Conflicting Dentist Diagnosis - on the cusp of drama!

[momjeans]

Mom of 3 teens, faithfully take them to dentist for regular cleanings, exams, X-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants, all been through ortho and 2 have had successful wisdom teeth removal.

Been with same pediatric dentist past 9 years.

One had turned 18, moved her to family dentist (used my me, my husband and older son - age 20). She had been to dentist in June, told she had one possible cavity that needed watched. Took her to new "adult" dentist, she's 18. They said she now has 8 cavities. Told it was because she had gone away to college, they see it happen a lot, etc. etc. Her dental hygiene may be not as perfect as when at home, but she is a dancer and model and takes care of her health, body etc. Does not drink but and occasional soda, no juice, mainly water.

I just went along with it and she has had part of them fixed, and will do the others in a few weeks.

Fast forward to my youngest (just turned 16). She went in for regular 6 mo cleaning, exam and fluoride treatment. No cavities, nothing they are watching and only recommendation was time to check about wisdom teeth removal (again, she's 16). Also a health nut - hates soda and juice and milk, only drinks water. Also dancer, so very careful about what she eats, keeps teeth cleaned, both girls could probably floss better...

So one day after her appt, her permanent retainer wire she has on her top teeth broke loose on one end. I'm sure they messed it up, it's been fine since she's had it. Well - they were closed early that day and not open the next, it was hanging from her teeth so I took her to our family dentist. They were able to squeeze her in. They fixed it, but had a concern because they said they could see a visible cavity on one of the teeth behind it.

So, I made an appointment with them for a full exam.
On X-rays, and IN her mouth they showed me what they found - 12 cavities. some are "kissing" cavities, in between teeth.

So - older daughter, I explained it away to myself, it had been 6 months, she was away at college, etc.
But My other daughter had just had a full exam and cleaning less than two weeks before.

Older daughter had some pain. Younger daughter none.
One cavity on younger daughter, he said it could have been missed by her or Mom, but not a doctor or X-ray. She showed it to me, the cavity is large enough, it's almost crown worthy.

I'm horrified, and either suspicious, foolish or both.

I'm tempted to figure out how to get a 3rd opinion, neutral, which I don't even know if it's possible.

I have not told the pediatric dentist what the family dentist has found yet. About to in about 30 min. from now.

Has anyone ever had conflicting dental diagnosis like these?
Any advice is WELCOME - I am in shock.

 

[svor1988]

Can you see any of the decay with your eyes visibly? It could be superficial, or just staining...

Yes, you can get a 3rd opinion and quote. I would, with that much work.

• Dentin has a critical pH of 6.7.
• Cementum also has a critical pH of 6.7.
• Natural enamel (Hydroxylapatite) has a critical pH of 5.5.
• Fluoride treated enamel (Fluorapatite) has a critical pH of 4.5.
• Lactic acid has a pH of 3.51.
• Lactic acid is largely what causes cavities, due to the fermentation of sugar and starch by naturaly occuring bacteria after 4-5 hours.

Minerals in saliva remineralize the teeth, and reverses demineralization of the teeth caused by lactic acid.

Look into your daughter's diet changes. Perhaps she is using acidic things? Eating lemons strait? Using hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash or tooth whitener?

When they fix any cavities, make them cure the each cavity with 2 UV cycles... I've had a dentist assistant take the tool away halfway through one cycle... the filling fell out a few hours later and he tried billing me twice to fix his office's mistake... and I strongly believe that mistake was intentional... I could see the dental assistant felt guilty as she left the room without a word.

You mentioned wisdom teeth... Wisdom teeth removal is rarely medically necessary. Gives a nice insurance payment of a few hundred for each of them though. This practice is pretty pervasive in the industry and you can read online about the reasons... I suggest you have your daughters keep the teeth, they'll be handy to replace other teeth lost later in life. Any resultant eruption problems they may cite may be countered by wearing an inexpensive mouth-guard nightly. If they cite impact issues it's likely sheer impact which will cause temporary pain during the eruption- look at the xray yourself and make a judgement. If the wisdom tooth is literally horizontal, literally beneath the adjacent tooth such that eruption would erupt the other tooth, or severely deformed those would be good medically necessary reasons for removal. Feel free to read about this issue elsewhere online.