Is This Dentist Trying to Steal from Me?

Lvinaricee on 04/10/2019 - 19:15

ok so I got one of the wisdom teeth (bottom right) that grows halfway (the tooth got covered in half with my gum). Therefore, sometimes food got stuck in between the gum and the wisdom tooth, causing pain and bleeding.
Went to see a dentist, who happens to be the oral surgeon and asked him to remove one of the wisdom teeth that causes problems. However, he insisted that I need to remove all of the wisdom teeth even though the other ones are fine and do not cause me any problems.
He said if I dont get all removed, they will cause more problems later on. He sounded like he just wanted me to get rid of all so I could pay him more $$$.

My questions are:
-Was the dentist genuine about my wisdom teeth, which I should get all removed?
-Or was he just trying to get me to remove all, so I can pay him more?

I have been in pain and really wanted to get rid of the tooth as soon as I could so I agreed and already booked an appointment for the wisdom teeth removal.

A friend of my told me I shouldn't do it at all and I should cancel the appointment. Any input will be appreciated.

Health & Beauty

Comments

          • SnakeCasablanca on 06/10/2019 - 17:11
            -1

            @Tech5: I hate to tell you mate. But you are wrong.

            Source: My mouth and my own lived experience.

            • Tech5 on 06/10/2019 - 17:12
              +1

              @SnakeCasablanca: Source: Dentist who has been through 5 years of training + read hundreds of studies, each based on hundreds of patients.

              But I can see I am arguing with a fool. Have a good day :)

              • SnakeCasablanca on 06/10/2019 - 17:13
                -2

                @Tech5: Thanks mate. I'll let my brain know to forget the things it saw first hand. I'll ask it to ignore the space that doesn't exist now where my wisdom tooth slid right in.

                I'll let it know you're a dentist and that you used ad hominems on me. That might help it with the cognitive dissonance.

                • p1 ama on 06/10/2019 - 19:43

                  @SnakeCasablanca:

                  Thanks mate. I'll let my brain know to forget the things it saw first hand.

                  I saw someone win the lottery first hand, let's all buy lottery tickets now.

                • C0mmonS3nsE on 08/10/2019 - 04:45

                  @SnakeCasablanca: You sound like an anti-vaxxer… anecdotal evidence is no evidence, trust me! ;)

                  • SnakeCasablanca on 08/10/2019 - 07:55
                    -1

                    @C0mmonS3nsE: So because I can categorically prove that what Tech5 said is false (After that, it does not happen) I am now an anti vaxer.

                    Username does not check out.

                    • PressQ on 09/10/2019 - 11:15
                      -1

                      @SnakeCasablanca: Pretty sure they mean that you use your own experience to argue with a qualified professional, just like an anti-vaxxer does.
                      Why bother going to a dentist if you know so much about dentistry?
                      You are right about one thing though, there IS someone missing commonsense here…

                      • SnakeCasablanca on 09/10/2019 - 18:04
                        -1

                        @PressQ: I use my own experience to say something happened that I can confirm. They use their "professional experience" to tell me that this "never happens". They are absolutely and categorically incorrect. Perhaps if they argued that this might happen rarely then they might have actually had a legitimate argument. But instead they wanted to just appeal to their authority and call me a fool.

                        Logical fallacy 1: Appeal to authority (Im a dentist so what you say happened could never have happened)
                        Logical fallacy 2: Ad Hominem (You're a fool / You sound like an anti vaxer.)

                        They may know more about teeth than me. But they lost this argument. So I continue the victor!

  • Love a bargain on 05/10/2019 - 14:54

    If you're having any of your lower wisdom teeth removed, get an oral surgeon to do it and make sure they explain to you what they'll do to minimise the risk of nerve damage (e.g. explain how close they are from the x-ray, isolate the nerves before touching the tooth, etc). Go elsewhere if you're not satisfied with their answer. Nerve damage is not fun.

  • deneb on 05/10/2019 - 15:03
    +1

    if you need to go to hospital (like i did), 4 in 1 go is probably cheaper. Clinic job is probably better to stall them and use yearly private insurance allowance to cover them all

  • gromit on 05/10/2019 - 15:57
    +1

    A friend of my told me I shouldn't do it at all and I should cancel the appointment. Any input will be appreciated.

    So your friend is a qualified dentist? then why not let them treat you? if not how the hell would they know. You can always go to another dentist and get them to double check if you don't believe your dentist.

