I want to be clear first, the staff here is great. Kind, accommodating, no issues at all. The…read moreassistants and hygienists who worked with me were wonderful, and I have no complaints about that.
My problem is entirely with the treatment plan I received from one of the dentists.
Background: I don't have great teeth, I have bone loss in the back from years of untreated MS, which kept my gums inflamed for years. Since I started treatment for that, my gum health returned, tight gums, no pain, no infections. When I came into this office for the first time, I made it clear I wasn't chasing a perfect smile. I just wanted to be able to smile again without embarrassment.
The dentist's recommendation was full-arch reconstruction, top and bottom. She told me my mouth was unsalvageable. Which, was concerning, because a year prior a different office told me it was if I got my wisdom teeth out. But, I listened to her and seriously considered it.
They had a full presentation ready to sell me on a complete reconstruction. "You're going to have to replace these teeth in 10-15 years anyway, so why not now?" and "I wouldn't recommend dental work here, it's a waste of time and money. You'll just pay more later to replace them."
What pushed me from being just concerned about what I was being told, to actually upset, came the next week while I was getting a cleaning done. The dentist came in during the cleaning to ask if I'd decided to replace my teeth yet. I thought that was strange. Very.
I decided to go back to an ortho I had seen about a year prior who told me he could do the work. This time, he spoke to the dentist that had just recommended full reconstruction and he wasn't willing to go against the dentist recommendation. But, then he said, "If you really don't want to give up, go talk to a periodontist."
So I did.
The periodontist went into great detail. My teeth are not great (admittedly so,) but they're not anywhere near full reconstruction. I have great bone health in the front, the back needs work (from loss), and my gums are completely healthy. He showed me the bone loss on the imaging, walked me through everything. I walked into his office with no hope, because of what I was told before, and walked out with a lot more.
What bothered me the most here, other than the sales pitch, was that the dentist who recommended this never actually tested my teeth's health. She went off the X-Rays alone, which to be fair, shows my mouth in worse shape than it really is. The periodontist went through and tested each individual tooth, and recommended dental work, approved ortho, and helped me organize a plan to actually fix them.
I will say, it bothered me that St. Mary's Dental cancelled all of my upcoming appointments after I sought out a second opinion. I certainly didn't ask them to do that. Because, while I was annoyed, I understand why stuff like this happens.
All that just to say, it doesn't matter how good a dentist is, they can make mistakes. If you get a diagnosis like this, definitely get a second opinion.
