Aney,
Without seeing an xray I can only go by your description, therefore, I cannot tell you why the oral surgeon recommended a bone graft. In general, the specialist who would be the most knowledgeable and diagnostic with a tooth and sinus communication is an oral surgeon because he is the one who deals with this type of situation every day. Periodontists specialize in the health of the gum and bone level. Some perform this type of extraction, but not usually. Xrays can be very deceiving and like anything else, some dentists are definitely better at reading them than others.
I am the first to admit that some dentists are not ethical. But I don't think an oral surgeon would suggest an unnecessary invasive procedure on a women who is 7 months pregnant. It's just too huge of a risk to his reputation. Perhaps the oral surgeon was preparing you for the "what if's" rather than definitively stating you needed such and such??
I would sit down and go over everything with this oral surgeon prior to having the tooth removed OR seek a second opinion from a different oral surgeon.
Let us know how things go...
All the best to you!
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aney
Hi Bryanna.
So, my obgyn was concerned with why the oral surgeon felt the bone graft was necessary and questioned it. She was ok with performing the extraction for the infected tooth but she didn't understand why the expensive bone graft procedure was necessary at this point.
I then talked to one of my friends who is a periodentist and she looked at the xray and couldn't see why he thought the sinus was affected. To her, it looked like he just needed to do the extraction and fill with gel or collatape (sp?) and suture since there was no indication from the xray that the sinus was perforated.
I then went to an ENT doctor to get his opinion regarding whether my sinus was leaking bacteria. He said that based upon his exam and review of the xray, there didn't seem to be any indication of a perforation of the sinus and I am not experiencing any symptoms suggesting any sinus issues. He said my sinus looked completely fine. Also, from looking at the xray, the ENT doc felt that the sinus was sufficiently far enough away from the sinus that it didn't look like it would be affected by the extraction. He was very concerned as to why the oral surgeon was suggesting that the bone graft was necessary at this juncture, especially since the extraction was not even done yet.
Now, I am concerned that the oral surgeon is telling me I need to have a procedure that no other doctor seems to support at this juncture and pay for it in advance out of my own pocket while I am 7 months pregnant.
All other docs seem to think that the oral surgeon is looking to make a quick buck at my expense.
I want the oral surgeon to do the extraction tomorrow but not the bone graft. I called and left his practice a message so that he can explain to me why the bone graft is medically necessary at this juncture.
Aney
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