  • IamEzza on 05/10/2019 - 16:23

    Just get the 1 removed with local aesthetic, it's easy. If you need to then you can get others removed, but they may never cause a problem.

  • Ken1977 on 05/10/2019 - 16:39

    I had similar, a wisdom tooth half growing out, it’s like it stopped half way. Didn’t think much of it. Until I had extreme paint in the molar next to it. Finally went to the dentist and he said it was too late. The wisdom tooth had been pushing on the molar causing it to rub through and get infected. Had to get the molar and the wisdom tooth removed. Which could have been saved. Eventually got the other 3 removed at once, in the chair. I took a week off to recover but was totally fine. In fact I was even eating normally that same night.

  • Dotaguy on 05/10/2019 - 17:10
    +2

    If he's an oral surgeon, he is likely more qualified than most people you will get a second opinion from.
    Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons are qualified dentists, surgeons and medical doctors. He's also going to be the best person to remove an impacted wisdom tooth, which it sounds like you might have. There are a lo of general dentists out there who won't touch this kind of work because of how complex it is.

    In terms of the advice, it is the best practice. Without going into too much detail, there is benefit in having a more symmetrical bite. Depending on how you choose to remove it, it's also less trouble and easier to get them all done at once. It's absolutely going to be cheaper if you get it done under GA, and if you do it under local my experience is that the whole process is just over quicker. You could just ask him to remove the one that's giving you trouble and be done with it, but if you do need to go back to him in the future it would be cheaper to do it all at once.

    I had all my wisdom teeth taken out by a very talented general dentist under local anaesthetic before. One tooth was very complex and took almost an hour whereas the others came out in less than 15 minutes each. Total was <$1000 which I was very happy with and I struggle to think of a place you could get for cheaper if you include flights+accommodation.

    If you're considering going overseas, be very careful in where you choose to go. I know a lot of dentists here who refuse to fix shoddy work done by overseas dentists in Thailand because the damage is too great. In that instance people might end up being referred to a specialist here anyway, which will obviously add to the cost.

    I might be biased but oral health is incredibly important even though a lot of people don't seem to look at it that way.

  • earth worm jim on 05/10/2019 - 18:32

    Hey, I had a similar problem. All my wisdom teeth came out and one of them started causing problems. The dentist removed it and said the rest were perfectly fine and didn't need extraction. I've had no problems since. I'd say get a second opinion. If it's not causing issues there is no need to remove them.

  • kachi on 05/10/2019 - 18:49

    I would get them all out if you can afford to and if they're causing pain. Look at the xray and what way they're growing or ask how they're growing.

    Before I got my braces (about 3 years ago) I was deciding whether I should have removed my wisdom teeth first. My orthodontist said I could wait after getting my braces done so I waited until after as it is quite costly.

    Took a few xrays in between the years I was thinking about getting them removed and spoke to my dentist too but I decided to wait a bit more. They didn't cause any pain or were showing at the time so it was good.

    I only got them removed about a month ago as one tooth was giving me really really bad pain and I just wanted them ALL gone lol. The process was super fast on the chair, all four removed within an hour. The one that caused the most pain took the longest haha. It wasn't as bad as I thought and I went back to work straight after, just a lot of bleeding. Initially thought of just getting one or two removed at a time so I could claim it under my health insurance yearly but glad I waited and just got them all out.

  • negger on 05/10/2019 - 19:43

    Presume a dentist referred you to an Oral surgeon?. Guess it is not straight forward. One or all is an informed decision you need to make at the end of the day.

  • bringbring on 05/10/2019 - 19:48
    +1

    Here's a Cochrane review if you want a balanced medical view.

    I had all 4 out a while back caus I was still under my parents insurance. Very painful, have issues with the gum on one corner (food getting stuck). Read this review after and had second thoughts.

    • bringbring on 05/10/2019 - 19:51

      Forgot to mention, I lost all sensation in my jaw for a couple of days. Freaked me out - apparently permanent nerve damage is a possibility.

    • Splashtash on 11/10/2019 - 00:17

      Its a balanced medical review on poor studies though…. its like saying 9 outer 10 docs recommend Colgate tooth paste ;)

      "Quality of the evidence

      Evidence provided by the two studies included in this review is of low to very low quality, so we cannot rely on these findings"

  • apoy98 on 05/10/2019 - 22:29

    This is surprising. i thought it was something that everyone knew.
    Anyway, take them all out. Leaving them in will cause unbalance in your jaw = pains, migraine etc etc etc. It might not hurt in the mouth, but it'll hurt everywhere else.

