New dentist trying to take me for a ride?

[Kool Moe Dee]

I recently had an appointment with a new dentist (due to a health plan change, my old one was no longer covered), and I have a strong sense that she is trying to rip me off. She was essentially picked randomly out of the list of nearby providers, and I only later discovered that her specialty is cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry.

She immediately wanted me to undergo a deep gum cleaning, a procedure which my previous dentist never brought up. This would also require more frequent follow-up visits.
She also immediately recommended essentially $6000 of procedures (and a dental appliance) to resurface 8 teeth and recontour all of my teeth, to try and eliminate grinding of my teeth. All of this is uncovered by insurance. When I complained about the price, her assistant (who drew up the "treatment plan" including prices) started playing fast-and-loose with the prices, like a used car dealer. "Well, we can cut you a deal and get this all in for $4000."
Attempted to sell me an electric toothbrush (http://www.amazon.com/Prodentec-Rotadent-One-Step-White/dp/B000FEO61A) at a 33% markup to what I can get it for online.
She didn't really spend too much time talking to me about my dental hygiene habits, etc. -- the focus for her really seemed to be getting me in the chair for all of these different procedures.All of this left me extremely suspicious, and ready to look for a different dentist. Am I crazy, or should I buckle down and prepare myself for an expensive dental adventure? Thanks for your advice.

[Kaylin]

I'd recommend a second opinion.

A recent trip to my new NHS dentist highlighted that I had been ripped off quite severely in the past. He described three separate procedures that I had had done previously by a private shark which would not benefit my teeth or gums in the slightest.

To eliminate grinding, I wore a gumshield at night until bored. Cost about £10 from Boots. You could also cut back on the amphetamines...

[Jag]

I had similar issues with a new dentist. I have a friend who sells Dental equipment and said that they pitch new equipment to dentists and give them statistics on how many procedures they have to sell to get their investment back and then start making a profit.

The thing is that he also said that these items are actually very good and dentists have been historically very very slow on updating their equipment. So on the one hand we are paying for the upgrades, but on the other hand wouldn't you want the latest technology/discoveries for your teeth?

My dentist tried to convince me to buy the Sonicare. I listened to him, but bought it from Costco and love it.

He also had a new 'radar' device that can 'see' cavities forming that won't show on xrays. He said i had 7 developing cavities that needed work!! My friend knew about this device and said it really does work. But i'm not yet convinced and haven't gone ahead with the work. Every time i go, the dentist asks me about it and when i refuse he says "ok, i'll just do it after they get worse"

[Chris Nahr]

She immediately wanted me to undergo a deep gum cleaning, a procedure which my previous dentist never brought up. This would also require more frequent follow-up visits.

I don't know what this even means. You need a thorough cleaning of the teeth including the spaces between teeth and where they touch the gums, but that's all. You don't actually have any trouble with your teeth, do you?

She also immediately recommended essentially $6000 of procedures (and a dental appliance) to resurface 8 teeth and recontour all of my teeth, to try and eliminate grinding of my teeth. All of this is uncovered by insurance. When I complained about the price, her assistant (who drew up the "treatment plan" including prices) started playing fast-and-loose with the prices, like a used car dealer. "Well, we can cut you a deal and get this all in for $4000."

"Resurface and recontour?" Again, never heard of it and sounds like purely cosmetic bullshit to me.

Attempted to sell me an electric toothbrush (http://www.amazon.com/Prodentec-Rotadent-One-Step-White/dp/B000FEO61A) at a 33% markup to what I can get it for online.

"Prodentec Rota-dent One Step?" LOLWUT? Just get a Braun Oral-B like everyone else, and at half the price. Clear ripoff attempt.

All of this left me extremely suspicious, and ready to look for a different dentist. Am I crazy, or should I buckle down and prepare myself for an expensive dental adventure? Thanks for your advice.

Definitely switch to another dentist and don't look back. This is completely ridiculous.

[WarrenM]

My dentist is good but they too keep trying to sign me up for stupid crap. I put up with the stuff I see value in but everything else I just turn down. It's annoying.

[Chris Nahr]

I have a friend who sells Dental equipment and said that they pitch new equipment to dentists and give them statistics on how many procedures they have to sell to get their investment back and then start making a profit.

Interesting, but note the bolded part!

My dentist tried to convince me to buy the Sonicare. I listened to him, but bought it from Costco and love it.

Sure, electric toothbrushes are great. Everyone should get one, they are very useful and not expensive at all (except for the overpriced vanity model recommended by KMD's dentist).

