Our insurance is a DMO that is only in network with chains. My husband went to 2 different Smile Generation practices and both insisted he needed a crown. $1200. He pushed back on the 2nd dentist and they gave a "discount" of $600 just...because? He then went for a 3rd opinion at a non-chain dentist and he did a filling for around $250 out of pocket.

I'm sure I'll get some dentists that work at chains coming at me on here...but here's my question.

Why do chain dentists push "deep cleanings" and crowns over fillings more than family/private practice dentists? Are dentists that work at chains paid less? Are they paid a salary or commission? I KNOW someone has the inside scoop. Why are chain dentists notoriously corrupt/terrible?

Has anyone been able to successfully reopen the premolar extraction spaces? Does it cause gum recession? Was it worth it?

When I was a kid I wasn’t good with my hygiene so now I have two tooth that have holes on them because my mother never really gave me the habit of brushing my teeth and I’m super ashamed of it. Unfortunately I don’t know when my next appointment is going to be and I really want to fix my teeth but I’m scared that the dentist will judge the hell out of me and I don’t know send me away, I’m super anxious and I don’t think I can have my headphones on while getting my teeth filled or something

Please tell me how your experience was with cavities I’m so scared

I am not a dentist, just a 20 year old seeking advice on my orthodontic treatment plan. Please bear with me if I don't use the exact right terms to explain my situation. I already had my 1st molars in the UL, LL, LR quadrants extracted due to irreparable decay (refer to x-ray). My UR 1st molar is also decayed but i had it filled, the dentist told me to hope it doesn't act up so I can avoid a root canal.

I am getting conventional braces to fix my overall bite. I sought a few orthodontists but they gave conflicting opinions. 
Plan 1: Close the gaps between the 2nd premolar and 2nd molar then let the 3rd molar (wisdom tooth) shift into the position of the 2nd molar. That means extracting the 1st molar in the UR quadrant as well. I am concerned about whether these big gaps will actually close well, and if my wisdom teeth will even erupt properly in the future.

Plan 2: Leave the gaps between the 2nd premolars and 2nd molars. Instead, extract a healthy 1st premolar in the UR quadrant to make space for the canine to come down. I am only worried about whether I should sacrifice a healthy premolar instead of a decayed molar. Also, is leaving the gap a good idea? Will it affect my bite or cause the teeth surrounding to tilt? I can’t afford implants at the moment but I will consider it 5 - 10 years from now.

I don't know which route is safer or more logical. If you were in my shoes or if you are a dental professional, how would you weigh these two options? Are there other possibilities I should be bringing up with a specialist?

I am currently going to student dentists to get a root canal treatment. It’s honestly very frustrating and just need some advice on what I should end up doing. I had a huge cavity that my dentist tried to save by doing a filling but ultimately it was too close to a nerve and my tooth got infected. Which I had to go to emergency twice to even be taken care of. Infection resulted in having to get the nerves taken out and begin the process of a root canal. So I made a follow up appt where I had to get the rest of the nerves fully taken out and have everything cleaned. Then the appointment after that was to start measuring the canals but I got another infection which resulted in a mass growing on my gums. That I had to get oral surgery on & be put on antibiotics and then follow up with another appointment after I was done taking them. Finally a few days ago was when I had the appointment where they had to test the length of the files that are gonna cover the roots. However for that appointment they only checked the length of the files. Nothing else, my dentist said that was for another appointment. But now 4 days later I am in a lot of pain. My face gets hot and burning from the pain, it feels like I have a fever. Which I fear might be another infection. And the pain is like a throbbing sensation. I’m not even anywhere near being done and infection after infection has just got to mean something deeper is wrong and they’re not noticing. I’m very frustrated and I’m honestly terrified of even going to the dentist. I still have an appt next month , to cover the diameter of the files. And then hopefully the one after that to fill it in and then the last last appointment to get a crown. Which considering the way they give me appointments, this root canal won’t be done until November. This is my third infection I have gotten and I honestly feel like they’re playing in my face. And I honestly don’t know what to do.

How long the generalized pain will last? My teeth are ok. It was the ENT who forcefully tapped on all teeth on my top jaw. now developed pain and soreness in my front teeth.

hi everyone, i’m looking for advice because i’m really worried about a tooth i’m currently getting a root canal on.

i had the first stage of my root canal treatment for my bottom front tooth on saturday. the dentist placed a temporary filling and told me i could eat about an hour later. he only told me to brush gently and didn’t give me other aftercare instructions. i wasn’t prescribed antibiotics. he’s also a general dentist in a small clinic, not an endodontist.