  • ratman on 05/10/2019 - 22:33

    Wisdom teeth are over-rated. Give them the chomp.

  • Gelato on 06/10/2019 - 00:14
    +1

    If you’re so concerned, why don’t you get a second opinion.

    Personally I’ll ask for a reason why the other 3 might be a problem. Mine were growing sideways, so had them all removed

  • [Deactivated] on 06/10/2019 - 05:09

    Is This Dentist Trying to Steal from Me?

    Is he trying to replace your gold with titanium or something, while you're under ?

    I usually way my self before and after (On scientific scales dmaccuracy to 0.0001 gram) .
    And if weight isn't right, I get out the gold testing kit I got from eBay, and I go through tooth by tooth 😀

  • [Deactivated] on 06/10/2019 - 05:16
    +1

    However, he insisted that I need to remove all of the wisdom teeth even though the other ones are fine and do not cause me any problems

    This is a common thing.

    Why do people do to specialist… then assume they know more than the specialist?

    OP cannot possibly know that the other 3 wisdom teeth are perfectly fine (and not positioned in a way where they will cause problems later). Only real way, to comfirm this, would be go to another dentist and get a second opinion, if you are so sure about your feeling the dentist is trying to rip you off, then get a 2nd opinion and prove it . Simple .

    Ie. I'd 2nd dentist says, hey these other 3 wisdom teeth are great, and won't be an issue at all later… Well then you know you were right … I believe the most likely result will be, that your assumptions and your own assessment on the state of your other 3 wisdom teeth is incorrect.

  • Alzori on 06/10/2019 - 09:19

    The advice I've gotten about mine was basically unless your wisdom teeth have come in near perfectly (straight, non-impacting, properly exposed) then it is likely they can cause issues in future. It's worth getting all the possibly-bad ones done at the same time to avoid any problems, rather than waiting until it starts to cause pain or mess with your other teeth.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/10/2019 - 09:54
    +1

    I am not a dentist so am not qualified to comment on your problem, and indeed it would be negligent for me to do so, however this is OzBargain where everyone is an expert and given i'm someone and therefore form part of everyone i shall also provide advice as a self-declared expert.

    …sometimes food got stuck in between the gum and the wisdom tooth, causing pain and bleeding.

    Floss, and perhaps you won't need to get rid of any of them at all.

    I have encountered something similar yet managed to keep all my wisdom teeth as i started flossing so because it worked for me it will obviously work for you even though we're different people with likely very different problems but this is OzBargain so it doesn't matter as we're all experts including you which raises the question as to why you're here in the first place.

  • ipiok on 06/10/2019 - 10:16

    I just went through this process myself. I’d suggest seeing a “maxillofacial” specialist, I’d also advise doing one at a time if having a local anaesthetic. I have private health insurance and got back 50% of the cost each time, so it’s only cost me $300 to have 2 extracted after putting my claim into nib. Your surgeon should really be requesting a CT scan especially for lower wisdom teeth as others have pointed out there is risks with disrupting facial nerves. Take it from me, coming from someone who put it off for almost 15 years, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, my overall well-being has improved dramatically since.

  • Black Brown Blue on 06/10/2019 - 10:19

    Only have 1 removed now. Others only need to be removed if you get symptoms in the future. 1 at a time. I have all four of my wisdom teeth still intact and no dentist is removing them. Wisdom teeth don’t always grow at angle and they can grow normally too.

  • greencomet on 06/10/2019 - 11:21
    +1

    Mate, just get the one tooth removed. If the others start causing you issues in future then get those removed.

    I had my dentist tell me about 15 years ago when mine were coming in, "We should probably remove your wisdom teeth, there's plenty of room for them and they're coming in straight, but it's just a good precaution." I told him I'll get them removed when/if they cause me issues, 15 years on and not one problem. I think he just wanted to option in the sunroof on his AMG Merc.

    • fozzie on 08/10/2019 - 00:40

      Good on you! I have all my wisdom teeth and I’m lucky they never gave me a problem. Some dentists here in Oz seem adamant about removing them. The other day i went to a different dentist and she wanted to remove all 4 of my kids wisdom teeth, even though they are not causing any pain.
      One tooth is coming sideway for her unfortunately so we need to keep an eye on it, but why she was suggesting to remove them all even before they are causing any problems is beyond me….

