6 questions to always ask your dentist

I don't know anything about dental technology or specialties. How do I benefit by asking these questions?

Pensioned veteran who needs extensive restorative care and has no funds.

re: ann conway it sounds like you are clenching or grinding your teeth which has caused the enamel to chip at the gumline, these can usually be fixed with simple white fillings, but may require caps or crowns if they are more severe, I hope this helps

Even with a Diagnodent, x-rays are still needed as the laser can't find decay in between teeth.

This article is nearly useless. Unless you give guidance on what answers the dental patient should be looking for, we can't know how to evaluate the answers the dentist gives. Does it really make a difference if the dentist or a hygienist cleans my teeth? Is a more conservative or assertive approach better? I have no idea. Angie, this article could have been useful; instead I just wasted 10 minutes.

It's all well and good to know what questions to ask, but how do you evaluate the answers. What is the significance of each question? Why does it matter how long the exams lasts? I've never had a dentist clean my teeth - always the hygenist. More info is needed to have a meaningful report.

I agree with Dave M and Cheryl. You need to understand what to look for. I work with dental teams and in most cases prefer to have a hygienist clean my teeth. That is what they are trained for, dentists go to school to learn to fix tooth related problems. For Ann Conway, you need to see a specialist called a prostodontist and you need to know what schooling they have had in jaw relations and their philosophy of care relating to that. Some do surgery, some do a kind of splint therapy. You need to fix the jaw problem before you fix the teeth or you will just keep fixing the teeth. You are right your teeth will eventually crumble, your jaw puts 2000 pounds of pressure on your teeth and when you grind this obviously becomes a problem.

Al, I have Kaiser also and live in No Va. Kaiser has set fees for service- which are not cheap, but allegedly better than no insurance. Since they switched to Dominion dental insurance, the fees are higher than they used to be.

I am somewhat in agreement with Dave Manley, although I wouldn't go so far as to say the article is useless. What difference does it make if the dentist or a hygienist cleans my teeth? I think most people would agree that a hygienist is well versed in cleaning teeth so that shouldn't be an issue. A better question would be whether the dentist comes in to check on the cleaning afterwards and answer any questions. Also, what is a conservative approach versus an assertive approach? That probably isn't clear to most of us.

As the prospective dentist which dentist they use for dental care. Then, use their dentist.

I am a hygienist, and Julia is right, dentists are not trained in "cleaning" teeth, and as she states it is way more complicated than just cleaning teeth. A good hygienist can make the difference in your leaving the office with a healthy mouth vs just a so-so job. The doctors do not come in to "check" the hygienist's work, (if he needs to do that, then he needs a new hygienist!)He comes in to check for cavities, oral cancers, abnormalities of the mouth and to answer any questions the patient may have. Hygienists are caring, competent professionals who deserve your respect. We deal with patients who have so many different issues, sensitive gums from poor homecare, sensitive teeth from recession, grinding, etc, patients who will not work with the hygienist in opening far enough so she can do her job properly, patients who insist they can not lay back in the chair for less than an hour the appointment takes, causing her to have to stand and bend over for that same hour,(think how her back hurts after an hour of that position); patients who arrive late then say they need to be out quickly because they have other things to do, all the while, expecting an excellent job even though they do not expect such perfection from themselves. We deal with people who bring their children along and allow them to run around unsupervised or try to talk to them while we are trying to "clean" their teeth. They think the supplies we provide to them are free so they often ask for extras, not knowing that the office has to pay for these things. They expect to talk on their phones for a good portion fo the visit, do not have the good sense to visit the bathroom facilities BEFORE they are called back to the operatory, so use precious time that should be devoted to the care of their mouths. They try to read magazines or text messages while we are working on their teeth. They do not listen to our advice about flossing and brushing, yet do not understand why in an hour visit we can not miraculously heal all the bleeding and sore gums from the six months or more of neglect. We want to help our patients and take great pride in doing so, but so many patients just look at us as lower class citizens who just "clean" teeth! Please do not take this as a bitter diatribe against patients, because most of us love our jobs and our patients, even the difficult ones, but sometimes people seem to be clueless as to how much effort goes into their "cleaning" appointment. I hope that anyone who reads this will thank their hygienst at their next visit for being the caring, kind, thoughtful professional she is.

