Sadie,
Ok.... please take some deep breaths. You need to calm down because you are pumping out adrenalin like crazy and that will not benefit you in the long run. You become burnt out and then healing will take longer. When we become too over whelmed by the situation, all of the incidentals block our focus and we can't think straight. I know this is difficult and all you really want is to trust someone to take the best care of you... I understand. Let's see if we can help you sort this out.
Each one of these dentists runs their practice differently thus the wait for the estimate from one of them. Secondly their surgical techniques are different thus the variation in the length of time and different meds for IV. All of which is typical from one dentist to another.
If you have had both IV meds in the past with no side effects.... then cross that concern off of your list because you will drive yourself nuts worrying about the what ifs.
The length of time for the extractions is due to the technique that they use to remove them. In certain cases it is best to drill the molar in sections and remove each section one at a time. In other cases this is not advisable due to the individual case.... bone structure.... infection.... de-calcification of the tooth.... etc. Each dentist gave you an approximate time frame...however, they will not know exactly until they start the actual procedure.
Regarding the idea of "carving out" the tooth .... put your mind at ease with this as this is how it is suppose to be done and I am going to assume that each of these dentists will do it that way it's just that the one happen to mention it. All this means is that instead of using brute force to remove the tooth, it is going to be gently teased and eased out of the bone and this is irrelevant as to whether the tooth is drilled in sections or not. Their goal is to remove it with the least amount of trauma as possible.
My personal opinion on the dual DDS/MD degree is simply this...... those who have obtained that dual degree in dentistry wanted to be more than just a tooth carpenter or tooth technician. They wanted to learn the systemic connection and be able to apply this knowledge when taking care of patients. With that said, I know plenty of Oral Surgeons who do not have that dual degree who are excellent "doctors" as well as dentists.
My thoughts in choosing between these two dentists are these....
Dual degree or not.... do they both have update offices and state of the art equipment? I say this because.... dentists who practice in a rut..meaning they never learn beyond their original education therefore they see no reason to update their techniques which is often a reflection in the appearance or cleanliness of their office and equipment. Someone who has held on to the 70's or 80's decor in their office is most likely doing that with their techniques as well. This may seem unfair to be judging them like that ... but it is found to be true more often than not. Don't mistake this for someone having a lavish or over the top expensive office... that is all irrelevant.
The demeanor of the dentists.... were they calm... were they anxious or nervous..... did they seem rushed..... were they gentle during the examination.... did they take the time to sit with you and answer your questions to your satisfaction.....were they interrupted during your visit... did anyone else in the office come in and talk with you about the procedure or the financing?
I am glad that they both concurred with me about the possible fractures of these teeth!!!! Maybe we are all wrong about that... .but at least they are open to the possibility which means they will keep that in mind when removing them.
Sadie, I suggest that you take a piece of paper.... make 2 columns. One for dr old and one for dr new. Jot down all the pros of each .... and then the negatives of each that you can think of. Then read it out loud to yourself. See if helps. You can email that to me if you want....
bryanna007@yahoo.com. You can also email me both of their names and I can see if I can do some research on them for you. I may not be able to come up with anything more than you already have... but I am willing to give it a try.
Take a deep breath....... don't hold it..... let it out with a big sigh......
See how better you feel ~'.'~
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by sadie682
Bryanna, please help!
I have now had a consultation with another (second) oral surgeon. I think I have become so disillusioned over the past year with dentists that I am extra scared to choose the person who will extract these teeth and possibly do the implants to replace them. I saw one person last week, and this week went to the one my dentist recommended. (I should add here that I am somewhat disappointed in my dentist here, as he allowed me to have the second root canal, and discouraged me from pulling the first one.)
Anyway, the two oral surgeons couldn't be more different, and I honestly don't know how to pick one. Before this all happened, I probably would have just gone with my dentist's referral, but now I am second guessing all my instincts.
One is older, sort of gruff, and says the procedure will take 1.5 hours. The other is much younger and says probably under an hour. This is not the only disparity, I just mention it because it seems like their whole demeanor is reflected in these estimates. One seems pretty old school, answering all the questions, but sort of with a patients just need to know these things attitude; the other is much more open to addressing questions. But this may be just a question of style? One is sort of casual about the whole thing, as if it's no big deal, just a couple of teeth, and you'll be fine. The other is already giving me RX's for pain and antibiotics (before I even scheduled an appointment for the extractions, and before he had given me an estimate of how much this is all going to cost) and telling me I should plan on being fairly unproductive for three days.
To be honest, neither of them has completely reassured me. Ideally, I think I would like some combination of the two of them, but these two are all I have and I really need to have this done as soon as possible. I also can't pay any more for consultations, especially when I also have this big bill looming for the extractions/implants. They both went to good dental schools (the younger one also has a MD). They both have nice offices. They use different kinds of IV sedation, which I am going to do some further research on, but other than that, I'm stumped.
I don't know how to choose one of these guys, and I am really running out of time, due to the pain. I am pretty sure both the teeth are fractured, and they HURT. If I could do this tomorrow morning, I would, even as scared as I am. But now it looks like I will have to wait til early next week for either of them.
I have to put myself in a chair and let one of these guys cut out my teeth. How do I know which one?
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