A bit annoyed at lack of options given

Tenigate

I had a fear of dentists and didn't go to a dentist after primary school until I was over 30. At that stage i needed some pretty large fillings.
I'm 35 now and not happy with the deterioration of my teeth since then. Lumps continue to break off already filled teeth and the worst 2 or 3 are just amalgum stumps at this stage.
On my last visit she said of a refilled tooth that there was so little tooth left, she was doing a filling that was temporary and when it went, I'd need a crown or extraction.
So i figured the crown was the last option to save the tooth, and was aware that they're expensive and involve filing the tooth right down. But upon investigation I learned that had i gotten a crown earlier, it could have saved me fillings and protected the tooth rather than weakening it further like fillings seem to have done. I know that's a bit simplistic, but it seems a better option to get a crown sooner, rather than when the tooth needs to be rebuilt with core/posts and root canal.
I suppose I'm a bit annoyed the dentist didn't discuss my options or available treatments. Is that normal?

davo10

This argument could be made for all filled teeth. It would not be necessary nor practical to crown all teeth which have large fillings, every patient would be spending thousands.

I'm afraid the fault here lies with yourself for not going to your dentist until your teeth have deteriorated to the point where options are limited. Regular check ups would have led to issues being identified earlier, a 20 year interval folowed by a 5 year one is not ideal.

Tenigate

davo10 wrote: »

This argument could be made for all filled teeth. It would not be necessary nor practical to crown all teeth which have large fillings, every patient would be spending thousands.

I'm afraid the fault here lies with yourself for not going to your dentist until your teeth have deteriorated to the point where options are limited. Regular check ups would have led to issues being identified earlier, a 20 year interval folowed by a 5 year one is not ideal.

Wanna criticise me for not flossing?

Anyway, you missed the point. 5 years ago, my teeth had not deteriorated to a point where options were limited. Now, at least one of them has, and others are in a worse condition more than partly due to chipping of filled teeth.

This dentist did up a treatment plan that didn't mention the feasibility of crowns, implants, or anything else. Only after refilling a tooth twice has she mentioned a crown.

Anyway, just made an appointment online with an N.I dentist surgery to look into getting a few crowns.

davo10

But your teeth did not need crowns at your last visit, it's now 5 years later. Your teeth did not all chip on the same day, this would have happened over time and their breakdown could have been arrested by more regular attendance.

Tenigate

I have regularly visited the dentist over the 5 years, at least once and sometimes twice a year. Any cavity or chip she noticed was always a filling no matter how big or small. First time she mentioned a crown was when she noticed it can't be filled again. I don't think i was wrong to rely on the dentist (or dentists, as there's more than one in the practice) to provide advice and the best treatment. Also, I'm not the expert & maybe she did provide the best treatment. But I'm doubtful.

Dianthus

Options would always have been limited, regardless.
Root canal treatment is always a strong possibility whenever a large deep filling is placed. That root canal treatment can be done prior to crowning, or after crowning- but crowning **doesn't** eliminate the risk.

Why have not just 1 or 2 but numerous teeth have continually chipped & also developed new cavities? Decay, clenching, grinding, deep strong bite on weak teeth, could be any number of reasons. But it's vital to identify the reasons, as crowns won't be immune to similar damage.

It's very challenging to treat someone who's nervous& hasn't seen a dentist in 20 years. Most practitioners would opt to stabilise all the decay & moniter vitality initially, then reassess. (It's actually quite unusual to have a post here from someone annoyed that their dentist kept filling/patching, usually posters complain that they feel pressurised into crowns!) I'm sure the dentist will be disappointed that you feel short-changed & misled.

Tenigate

Dianthus, thanks for the feedback. I'm aware I'm getting info about crowns on sites that are promoting them, so perhaps fillings were a better option in my case.

I guess my point is the dentist didn't discuss treatment, didn't discuss the point you raised about why filled teeth are breaking, and here's the kicker... when she finally mentioned the need to crown a tooth it emerged that she personally does not do crowns.. another dentist in the practice does and there will be a separate consultation fee. Which makes me wonder what the €50 fee was for when they recommended all the fillings.

I will be going to another dentist if for nothing else than to put my mind at ease with a second opinion. I guess that will shape my opinion of my current dentist.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

When a patient come in with a poor attendance history, generally a conservative treatment plan is the most suitable way to go, a proposed bill of several thousand will put 99% of this sort of patient off immediately.

Crowns are really only needed for the most broken down teeth, most cavities are treatable with fillings and its only once the filling gets very large are crowns indicated, of if the tooth has a root canal treatments.

Everything is fixable, but only with change in treatment, and change in your habits.

Fishorsealant

Be careful comparing your dentist to the next dentist you go to.

Many problems have more than one solution.

Different dentists may take different approaches. Doesn't necessarily mean that one is better than the other.

Wesser

If you had had a crown initially you might be saying.... my dentist gave me the most expensive option that I did not need......

Tenigate

Bit of an update.. I went to the dentist up North.

The initial consultation was very thorough and he spent a lot of time discussing my options. The only essential thing is the crown with root canal and post.

My (now) previous dentist gave me a big filling 2 weeks ago at a cost of €95. She used a lot of amalgam to "rebuild" the tooth, and a big lump of amalgam broke off a few days later (I thought it was the tooth itself that broke). The new dentist recommended an inlay at the cost of £150, but said for now the filling is sound.. main drawback is the tooth now slopes backwards, so food could accumulate in the gap and rot the tooth next to it.

So in terms of cost and advice, I like the new dentist, and the fees are great (relatively speaking-with most treatments half the price of treatment down here). The main drawback seems to be availability, as the wait for an appointment is much longer. My next appointment is in 3 weeks.