Never get silvery (amalgam) fillings. They're half mercury; I just had mine removed after testing revealed I had extremely high levels and maladies that deeply affected me for 30 yrs literally disappeared the day the first half were removed. Amalgam fillings are poison.

This thread from beginning to end is some of the most ridiculous nonsense I have ever read, and is what's wrong with society today. I am a dentist, and will tell you that just like any intelligent person, you should find a dentist by asking your friends or other people in the area (including Angie's list), do your research, then feel it out. Those questions listed above are useless. Dentist or hygienist clean your teeth? Really? The comment about dentists being "hustlers" and pulling a "bait-and-switch" is rubbish. I went to dental school so I could legitimately help people, not to be a snake oil salesman, and I laugh when people make those kind of assumptions. It's sad. When I make treatment recommendations, I have a very good reason for doing so, and I only recommend what I would want done to my own tooth. Beware of offices that cater to children? Beware of this gum disease nonsense? There's an intelligent comment. According to the American Association of Periodontology, periodontal disease is wildly UNDER diagnosed! Yes it is a real disease. Yes it is a bacterial infection. And when you have a heart attack because those bacteria traveled through your bloodstream to cause inflammation of the innermost epithelial lining of your coronary arteries resulting in a blockage, you will experience its "reality".

Has anyone got a chemical burn in their mouth or throat from bleach/chlorine in the water lines at a dentist office? That is what has happened to me! I had recently gone to the dentist to get composite material put on my root tissue (receding gum line). The dentist uses water during the process. I recently started going to this dentist who retired from his practice and only sees patients on Fridays, using another dentist's office. Water was not coming out of the first line he choose but there were two lines. Once he started to work on me, I felt a burning sensation but also a horrible smell. I waited maybe 60 seconds before motioning him to stop (my mouth open, can't speak of course). He agreed that he also smelled bleach or chlorine, and mentioned that dentists have to clean the water lines, usually weekly, from bacteria and they put chlorine tablets in the line and then flush the lines. The dentist who has this office said they use a bleach to water solution and somehow I must have gotten a small amount in my mouth, which quickly trickled down my throat. After I stopped the dentist, I asked to rinse out my mouth, which I did, but I failed to gargle. That may have helped me! My glands in my throat immediately swelled up that afternoon and I have had a sore throat, for two weeks, am beginning my 3rd week. I went to see my medical doctor, who said my throat was definitely "irritated" and prescribed amoxicillin and steroids. Has this happened to anyone? What can I do to help myself heal and how long will it take for the sore throat to subside?

Sore, irritated throat due to probable bleach contaminated wash -- slippery elm is an excellent way to soothe a sore throat and help it heal. There are a number of throat lozenges that contain it as a main ingredient at real Health Food stores (not like GNC), Whole Foods and possibly some Walgreens or similar -- it HAS made its way into the main stream purchases. Also, Vit C, up to 500-1000 mg an hour, really helps any sort of inflammation. Although this is a lot of Vit C, when the body is in your sort of acute situation, it uses much up quickly. You cannot be harmed by too much Vit C (but loose stools are a signal that you have more than enough for yourself at the time); it simply washes out. I would start at 500 mg and then raise it if I'm not having any appreciable relief and no stomach discomfort.

Re: Ann Conway Clenching and grinding teeth, often leading to TMJ issues, is a symptom of heavy metal poisoning, particularly mercury poisoning. Look up symptoms on-line to see if you have others; it is quite a list. My extremely high mercury levels AND my symptoms all shrunk or disappeared after having my silvery amalgams replaced (with special protective procedures). Do you have or have you had silvery fillings? There are plenty of other sources, incinerators, hospitals, seafood so-so also.