NervousUSA
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2022
- Messages
- 444
- Location
- USA
I first became fearful of over treatment because when I was growing up, preventative wisdom teeth removal for all young people was being treated as "mandatory" in my area, usually with sedation or general anesthetic. It seemed to me impossible everyone would really need this, and if so, what do people do where it is not available, what did people do before it was available, etc. I refused the removal, and now it seems my instinct was correct, as recommendation for removal of wisdom teeth has since changed and been reduced in the USA and reduced even more in the UK, here is an article about the dentist who changed the thinking about that in the USA https://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookou...e-against-wisdom-teeth-removal-105243007.html and his paper referenced in the article https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963310/. Here is another presentation of his about his criticism of practices with wisdom teeth https://www.nationaloralhealthconference.com/docs/presentations/2012/05-02/Jay Friedman.pdf and another article about changing thinking about wisdom teeth https://health.howstuffworks.com/we...h-can-stay-says-oral-surgery-organization.htm
Now I have noticed something else. When I go in for a cleaning, my wisdom teeth are not cleaned. This has been the case at two different dental offices. They hygienist doesn't touch them. They just clean my other teeth. I now have a gum infection/pocket next to one of my wisdom teeth and will need to get both on that side removed. I wonder if this is caused by it not being professionally cleaned, ever, and if this was it being treated as "destined for removal". Otherwise the tooth is fine, no cavities or decay. It really scares me to think that I might have been given the need for this intense removal/surgery by professionals making a choice only to clean my other teeth.
I also worry I am being overtreated when it comes to the need to replace missing teeth. I have retained baby teeth in the place of the second premolars on my lower jaws, and I have been told by two dentists, and the common line by all dental offices on their websites, is that they cannot be extracted without being replaced with either bridges or implants without detrimental consequences. However, I know these treatments, especially implants, are a recent invention, and my mom and dad are both missing molars with no replacement and no issues, my mom's best friend has the same congenital missing teeth as me with no replacement and no issues, and another friend of mine is missing a molar with no replacement and no issues. It also doesn't make sense to me that when I am told I need an implant I am told it is to prevent bone loss, but I am also told that I could have a bridge which doesn't prevent bone loss. I am afraid I am being pushed into terrifying and expensive treatments I don't want or need so dentists can make money. I really wish I could just not replace my retained baby teeth and I don't understand why it was ok for older people but dentists now say I can't. Here is an article about overtreatment where the author is a dentist who does think it is better not to replace a missing tooth than get a bridge
www.smilecaredental.ca
This fear of being overtreated is one of the main roots of my personal fear of dentists. I personally fear and distrust them. In the past few years I have dealt with the refusal to remove my painful tooth without me agreeing to replace it with implants, a bridge, or a flipper, and extreme pressure from dentists to go through with this procedure, including yelling at me, writing a treatment plan against my will containing procedures I don't want to do, including general anesthesia for a single implant, and a dentist grabbing a mirror and pulling back my lip and getting loud telling me to remove and replace my tooth because it is ugly. I also believe the mirror dentist was missing an upper premolar herself, I saw the gap. I don't know what to think anymore.
Now I have noticed something else. When I go in for a cleaning, my wisdom teeth are not cleaned. This has been the case at two different dental offices. They hygienist doesn't touch them. They just clean my other teeth. I now have a gum infection/pocket next to one of my wisdom teeth and will need to get both on that side removed. I wonder if this is caused by it not being professionally cleaned, ever, and if this was it being treated as "destined for removal". Otherwise the tooth is fine, no cavities or decay. It really scares me to think that I might have been given the need for this intense removal/surgery by professionals making a choice only to clean my other teeth.
I also worry I am being overtreated when it comes to the need to replace missing teeth. I have retained baby teeth in the place of the second premolars on my lower jaws, and I have been told by two dentists, and the common line by all dental offices on their websites, is that they cannot be extracted without being replaced with either bridges or implants without detrimental consequences. However, I know these treatments, especially implants, are a recent invention, and my mom and dad are both missing molars with no replacement and no issues, my mom's best friend has the same congenital missing teeth as me with no replacement and no issues, and another friend of mine is missing a molar with no replacement and no issues. It also doesn't make sense to me that when I am told I need an implant I am told it is to prevent bone loss, but I am also told that I could have a bridge which doesn't prevent bone loss. I am afraid I am being pushed into terrifying and expensive treatments I don't want or need so dentists can make money. I really wish I could just not replace my retained baby teeth and I don't understand why it was ok for older people but dentists now say I can't. Here is an article about overtreatment where the author is a dentist who does think it is better not to replace a missing tooth than get a bridge
Avoiding Dentist Scams and the 11 Unnecessary Dental Procedures
Improve your dental health and save money by avoiding unnecessary dental procedures, the #1 dentist scam.
www.smilecaredental.ca
This fear of being overtreated is one of the main roots of my personal fear of dentists. I personally fear and distrust them. In the past few years I have dealt with the refusal to remove my painful tooth without me agreeing to replace it with implants, a bridge, or a flipper, and extreme pressure from dentists to go through with this procedure, including yelling at me, writing a treatment plan against my will containing procedures I don't want to do, including general anesthesia for a single implant, and a dentist grabbing a mirror and pulling back my lip and getting loud telling me to remove and replace my tooth because it is ugly. I also believe the mirror dentist was missing an upper premolar herself, I saw the gap. I don't know what to think anymore.