He also had a new 'radar' device that can 'see' cavities forming that won't show on xrays. He said i had 7 developing cavities that needed work!! My friend knew about this device and said it really does work. But i'm not yet convinced and haven't gone ahead with the work. Every time i go, the dentist asks me about it and when i refuse he says "ok, i'll just do it after they get worse"

Haha, yeah right. Since your friend is selling these devices I'd try to get some confirmation from third parties, like clinical studies (not paid for by the manufacturer please) or other patients. I don't believe in mystery cavities that only show up in mystery radar devices... especially since they apparently never do get worse from one visit to another.

[Slainte Mhath]

Find another dentist, this one is trying to bilk you out of as much as you're willing to pay her. Your dentist visit should consist of a full cleaning with floss and polish, and a full inspection of your teeth by the dentist after the cleaning. At that point, if there is something actually wrong with your teeth/gums, the dentist will discuss it with you. Any cosmetic procedures they might recommend should be clearly identified as such.

For example, my teeth are fine, and my dentist always jokes that I'm not helping him put his kids through college. He has offered to remove the small white calcium deposit on one of my front teeth, but any time he does so he clearly states that it's cosmetic, not covered by insurance, and totally my call. Find a guy like that.

[RickH]

She immediately wanted me to undergo a deep gum cleaning, a procedure which my previous dentist never brought up. This would also require more frequent follow-up visits.

Did she diagnose gingivitis or some other sub-gumline problem? Was there any measurement of sub-gumline pocket depth? Do you have any loose teeth or bone loss due to sub-gumline bacterial infection?

I'd seek a second opinion. Deep gum cleaning is expensive, bloody, and leaves you walking around feeling like you lost a brutal fight for a couple of days.

[VegasRobb]

I had something similar happen to me. Basically the Dentist was trying to max out my insurance.

Deep cleaning with antibiotics? Check.

Procedures on multiple teeth (btw was eight for me too)? Check.

Sonicare pitch? Check.

[Wader]

The cosmetic stuff would make me question as well...

I just went to the Dentist for the first time in a long time this summer and when I was done with the checkup and x-rays, they basically sat me down with the picture and pointed out all the cavities and problems I had. While I wasnt happy about the cost (getting it all fixed went over my insurance and I had to pay for some of it out of pocket), I felt happy that they didnt recommend anything that wasnt necessary (I consider a root canal and fillings to be necessary).

So I would absolutely go get a second opinion.

edited to add -

My dentist also said I needed a deeper cleaning then they normally do, but it wasnt the root planing thing that several people above mentioned. They used what was basically a high powered water-pic type device to shoot medicine down into my gums along my teeth. Stung a bit during the procedure, but felt fine afterwards.

I have no idea whether that was actually necessary or not, but they made it sound like it was a good way to avoid gum disease, and once I had it done once they wouldnt have to do it again as long as I kept up with once a year dental visits.

[Kool Moe Dee]

Did she diagnose gingivitis or some other sub-gumline problem? Was there any measurement of sub-gumline pocket depth? Do you have any loose teeth or bone loss due to sub-gumline bacterial infection?

I'd seek a second opinion. Deep gum cleaning is expensive, bloody, and leaves you walking around feeling like you lost a brutal fight for a couple of days.

No explicit gingivitis diagnosis, but my previous dentist kept bugging me about flossing better/more often to prevent gum problems. No measurement of pocket depth, no loose teeth or bone loss.

Your comments about the deep gum cleaning experience are interesting -- they insisted that an hour afterwards I would feel fine.

Oh, and one other thing I forgot to mention...I already have and use an electric toothbrush! (A Sonicare.) Of course, the dentist didn't ask about that...

[unbongwah]

She immediately wanted me to undergo a deep gum cleaning, a procedure which my previous dentist never brought up. This would also require more frequent follow-up visits.
This one is not necessarily B.S., as it's meant to prevent gum disease. When my dentist gave me one, she was concerned I was developing periodontitis. My insurance covered it, so if she was bilking anyone, it wasn't me. Two years later and no problems to report.

As for the other stuff...yeah, if you have qualms, seek another dentist.
Deep gum cleaning is expensive, bloody, and leaves you walking around feeling like you lost a brutal fight for a couple of days.
I must've gotten lucky, as my deep cleaning was relatively blood- and pain-free, though the novacaine left me talking like Marlon Brando in The Godfather.