      • Clear on 08/10/2019 - 11:13
        +1

        Some dentists here in Oz seem adamant about removing them.

        Of the 4 dentists I went to the one my private health "recommended" said I should remove them. Clearly cared more about the money they'd get because all 4 of mine are perfect.

    • SpotTheOzzie on 08/10/2019 - 09:59

      I'm same as this guy.

      And here lies the problem because a lot of people have gone against 'expert' dentist opinion to remove wisdom teeth and have had not had an issue. 12 years ago I didn’t have any pain but the dentist pulled an X-Ray and was like..’Hey, see that wisdom tooth, it’s growing on an angle and you should have them removed now’.

      Seriously hard to trust the industry when it seems really shadey around this area.

  • rian354252 on 06/10/2019 - 12:10

    Lol getting them removed all at once means that you don't have to sit through the whole entire procedure and wait for healing for a second round if the others need to come out in the future.
    Wisdom teeth aren't the very useful in the mouth and they're awfully difficult to clean because of their position. This also makes them prone to decay and gum disease which is why most dentist suggest taking them all out at once even if doesn't cause problems at present.
    This is a obviously a generalisation and may not apply to everyone but the suggestion was definitely not because the dentist was trying to squeeze more money out of you. Teeth extraction are one of the lowest in price (simple extraction being $100-200 per tooth) compared to other procedures like crowns/root canals ($1000-5000 per tooth)

  • Dprone on 06/10/2019 - 13:35

    I actually had gum part which was covering the tooth removed, 10 min job for dentist. It was all good, until 3 hours later crazy pain came. After two day it was all good, food didn’t get stuck anymore and I still have the wisdom tooth.

  • Paladin2015 on 06/10/2019 - 16:02
    +1

    I also suggest getting second opinion. I had a dentist that push me to get it removed. Even calling me frequently asking me to schedule the removal. I ended up meeting other 2 dentists for second opinion. At the end they suggest to get it removed too. However they did not force me into it. They educated me, pro and cons of removing and keeping, and let me take the final decision. It is much easier to trust these dentists suggestion as they are not looking for our money but what is best option. I suggest you to get second opinion from a trustworthy dentist. The other 2 dentists also was not comfortable to do it and referred me to a nice oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Happy to pay a bit more for proper fix, out of dodgy practices.
    Good luck mate.

  • whatthecrappin on 06/10/2019 - 16:04

    Get a second opinion from a professional!

    1st dentist I went to wanted 6 teeth (or some other ridculous amount removed)….yeah he gets paid per tooth no doubt

    I then went to a maxillofacial surgeon. he literally went nuts - asking why do you want to remove those for? are they annoying you? The ones in question were totally impacted in the jaw and would have required ALOT of work to remove (essentially breaking my jaw etc) In the end I got 2 or maybe even 1 tooth removed - thats right - the problematic one which was giving me grief!

    • fozzie on 08/10/2019 - 00:35

      I don’t understand did you get 1 or 2 removed?

  • sghetti on 06/10/2019 - 20:15

    Yes, they should be paying you $2 per tooth

  • Vote for Pedro on 07/10/2019 - 09:43

    Had top right wisdom tooth removed. Dentist recommended the other one be removed soon after but did say it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

  • Hunter14 on 07/10/2019 - 14:11

    Ultimately it's your choice if you don't want to remove the others but it's quite harsh to say he's trying to rip you off.

    I've had all 4 removed from advice of my dentist. He said it's not a problem now but will be in the future so why not just take them all out at once instead of delaying the inevitable? I think it's cheaper to get all 4 done at once rather than individual ones multiple times. In my experience, it wasn't even that bad. I was eating solid foods again the next day. It feels weird and itchy with all the stitches at first but then you'll be fine in a week or two.

  • WarChief on 07/10/2019 - 15:24

    Taking out wisdom teeth impacts the shape of your face. I had all 4 of them taken out on the advice of a dentist however it has made my face less wide than before resulting in a more feminine shaped jawline. I identify as a Male

  • bmerigan on 07/10/2019 - 19:46

    I had 1 dodgy wisdom tooth and had them all removed - and it was a referral to a specialist so nothing in it for him.
    The dentist said that if 1 is taken the opposing 1 won't stop growing so should be taken out as a pair.
    And as for the other side he said you are better off removing them, they are difficult to clean and likely to eventually need something done.