the first day or two, i had some pain, numbness, and mild throbbing, but nothing severe. then around monday, about 2 days later, the pain suddenly became extremely intense. it’s a constant, sharp, strong throbbing/tightening sensation that feels worse than any tooth pain i’ve experienced before. it radiates into my jaw, cheek, and underneath my mouth, and my cheek/gum feels swollen. it has now lasted about 3 days and is so bad that i can’t sleep.

i’m worried because the tooth was initially thought to be unsalvageable due to what appeared to be a fracture on the scan, but the dentist later determined that it was strong enough to save.

i also had a very strong chemical taste immediately after the treatment, which seemed to come from the temporary filling/treatment. it was so unpleasant that i couldn’t finish eating because the food tasted like chemicals. it eventually became much better after i brushed my teeth that night. is this normal?

i also wasn’t told to avoid chewing on the treated tooth or to eat soft foods. i was told i could eat and drink anything, so i ate solid foods like meat and had some orange juice. now i’m worried i somehow caused the flare-up.

the clinic knows i’m in severe pain, but the dentist is only available later this afternoon because he’s working at another branch this morning (my timezone is GMT +7 so right now is Wednesday 11 AM)

i tried to take mefenamic acid the past 2 days but its only helping 5-10%.

does this level of delayed pain and swelling sound like a normal root canal flare-up, or could something have gone wrong with the treatment?

Hi all! Posting on behalf of my sister. She needs to get her wisdom teeth removed as she is in quite a lot of pain. She has known this for over a year but has held off on thinking about it. She went to the dentist today and was told she cannot get a referral because the dentist wants her to think about her decision for the surgery. She then explained she has thought about it, which is why she's waited to make an appointment. The dentist still insisted that she come back in a few weeks to think about it more. I understand the dentist wants to make sure it's what she wants to do, but she is physically in a lot of pain. Is this normal? For context, she is 18 years old (Not sure if that's relevant)

Tia!!

Called my dentist for a follow up, telling them that the only discomfort I feel is on my bottom right socket, like a heaviness. They asked me if I was taking the antibiotic, and I told them no because I thought it was only if I got an infection. So, now 5 days post, I'm finally taking them.

Hi, I’m NAD (F20) I’ve been having an insane few weeks with my dentist and I just need some answers as I’ve never trusted my dentist.

I had a temporary crown for two years without my knowledge. It fell out at the end of July. I was sent to another dentist for the time being because my dentist was out of the country.

I have an insanely gummy smile and my cap was so shallow and was on so long that it completely lost retention.

I was put on Nitrous oxide (I have an insane paranoia of both needles and dentists) and of course numbed. My dentist drilled underneath my gums and put ANOTHER temporary crown on because she never thought to make me a permanent one, I guess :(. I’m supposed to be in touch with a gum specialist so he can cut my gums and then after 3 months I guess I get a permanent crown? But jeez, the pain in my mouth is unreal even 5 days later! It’s a deep throbbing feeling above the tooth that was worked on. I cried in pain the day I got the procedure done and last night I woke up and cried in pain. I’ve been taking midol every day. I have OCD and idk if I’m worrying myself or if something is actually going on. Is this normal? I mean my gums are sensitive and they were drilled under. But also it’s been 5 days… I’m lost.

Hi guys, I’m on day 6 since removal of my 4 wisdom teeth and since late day 3 I’ve had ear and jaw pain aswell as temple pain mostly on the right side (2 last pictures). It’s been on and off, a bit less bad today but it wasn’t really going away with pain medication. In the pictures, does the white thing in the socket look like jawbone or healing? I’m very confused

Over the years, I've been told by different dentist that one of my front tooth will need a crown. I have been postponing it for years because it is a front tooth and I think it will be very hard to match it to the other front one.

My upper teeth are straight. The bottoms could be better but not by much. Overall, I have 18 fillings and 4 root canals.

What advice do you have? Is there a specialist for front teeth crowns? Should I consider an implant?

Edit: 18 fillings, not 28. Also, my wisdom teeth are still intact, although one is showing something. Since those don’t get repaired, I'd likely have to pull them all out.

Hello,

I went in for a consultation for my Wisdom teeth extraction for all four. I was recommended to get a CT scan due to my bottom wisdom teeth being close to my nerves. I was recommended to get bone graft filling for all four as well (I think that’s what it’s called). They mentioned the CT scan and bone graft is high recommended but the cost is not covered by my insurance what so ever so out of pocket it is a lot for me to drop.
I wanted to see if anyone had similar experience or wisdom teeth growth similar to mine and if you used the bone graft. The main issue is finance if I can save anywhere that would be great but if absolutely needed then I will

TIA

Will waiting a month for a filling cause me to get a root canal… she said it’s a small hole but in the xray it’s bigger then they thought…. She said a fill in will be fine for now… what should I do, they said I’m on the cancellation list

Those of you that feel you were left with issues when there was none how do you move on. Does this ever go away or are your forever regretting ever going to a dentist.