I take my kids to the dentist every 6 months and have from the time they were 2. This involves my daughter and her last 4 appointments, the last one being the other day.
At appointment 1/4 the dentist said she had a small cavity and we had it filled. After the appointment she said it looked the same as before. It was her first cavity and I told her that they make it look like your normal tooth now ( composite).
Appointment 2/4 the dentist she had been seeing was no longer there and she saw a new dentist. There was a lot of talk about the old dentist, but I really wasn't listening to what they were saying. Anyway, he said she had a small cavity and we had it filled. Afterwards she told me that it was the same tooth and that this dentist told her that it looked liked someone tried to fill it, but didn't do it right. She goes back by herself so I don't know if those were his exact words.
Appoinyment 3/4 was yet another dentist, the other guy left. No problems or cavities.
Appointment 4/4 was yet ANOTHER dentist. However now they have a hygentist who does the cleaning. She was very nice. My son went first and then my daughter; b/c ds is older now I let him sit in the waiting room and stayed in the room for her cleaning as well. The hygentist said dhe has strong teeth etc and also said she thought she may have a cavity, but to let the DR make that determination. DDS says she has a small cavity, but otherwise her teeth are very nice.
When I went to make the appt for the filling the receptionist told me that she had to get back to me after contacting my insurance company b/c this is the 3rd time in a year or so that this tooth needs to be filled. We left, but it got me thinking...Why does this tooth keep needing to be filled? It can't be normal if the insurance may not cover it.
The constant change of dentist was a bit annoying, but otherwise no big deal, but now I'm questioning compentency. She has never had an issue like this before. She does not have weak teeth, enamel or "bad teeth". I don't know if something is wrong with the tooth or if they are doing something wrong. I mean it's one thing if she has a cavity everytime she goes, in a different tooth, but the same one? Is that normal?
I'm thinking maybe I need to take her to a different practice. I don't want them to keep drilling this tooth and not fixing the problem. If this particular tooth is "bad", I need to know so we can take proper care of it. They haven't said anything like that, I just think it odd that it's this one tooth.
So what are your thoughts? Have any of you ever experienced this? She brushes regulary etc she didn't have any calculus or anything like that. Could she brush better, probably, she is beyond the age where I do it. She has also never had a cavity in any other tooth and they keep saying this one is a small one.
TIA
@ SB she is 16. I stayed last time for that reason.
@ Doris Day... Yes, it does. I also buy bottled water that has it added. Her teeth have always been strong. Her past dentist said it's rare nowadays to see teeth as good as hers in age group. Her orthodontist also commented on them.
@ Patty staying with the same dentist in the practice isn't an option as they keep leaving.
Thanks for all the input ladies. I will be sending them both to a new practice. I didn't let them fill it this last time. I tell you it is hard to find good dental care. We had a dentist we LOVED for years, but he is located over an hour away in another state! I made the drive for a couple years, but it was too much! :)
Again, thank you.
my thoughts? the dentists are scamming you, no way can they find a cavity on the same tooth in the exact same spot as before, THREE TIMES! now it is possible that they billed you for a drill and fill and then didnt do it correctly, thats a big possibility..but, finding a cavity on the same tooth three times AFTER it was supposedly fixed, nah..its a scam!
K.
It depends on where the tooth is. If its a molar in the very back, and she isn't reaching it with the brush and floss, then yes, it could keep getting a cavity. These are questions you should be asking the dentist, it doesn't matter that its a new one every time, its the same office so they have all her records. Ask THEM if it's normal or not and why it keeps happening. Good luck.
I'd find a more stable dental practice.
Your insurance will have a list of providers and you can call to see if they are accepting new patients.
Something is wrong if the dentists come and go like there is a revolving door in the place.
When our son (or myself) has something that needs doing beyond a cleaning and a fluoride treatment - I look at the x-ray pictures myself as the dentist explains where the problem is and what he wants to do about it.
It helps with understanding every which way around.
Yes! It is absolutely time to take her to another practice! Also, I don't know how old your daughter is, but it is probably time that you go back to the exam room with her. She might think she's too old for her mom to go back with her, but you need to see what they're doing.
It's possible that this is some sort of scam, it's also possible that they are just terrible and drilling on your daughter repeatedly and not doing a good job. Either way, you should find someone who knows what they are doing and are not going to hurt your daughter.
Speaking as someone with WEAK enamel and who's been on the receiving end of plenty of dental care, this sounds fishy to me. There are three options: your daughter has great teeth except one which has a legitimate recurring problem, but no one has explicitly said that to you or told you how to care for it, your daughter keeps having the same cavity filled over and over because its not being done right and again, no one is making that clear to you, or this dentist is over-treating or overbilling you for a problem that isn't really there. All of these, combined with the turnover, are enough to leave this practice or at least get a 2nd opinion.
Have you seen x-rays? Cavities and fillings should both be clearly visible, even to an untrained eye. You should be shown X-rays before any treatment every time and the problem and previous work should be pointed out and explained.
If they filled it white and insurance covered it in full, rather than at the silver level and you pay the difference, that tells me it was a front tooth (unless you have awesome, forward thinking dental insurance that always covers white fill in full)...if so, that's a lot of drilling into a pretty small tooth. I just had to get a crown on my molar after I got a third cavity and more drilling would have weakened the tooth too much. They weren't small cavities, but a third cavity in the same tooth, especially if its not a molar, is setting off alarm bells for me.