  • aussie bargain on 07/10/2019 - 22:07

    Op.. You shouldn't really be relying on advice from a bargain forum, but here are my personal opinion (from my experience in having all 4 wisdom teeth removed… Had 2 separate ones pulled out about 15 yrs ago ago, one year apart from each other and another two pulled out last year… All done by my mom who is a dentist overseas)

    You can always get a second opinion from another dentist if u r unsure… But my mom has always said that if it's not causing issues(eg pushing on other teeth or causing pains), why bother taking it out. However, I do notice that Australian dentists normally opt for preventative treatments. It would be best to consult with other dentists to see whether it's worth pulling out (you mentioned that it's half covered by your gum, which means that it could be growing at an angle… That would normally mean certain extraction)… Again, experienced dentist can provide the best advise.

    Both my regular dentist here in melb and my mom do recommend getting both wisdom teeth on one side (left or right) out if they are "supporting" each other. Basically having only one will make them drift to the empty space causing potential issues with food getting stuck etc. In my case, I had left both my top wisdom teeth for about 15 yrs before getting them out last year as it was clear from the x rays that they were coming downwards as there was no bottom wisdom teeth to support them.

    Remember that each case is unique and what a dentist did for someone else might not be applicable to you.

    What you need to consider are the following:
    - Cost
    - Pain (probably more noticeable afterwards - this is case by case though)
    - Recovery time (eating can be uncomfortable fpr a while)
    - Complexity vs dentist/oral surgeon experience

    Good luck.

  • fishfingers on 07/10/2019 - 23:00

    Its not always bad. Had all 4 wisdom teeth removed under GA when in my early twenties. Signed up to private insurance first when dentist warned me that they would require removal. One night in private hospital and 5 days paid sick leave. Was at the beach next day. No blood and no pain at all as a nerve had been stretched and jaw was numb. Felt like a pleasant holiday! Feeling returned slowly during the next month. Only thing I had to “endure” was regular salt water gargles. :)

  • fozzie on 08/10/2019 - 00:30

    Well this sounds similar to the dentist I went to see the other day. We went to a different dentist for check up and I wish I didn’t! We visit the dentist every 6 months.
    Anyway this new dentist gave an X-ray to my 16 yo without asking me first. Then she asked to get a full X-ray to check her wisdom tooth. Anyway one wisdom tooth is coming out sideways and might cause a problem. She was then saying “all 4 will need to come out”. I was shocked as I have my wisdom teeth and all my original family too. The only person that has taken all his teeth out is my husband, as he had a lot of problems because of them.
    Anyway I’m going back to my old dentist and will be monitoring my kid’s tooth. If needed I will only get her the “bad” wisdom tooth out.

    If I were you I would ask for a second opinion

  • C0mmonS3nsE on 08/10/2019 - 04:47

    Dear OP, if you want a second opinion go find another dentist. Don't seek health advice which requires professional knowledge on a bargaining forum. Dentists are THE experts to go to with mouth problems, so if you can't trust them, how can you trust random ozbargainers??? some people…

    • Clear on 08/10/2019 - 11:15
      +1

      The general consensus of everyone here is to get a second opinion though?

    • Splashtash on 11/10/2019 - 00:09

      Lol….. true commonsense for me but not everyone is to trust myself. I would trust reading a variety of opinions alongside my wisdom and judgement and not usually dentists and car mechanics in particular due to misleading money making practices. Seen it and experienced it too many times.

  • crashloaded on 08/10/2019 - 12:52

    Get it done in hospital.

  • gimme on 08/10/2019 - 17:26

    Just rinse with whiskey for a week. No need to see a dentist. Wait for an Ozb DMurphys sale.
    Also this is Aus. Whether you pull one or several teeth you will be ripped off at some level.

  • Splashtash on 11/10/2019 - 00:05

    Got one of mine taken out due to bad breath, bleeding, possible slight infection. Went local. Had half a dry socket almost and felt like shit afterwards. Scared me off taking out the other 3 but they never caused me issues even until today, many years later. I say its best to keep them if you can. Also the guy removing it was a short man and he had to actually press on my chest quite hard to yank it out as he didn't have the strength otherwise. Big advice…. don't get a small fella to rip em out :( took his time too…

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