[Alan Au]

Yeah, I've received the pitch from my dentist. I think he's been getting complaints about it, and he seems to have backed off on trying to pitch that stuff all the time. The one that does seem to make a difference is the electric toothbrush, but as mentioned, you can just grab one at retail.

- Alan

[RickH]

Your comments about the deep gum cleaning experience are interesting -- they insisted that an hour afterwards I would feel fine.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what the proposed procedure is. I had the poor judgment to not go to the dentist for about 7-10 years (otherwise known as my twenties), and had an "oh shit" moment when I had a discolored gum and thought one of my front teeth was becoming loose.

I scrambled to a dentist who diagnosed gingivitis, which causes the gums to be irritated and pull away from the tooth, exposing them to damage. The treatment was what they called "scaling" or "planing", which was physical scraping of all tooth surfaces well below the gumline. It was, as previously mentioned, bloody and painful. Thankfully, I've only had to undergo it a few times before I fixed my bad habits and started doing what my dentist told me to do.

I thought that was the equivalent of "deep gum cleaning", but maybe not.

[Wader]

I scrambled to a dentist who diagnosed gingivitis, which causes the gums to be irritated and pull away from the tooth, exposing them to damage. The treatment was what they called "scaling" or "planing", which was physical scraping of all tooth surfaces well below the gumline. It was, as previously mentioned, bloody and painful. Thankfully, I've only had to undergo it a few times before I fixed my bad habits and started doing what my dentist told me to do.

I thought that was the equivalent of "deep gum cleaning", but maybe not.

When my dentist said I needed a deeper cleaning, and I went on wikipedia and looked it up, this is what I found. However, this isnt what my dentist meant, so I have no idea what yours might be talking about.

[Gendal]

I had a new one tell me my gumline had receded too far and I needed surgery right away to keep my teeth. PANIC!!! Got a second opinion, said the other Dentist was overstating things drastically and no such operation was needed yet, if ever.

Much happier with the second dentist. He still wanted to go in and replace my old metal fillings with porcelain onlays, which was expensive, but in the end I am happy I did.

[Jojo]

Look for another dentist. I am lucky to have found one I love. He has all the latest gadgetry, but does not try to sell me on cosmetic procedures all the time. My teeth are appalling, because of genetics and a fear of dentists so I have had a lot of work done, but all of it necessary, and some of it he subbed out to other specialist dentists (so I can't see him gaining anything from that).

[Ergo]

She's taking you for a ride. My wife is a dentist and she despises this kind of shit. It makes all dentists look bad. Find a new dentist immediately.

[jpinard]

KMD - I'd report her to your insurance and the dental association. This is another reason why overall healthcare keeps skyrockting. If more people like this were penalized for bilking the system maybe some costs could be controlled a bit more than they are.

[JMR]

Agreed with the others. Find another dentist, preferably one that doesn't squirt semen (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0726042drhall1.html) into their patient's mouths.

[bloo]

One dentist I went to for a check up once did a brief exam and said, "So, you've got a touch of gingivitis. Don't worry. That just means you're alive."

I liked that dentist.

[Eightball]

1. Get a Sonicare. Electric toothbrushes are in theory no better than manual toothbrushes, IF the human being powering the manual toothbrush is brushing properly (small concentric circles, no pressure) and for the proper amount of time (3 minutes). In reality, since no human actually brushes the proper way and for the correct amount of time, the electric toothbrushes tend to do a far better job. I'd avoid the 119 dollar toothbrush and just get a sonicare; they work well.
2. Get another opinion. While it's completely speculative to think that she's taking you for a ride (I've had plenty of experiences where patient X who saw old school dentist Y had a buttload of undiagnosed cavities, because dentist Y was just damn lazy or incompetant), if you don't trust her opinion, why pay her 6 grand? Get a dentist you trust.

I don't believe in mystery cavities that only show up in mystery radar devices... especially since they apparently never do get worse from one visit to another.

Subclinical lesions are sometimes impossible to detect radiographically, manually or visually. There's a threshold where you won't see the cavity on an x-ray, on visual inspection, or with a pick. Some devices, like the laser transillumination devices, pick up these subclinical lesions (a localized decrease in hydroxyapatite density).

And there are published reports that both laser and ultrasonic detection pick up lesions before more traditional methods. Here's one abstract. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18656396)
Maybe I'm misunderstanding what the proposed procedure is. I had the poor judgment to not go to the dentist for about 7-10 years (otherwise known as my twenties), and had an "oh shit" moment when I had a discolored gum and thought one of my front teeth was becoming loose.