I think you should ask for a second opinion if at all possible, outside the practice. Ask around for recommendations...I don't know how insurance would treat a 2nd opinion visit so you may want to call about that. Good luck!
I would want to see the xrays and the records that would show what tooth and what action took place. I would also take a copy of those records and seek a second opinion, especially if it is that SAME tooth that is being filled and refiled. Kids can get cavities even if they brush (my DD had some). It IS odd that it is one tooth over and over again. It is not normal. They should have fixed it and been done and if they aren't, then you need to go somewhere else. A 16 yr old is not stupid and you are talking about permanent teeth.
If this is happening because the tooth wasn't being filled correctly you need to know and have the current dentist correct it free of charge. Call and ask the current dentist to look at the records and tell you.
You don't say how much time elapsed between fillings or where on the tooth the cavaties were located. It could be that each cavity was a new one on the same tooth. Each tooth has at least 4 surfaces and one could have more than one cavity on each surface.
You also didn't say how many years between each dentist change or why each one left. If this has happened over the past 10 years, I wouldn't be concerned. Did any of them leave to start their own practice or to a differentpart of the country or to retire? There are many reasons to leave a practice unrelated to incompetence.
A few months ago, I took my son (7) to a new dentist (I changed my other dentist because of insurance matter), the dentist found 5 cavities, and abscess (!), he told me that my child needed to see an oral surgeon (!).....They did the cleaning, and later his practice sent me a bill for $500 plus (!) (I only had to pay $50). I took my child to another dentist who told me that he was fine, and none of the problems above existed; then, I went back to my former dentist (will never change him again!), and he confirmed that my child didn't have a huge problem, just one slight discoloration, which may became a cavity.
As there are good and bad (I call them "businessperson" )doctors, there are good and bad dentists. Beware and ALWAYS ask for second and third opinions.
I'm not sure why but there seem to be more and more unscrupulous dentists. It was my experience that when I went to a dental 'conglomerate' they were more likely to recommend unnecessary and expensive dental treatments than a well established 'single' dental practice. They also seemed to have a high turnover rate with the dentists.
I feel that you are better off finding a well established dental practice with a single dentist or two. Ask your friends to recommend a practice and avoid the places that blow through different dentists every other week.
Get a second opinion on your daughter's tooth. Yes the tooth could continue to decay but it seems unlikely to happen 3 times in such a short period of time.
Hi, R.:
You have had red flags all over the place with this dental practice.
Go to another practice.
Good luck
D.
I'd get out of that practice right away. A tooth is filled so many times (or maybe not), and no one explains it to you or checks the records from the last appointment???? The RECEPTIONIST is giving you the most information??
I think they're either incompetent, or highly distracted, or cutting corners, or over-billing the insurance company!
Even if there was a problem and a filling didn't hold for some reason, they should have sat you down and explained it. I don't like the turnover either - makes no sense and it's not professional because the dentist doesn't know the patient at all!
Get your records and fine another practice. Ask your friends or ask your physician for a referral.
Do you have fluoride in your water? If you aren't absolutely 100% sure, find out. Fluoride supplements can make a real difference if there are no other issues with her teeth.
I would change offices. I would NOT allow work that I had not approved beforehand. She's going in there and she comes out with the work done and you have no idea of what is going on. You should be seeing evidence of a cavity and they need to prove to you that she needs work to be done.
You need to find another dental practice, yes, but you also need to be more assertive with whatever dentist (or doctor, or any professional) you use. Why didn't you walk up to the desk, tell the receptionist you wanted to meet with the dentist yourself right then (especially after the third filling), and lay out for the dentist that you were confused and they were doing the same work repeatedly? Or you could write a letter detailing the dates of the visits and what was done, and demanding an explanation for repeated filling of the same tooth. If they get stroppy and don't want to deal with you or are rude, mention that you will be in touch with the state office that accredits dentists....
Don't let your teenager go back alone any more; walk back with her at the start, so the dentist HAS to talk to you because you are standing right there in person. If your child really does have dental issues, weak teeth, some condition or whatever, they need to tell you that clearly. If this is instead a scam for more money, or maybe competition between dentists who hate each other, they need to be called out on it, but we can't answer that here.
If you stick with them, get tough with them. If you are just done with them, do find another dentist, but I'd tell the new dentist the entire story, show the new dentist her records and x-rays (get them from the old dental firm) and insist that they inspect these fillings to see if a bad job was done.
I would go to a different dentist. That's just me.
Definitely send her to another practice but I would also see about getting any out-of-pocket expenses reimbursed because apparently they aren't doing their job correctly.
You have your daughter to the dentist every month? 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4???
4 different dentists have filled the same tooth? That tells me something is wrong with the tooth not the docs.
If it had been the same dentist filling it over and over then I'd be worried about that doc.
Plus, with the high turn over I'd find a new office I think.
i'm thinking the first dentist messed up or the filling fell out and they tried to fix it. it may have fallen out again or chipped after her 3rd appointment and now its back to being bad. if they are indeed doing the samething to it then they should be paying for it as it should be warranted by them for 1 year and up to 5 years.
my real thoughts is that you need to get a copy of all of their dental x-rays and go to a new dentist to see what they think. they will be able to see if a new place on that tooth was filled or the same one.
either way it seems shady that they arent explaining whats going on. does she even feel pain in that tooth or has she ever?
I would stick with one dentist in the practice. Could it be that the filling is coming out? Maybe eating too soon after filled?
curious - not judging you, but the dental practice there
is this private insurance you are using or other?
just things I've heard from some brought that to mind...
