Dear Bryanna,

I have been regularly going to dentists, but I don't have one that I like.

I found a new one that I have seen twice now.
He says that two of my teeth have big old fillings. Those two teeth are cracked and the cracks have decay. He would like to remove the fillings and crown the teeth soon.

How do I know how to find a good dentist before I let this guy do the work?
I searched and saw that you posted a link to IOMT. Are member dentists sometimes better than other dentists? I found one near me who takes my insurance.

Is there any other way to look for a good dentist?
I live in a large metropolitan area.

M.

Hey Mari!

It would not be unreasonable for a dentist to recommend crowning teeth that have large fillings with cracks in them. The reason being is because when they remove the current filling, there will be some degree of decay that has to be removed. This means that more of the tooth has to be drilled away leaving less tooth structure to put another filling into. There has to be adequate tooth left to hold a fillling whereas a crown fits over the top of whatever tooth is left.

Perhaps you should decide why you don't like your dentist before you switch to someone you don't know at all??

If you decide to go elsewhere, then the IAOMT organization would be a good place to look for someone. You could always try someone who has been recommend to you by a friend or neighbor too.

Bryanna

Hi,

I don't know this dentist at all.
I first saw him 2 months ago.

I have had bad experiences with a few incompetent dentists who did bad work in the past. I don't know this new guy's work.

I understand that I will have to get those fillings removed. I wish I knew how to find out that the dentist will do very good work. Thanks for telling me about IAOMT. I've asked for recommendations from friends and neighbor in the past. Maybe I will ask again for recommendations.

Thank you very much for writing to me.

M.

Mari,

There is no way for a lay person to know if the dentist is technically skilled or not. Even when something looks esthetically good, it could still be bad underneath. I really wish there was a law that required all dentists to be randomly observed <without any warning> as a way to view their skill level on various procedures AND their sterilization protocols!! THAT would be a great way for a lay person to find a competent dentist.... don't you think?

Sometimes, the dentists that have the latest diagnostic equipment like an intraoral camera, digital xrays, microscope for checking bacteria.... tend to be more diligent and fussy with their work because they know it can be easily viewed by anyone else who has this equipment. Poor quality work shows up loud and clear on these things!

We tend to judge a dentist by how compassionate he/she is or if they offer a discount. When in fact, compassion is only a small (but important) aspect of his personality and many offer some form of a discount depending on the individual needs of the patient. The discount could be in the form of offering a long term payment plan with a finance company called Care Credit or Capital One..... others will accept credit cards.... and some give a small discount for cash or payment in full up front.

Generally the dentist who offers the latest technology is not necessarily more expensive than his peers.... he's just more into the technical end of the business which sometimes indicates a higher technical skill level. He is also someone who wants his patients to have the opportunity to have the best and most recent treatment possible.

However, there is an exception to every rule..... so you're back to square one with just a little bit more insight of how things are from the other side of the chair. =)

Bryanna

If the cavity walls are cracked and decayed i don't understand where is the crown be supported? In this cases usually an inlay would be ideal but you will have to get a root canal done and usually root canals are quite expensive.
Have you considered an implant? Try to get a second opinion. Also remember that if the healthy tooth left (once the old filling and the decay is removed ) is not more then 1/3 of the whole crown and you decide to go with a replacement of the filling, the tooth will be very fragile.
Good luck

Hi,
Thanks for your help here.

I found a new dentist I like from the IAOMT web site. She recently took out 25 year old fillings that were cracked and leaking. She put in new ones.
In one tooth she had to put in an on lay (in lay).


She has done beautiful work. I like my mouth now!

I feel that she knows what she is doing and cares about her work.
I even sent my husband to her.

M.