I scrambled to a dentist who diagnosed gingivitis, which causes the gums to be irritated and pull away from the tooth, exposing them to damage. The treatment was what they called "scaling" or "planing", which was physical scraping of all tooth surfaces well below the gumline. It was, as previously mentioned, bloody and painful. Thankfully, I've only had to undergo it a few times before I fixed my bad habits and started doing what my dentist told me to do.

I thought that was the equivalent of "deep gum cleaning", but maybe not.

There are variations on scaling and root planing, and you got the nice and painful one...which I'd bet is probably because of the highlighted statement. The longer you go without treatment, the more invasive the treatment usually is.

[dannimal]

1. Get a Sonicare. Electric toothbrushes are in theory no better than manual toothbrushes, IF the human being powering the manual toothbrush is brushing properly (small concentric circles, no pressure) and for the proper amount of time (3 minutes).

My Sonicare "cycle" runs for 2 minutes (4, 30 second segments intended to hit each of 4 quadrants).

Either 2 minutes is the "right" time, or my Sonicare is lazy.

[Chris Nahr]

The Braun Oral-B models also use a 2 minute cycle, with 30 seconds for each quadrant. That seems to be the standard time.


Subclinical lesions are sometimes impossible to detect radiographically, manually or visually. There's a threshold where you won't see the cavity on an x-ray, on visual inspection, or with a pick. Some devices, like the laser transillumination devices, pick up these subclinical lesions (a localized decrease in hydroxyapatite density).

And there are published reports that both laser and ultrasonic detection pick up lesions before more traditional methods. Here's one abstract. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18656396)

I stand corrected on the existence of such devices. However, is there a tangible benefit to detecting and fixing such early cavities? Jag said he had several examinations where the device (whatever it was) found cavities but they didn't seem to get worse and actually need fixing.

[Timemaster Tim]

"Prodentec Rota-dent One Step?" LOLWUT? Just get a Braun Oral-B like everyone else, and at half the price. Clear ripoff attempt.

My wife got sucked into buying one of these. I'm perfectly happy with my Sonicare. That same dentist also charged for "education" when the Rota-dent was bought. It's all charged to my group health insurance coverage, so it doesn't cost me anything directly, but that's rather scummy given that the instruction was apparently a brief description of how you turn it on and use it. $50 cha-ching.

That same dentist also did a few things in excess of coverage that my wife paid for out of pocket previously. So when the "education" thing showed up on my claims details, she decided to drop the guy as perhaps a bit unethical.

[Eightball]

My Sonicare "cycle" runs for 2 minutes (4, 30 second segments intended to hit each of 4 quadrants).

Either 2 minutes is the "right" time, or my Sonicare is lazy.

I know....but it's 3 minutes recommended for people manually brushing, since we're not as efficient. ;)

However, is there a tangible benefit to detecting and fixing such early cavities? Jag said he had several examinations where the device (whatever it was) found cavities but they didn't seem to get worse and actually need fixing.

Now that's a different question lol. Conservative treatment would be to monitor the cavity progression, and treat it if it got worse. It'd be rare for the cavity to "heal itself" (I'm not even sure it would in adult teeth; in children's teeth, yeah it's possible) but in some cases the progress will be retarded with careful oral hygiene and aggressive fluoridation.

Aggressive dentists would treat the lesion, as they'd probably believe it would progress to a clinical lesion in the end...and better to treat a smaller lesion and conserve healthy tooth structure.

Me, I wouldn't, but I tended to be conservative dentist, before I sold out and became a professional paper pusher.

I don't think treating it is a bad idea fwiw. Just not something I would have done.

[barstein]

Went in today to begin rectifying years of dental neglect. After two decades of nothing but terrible dentists I once again braced myself for more of the same, but was gratified to find my luck has changed at last. Sure, I have a few fillings and need to replace a previously botched root canal with an implant, but I was relieved to hear my gums and bones are all fine, not to mention the lack of any mention of cosmetic stuff (outside of one slightly chipped incisor). Of course, I'm sure when I go in for more work that subject will likely be broached more directly, but optional/expensive crap is clearly not at the top of their list.

Not only that, but it's been hours since the pain killer wore off and there is still almost zero pain* where three fillings were placed in one area. I'm shocked to find no trace of gum tenderness or jaw soreness. I did notice that the guy who did the injections did them extremely slowly and carefully. Was that it, or is it that they are using different methods and tools these days? Didn't catch a good look at the pain med stuff.

