1500 a year in benefits and that amount has not changed since the 70's even though fees have changed. In 1970 $1000 would get you 4-5 new crowns and now it will barely get you 1! 5th- $1400 sounds right for a full mouth deep cleaning, they are $300-400 per quad (UR,LR,UL,LL) depending on where you live. 6th- as with everything, there are agressive and conservative dentists. 1-3mm pockets are normal and some dentists will rec. more treatment when you go above that, but some dentists won't rec treatment until you have 6-8mm pockets. A happy med is somewhere between those, when you have 5-6mm pockets you need to get treatment, if you wait longer it won't get better and you will have bone loss that can't be repaired.
Remember this- Your mouth is a major part of your body, bacteria gets into your bloodstream everytime you brush your teeth when your gums bleed, healthy gums don't bleed during brushing. Gum disease is directly linked to heart disease, premature birth, uncontrolled diabetes and lots of other ailments. Dentures are miserable! They make it very hard to eat healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. When you can't eat healthy, your body won't be healthy. The condition of your mouth affects the quality of your life!

 

[RobinFabulous]

2400 for a cleaning???? I heard a radio commercial for a full set of dentures for 2500.

They also advertise Lasix for $299 per eye on the radio.