I had what I thought was a GREAT dentist. Skipping directly to my nightmare, my dentist (general dentist, not oral surgeron) pulled ALL my teeth and put in "immediate" dentures. I was not to remove them for any reason for 3 days and then return. I followed instructions and was in a lot of pain which I contributed to swelling. I was unable to even drink a swallow of water with the dentures. Eating was an impossibility. After months of complaining, he made me a new set of dentures. They caused extreme pain the instant I placed them in my mouth. Again, I complained, and was told to "buck up" in so many words. I could not believe that people that wore dentures were suffering like me. He made a third set of dentures, which were worse than the first two sets, all of which I had to pay for each time at a total cost of over $14,000 out of my pocket. After 18 months of having no teeth, I went to a specialist. She made me a set of dentures that have been fantastic, never a moment of pain. YES, you should question skill levels. Second and third opinions are just as needed in dentistry as in medical care. It was a VERY costly lesson for me. I also paid my NEW dentist almost $5000 for my new chops so having teeth cost me nearly $20 grand in total. To this day, I want to go back and tell my former dentist off but have not. The day may still come when I do as I have never gotten over it and it has been 9 years. (I did not mention the $25 grand I spent on oral surgery that failed 10 years prior to the decision to have all my teeth removed.)

Get a second opinion, and maybe a third. Dentisty is VERY expensive so you want to be sure you make the BEST decision, not just the decision of one dentist. Keep in mind, once a tooth is gone, it is gone forever.