They are recommending a "night guard" for grinding, however. I know there's a problem, but how worthwhile is it to have them custom make one for me? Anyone know if the over the counter products (assuming they exist) are any good?



*Edit: For the record, I happen to have a pretty high pain tolerance. Edit2: Turns out it's theoretically possible to deliver an injection without hitting a nerve, which I think I knew but forgot.

[John Merva]

A recent trip to my new NHS dentist highlighted that I had been ripped off quite severely in the past.


Jesus Christ, how did you find an NHS dentist willing to take on new patients? I thought they were just myths nowadays!

[graller]

I have poor gums. They are receding and I have had the pocket measurement work done. My dentist is trying to push this deep cleaning on me as well. But its 800 per quadrant and will require 2 or 4 visits to accomplish. My company has no dental coverage so that would be out of pocket. :(

[unbongwah]

FWIW, Consumers Checkbook (http://www.checkbook.org/) periodically ranks dentists & doctors. I think the latest issue of the D.C. edition contains info on local dentists.

[Eightball]

Not only that, but it's been hours since the pain killer wore off and there is still almost zero pain* where three fillings were placed in one area. I'm shocked to find no trace of gum tenderness or jaw soreness. I did notice that the guy who did the injections did them extremely slowly and carefully. Was that it, or is it that they are using different methods and tools these days? Didn't catch a good look at the pain med stuff.

Both. Dentists now use articaine/septocaine, which is a more potent local than lidocaine, and we're also now being trained to inject the bolus slowly, and insert/remove the needle slowly, to prevent as much tissue damage as possible.


They are recommending a "night guard" for grinding, however. I know there's a problem, but how worthwhile is it to have them custom make one for me? Anyone know if the over the counter products (assuming they exist) are any good?

Yeah, this one I'm good with. A custom-made nightguard is much better than one of the OTC mouthguards, however, it's also much more expensive. You also need to get used to wearing one...they can really be a pain to get used to.

That being said, they're pretty useful if you grind a lot. They'll help reduce the wear on your teeth, which can be substantial, often leading to a lot of tooth damage.

In some cases, they can help with TMJ pain as well, as instead of grinding on your tooth, you'll be grinding on the acrylic (which is a far softer substance).

[jeffd]

There are variations on scaling and root planing, and you got the nice and painful one...which I'd bet is probably because of the highlighted statement. The longer you go without treatment, the more invasive the treatment usually is.

Heh, I just had this done an hour ago. Face is still numb, but I can occasionally feel a wierd throbbing in my gums. I figure I'm gonna be pretty sore tonight.

[Jag]

8B since you're here I'll save the trouble of sending you a PM (and maybe help someone else). My TMJ has gotten so bad that i'm pretty sure it subconsciously affects my eating habits. I'm starting to realize that I don't chew my food enough because of the pain/clicking from chewing and usually have an upset stomach from eating.

Would you recommend having my dentist make a custom night guard to see if that helps the TMJ? Also is the dentist the right person to see for fixing TMJ or is it an ENT?

[RickH]

I have poor gums. They are receding and I have had the pocket measurement work done. My dentist is trying to push this deep cleaning on me as well. But its 800 per quadrant and will require 2 or 4 visits to accomplish. My company has no dental coverage so that would be out of pocket. :(

$2400 total seems really expensive.

[Siren]

8B since you're here I'll save the trouble of sending you a PM (and maybe help someone else). My TMJ has gotten so bad that i'm pretty sure it subconsciously affects my eating habits. I'm starting to realize that I don't chew my food enough because of the pain/clicking from chewing and usually have an upset stomach from eating.

Would you recommend having my dentist make a custom night guard to see if that helps the TMJ? Also is the dentist the right person to see for fixing TMJ or is it an ENT?

I started having problems with TMJ when I was 14. The cartilage between my jaw and skull slipped forward on the left hand side. I could barely open my mouth to talk, let alone bite food or chew it, and forget about singing. I also couldn't sleep from grinding my teeth so hard, and ended up taking valium at the tender age of 14.

I'm not a dentist, but dude, get it looked at and taken care of. I still can't eat anything that is overly crunchy or chewy due to pain.

[Mike O'Malley]

I have poor gums. They are receding and I have had the pocket measurement work done. My dentist is trying to push this deep cleaning on me as well. But its 800 per quadrant and will require 2 or 4 visits to accomplish. My company has no dental coverage so that would be out of pocket. :(

$2400 total seems really expensive.

