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Archives for June 2017

Did My Dentist Lie to Me?

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We’ve recently moved to a new city. My son needed a cavity filled. Our new dentist did a white filling. I was thrilled, but shocked. Our old dentist said children couldn’t have white fillings. He forced me to put the fillings loaded with mercury into his mouth. Now I find out he could have had white fillings. I’m kind of furious. Did he lie to me or was he just incompetent?

Meredith L.

Dear Meredith,

I can’t tell you the motivation behind him saying no to the white fillings with any real certainty, but I can give some possibilities.

  1. He doesn’t know how to do white fillings. If he’s an older dentist, it’s possible he only knows how to do the old amalgam (silver) fillings. Composite (white) fillings do not use the same procedure. If done incorrectly, it can lead to challenging complications.
  2. He knows how to do white fillings, but is uncomfortable placing white fillings on children. The procedure requires children to stay perfectly still. If the filling gets moisture it’s likely to fail, so even their tongue has to stay off of it.
  3. He’s been told it can’t be done on children. It’s possible when he learned how to do the fillings he was trained to think it’s only for adults.

It sounds like your new dentist is more up to date on procedures.  He or she may even by a mercury-free dentist.This is a good thing for both you and your child.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Raymond Bolt.

I’m Worried the Emergency Dentist Did Serious Damage

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I had to go to an emergency dentist. It’s my own fault. I’ve avoided the dentist the last few years, so I wasn’t surprised to hear I had two cavities. He said there was no point in trying to save the teeth and wanted to take them out right then. I agreed, which I regret now. A few days later my nose started feeling weird. I don’t know why but started suspecting it had to do with the teeth which were extracted. I wanted them to check everything was okay, but they just told me to take a decongestant. I did, but then developed a fever.  I called them back and they called in an antibiotic. Normally, an antibiotic works for me within a few days but I still have a fever. Now I’m in horrible pain in both my nose and the area of the extractions. I’ve called them and insisted on coming in. When I did, they examined me. That’s when they choose to tell me he’d perforated my sinus when he removed my teeth. He also said it’s normal for that to happen and to keep taking the antibiotic. He also removed a piece of bone. It doesn’t seem like he cares and I feel a lot worse each day that goes by.  Is there something serious wrong?

Miranda R.

Dear Miranda,

While perforation of the sinus cavity is a potential risk with a tooth extraction,  I wouldn’t say it’s normal or common. And, he should have told you when it happened because there’s a protocol which needed to be followed. It would have protected this situation from getting as bad as it has.

At this point, I would not continue with this emergency dentist. Instead, I want you to see an ENT. He’ll likely switch your antibiotic. You’re right that you should have felt better within just a few days. There may still be some bone which needs to be removed. If it doesn’t heal soon, it may require surgery.

I don’t want this negative experience to keep you away from the dentist. I know you’ve been staying away already and this isn’t likely to make you too keen to go back.

There are dentists who are more sensitive to fearful patients. I’m afraid if you continue to avoid the dentist, you’ll end up in an even worse situation.

As far as the teeth that were removed. You didn’t mention which teeth they were. I disagree with your dentist that they’re not worth saving. I don’t know if they could be saved, but it’s always worth trying to save teeth.

Additionally, most of the time, teeth that are lost need to be replaced. Otherwise, the surrounding teeth could shift into the empty place, throwing off your bite.

If your teeth need to be replaced, I’d look into dental implants. They’re the best option if you’re a viable candidate. Your first priority is going to need to be this infection, but I want to make sure you have a big picture so your care isn’t neglected while you look for a new dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Raymond Bolt.