Going to the Dentist

What an up and down couple of days!  I was so upset on Wednesday at my dentist appointment. First of all, we changed dentists 2 years ago to save $$.  We liked our old dentist but thought we'd save some  $$ (our youngest was still in braces at the time) by doing this and in reality, did save quite a bit since the new dentist was on our "in-network" provider list.   He was a younger dentist though as opposed to an older one like our prior  dentist is.  Nice young man.

Our  younger son and I had no problems whatsoever with him or the dental care we received.   My husband and older son though, were required almost immediately to receive antibiotic treatments each visit and he wanted them to come in every 4 months for them which we did for one year until we talked to a friend who is a dental tech.  She thought it was a bit peculiar that someone who was 20 years old was having to do this.   On top of that, the dentist wanted my husband to get a root canal and a crown for a tooth that was not even bothering him.   

I got our dental records from them and had our dental tech friend  look at them and she thought these treatments were excessive.  My husband and older son returned to our older dentist last week for a second opinion  and were both relieved that they did NOT need these treatments.  

Thank you, Lord!

My younger son went that same week to the newer dentist and was told that he needed to come back every 4 months, not for antibiotics but for hygiene!   I told them that we only do two visits per year and that I would be on him to floss and Water Pik daily.  That was the last day for that particular dentist who was transferring to another office.  This is one of those dental offices in a shopping center that has an umbrella company--Heartland Dental Care.  They have several offices in our area and are all over the country.

My turn for a cleaning was this week.    At my dental appointment the hygienist was extremely rough (my favorite hygienist is no longer there) which started the appointment off on a bad note.   The brand new dentist now assigned to this office who has no history with me looked at my teeth and said that I had a cavity that had been there for quite awhile.  I asked how the other dentist could possibly have missed that and she did not know.  The X-ray spot (digital camera) has been there for at least 2 years and the other dentist has always said it was fine.  In addition she wanted me to give her permission to fill it and if she ran into a problem, also do a root canal and a crown the same day!  That afternoon!    I said "I don't think so" and  that I would get a second opinion before doing anything like that.

I got my dental records (as well as my younger son's, thinking ahead) and had my appointment Thursday afternoon with our old dentist.  I was a little nervous at the thought of a root canal/crown as the most I've ever had done is have  teeth pulled --four wisdom teeth and four removed for braces plus a few fillings.  These beautiful flowers greeted me at the front door of his office and I felt better just going inside.  

Well, he took another X-ray (not digital) and checked my teeth thoroughly.  There is a small "divet" (which the first dentist had known about) but nothing more.  My teeth are actually in excellent condition.  He even went so far to say that if the new dentist had filled the tooth that she would have gotten in there and wondered why she was doing a filling! So, no root canal or crown needed!

Thank you, Lord!

Needless to say, our whole family has transferred back to our old dentist who is not on our "in-network" list but for our dental health and peace of mind, it's worth the extra $$.  No kids in braces now thankfully, although our younger son will probably need his wisdom teeth out this year. :) 

In addition to the problems above, our bills were a constant source of frustration with the prior dental office.  At one point they told me that we owed $400+ but when checking further (over a course of a few weeks) determined that we actually had a CREDIT!  

Bottom line:  Beware of these storefront dental offices.  Ask plenty of questions.  Verify your bills. For major procedures, get a second opinion.   Sometimes cheaper is not always better.