Lulz.

[Eightball]

8B since you're here I'll save the trouble of sending you a PM (and maybe help someone else). My TMJ has gotten so bad that i'm pretty sure it subconsciously affects my eating habits. I'm starting to realize that I don't chew my food enough because of the pain/clicking from chewing and usually have an upset stomach from eating.

Would you recommend having my dentist make a custom night guard to see if that helps the TMJ? Also is the dentist the right person to see for fixing TMJ or is it an ENT?

Yes, get a nightguard. If it's just pain from grinding at night, the nightguard will help a bit. But if it's as bad as you say, I'd recommend seeing a dentist for it, not an ENT. ENTs on the whole don't want a lot to do with the TMJ joint, it's something they leave more to dentists.

Find an oral pain specialist. One way to find a good one is to either go to an oral pain clinic at a nearby dental school (as these guys tend to be more academics than anything), or call a pain clinic at a dental school and ask them to refer you to a closer specialist. A quick google search pulled up this guy (http://www.tmjtherapy.com/index.html) in Coral Springs, who has a pretty promising and conservative approach to treating the symptoms of TMJ (I'm no fan of surgery to fix TMJ problems, as the data are not very positive for surgery).

[Jag]

Awesome thanks. I love getting dental advice from a lawyer.

[Eightball]

Awesome thanks. I love getting dental advice from a lawyer.

Best part is that I don't have to use Esq. to feel special. I can legitimately myself (fake) Doctor.

[RickH]

Lulz.

I'm guessing you're laughing at my impaired math skills rather than the idea that it's expensive.

[Mike O'Malley]

Both, actually. Don't take it personally, I'm surrounded by hardcore scientists and we love catching each other in arithmetic errors :)

[barstein]

Having run the gambit of various dental services within the short space of a week, I must say I'm pretty darn impressed, both with the office I found and with the huge technological and procedural improvements that have been introduced over the past few years.

One thing that surprised me when I picked up the NiteWhite kit (bleaching) was the fragility of the trays. They were custom made for my teeth and I expected material of a much tougher quality than this thin plastic. Of course, you could say the timing was unfortunate because I had just been fitted for my dental guard, which is made of a more robust acrylic. Still, I had planned to reuse this from time to time over the course of the next few years or more and have serious doubts that I'll be able to take that good care of them.

Also, for patients who wear both a dental guard and tooth bleaching trays, you'd think they'd come up with a way to combine the two things since the custom molds tend to be fairly expensive. Not to say I'm not appreciative of being able to add two fantastic molds to my arsenal of odd objects so close to Halloween.

[Staff Sergeant]

What do you call a doctor who drops out of med school?

[walTer]

PLEASE don't let it be "a lawyer"....heh

[Aeon221]

Heh. Your dentist wants to ride you. Heh heh heh. Mustache rides all around!

Ask her to critique your deep cleaning technique, and maybe show you how to brush. Heh heh heh.

[barstein]

Slight tangent for this thread I guess. My dentist is rushing me in today because I just reported cold and heat sensitivity issues. After reading a bit on the internet, I'm now starting to worry that a root canal in that area is in my future. No one had mentioned anything about this risk when they had done some filling re-work a couple of weeks back in that same area, so I can't help but wonder why nothing was evident to anyone then? Everything else is fine, just that specific sensation in and around the roots area.

[Jojo]

I have had to have root canals done on two of the four teeth that have crowns. I had a fifth crown done recently, and sure enough, a few days afterwards it starts getting sensitive to cold, so I foresee another one in the future. I don't know how deep the fillings were that you had done, but I was warned by my dentist that crowns (which are basically very deep fillings) always have a risk of needing root canal work. My root canals are done by a separate dentist, so I'm not suspicious of monetary motivations on my dentist's part. I will say that my endodontist was excellent and the root canals were not as nightmarish I had been led to believe, however, they were fucking expensive.

[barstein]

Well, ended up having an impromptu filling done for free, no persuasion/complaining required, due to the fact that they made some sort of mistake during the previous filling work and left a sensitive area exposed. They were originally deep fillings, Jojo, as you might have suspected. No root canal indicated, because it was only temperature-triggered. Had pressure on the area been a problem, that would have been another story. Thank God, because I've had plenty of work done on my mouth for one season thank you very much. Hopefully I'll just coast now until February when the implant goes in.