Did my dentist rip me off; she only fixed the fake cavities, and asked me to come later?

I am 26, One day while looking at my teeth in the mirror, I saw a small dark spot. I bought a dental mirror from walmart for $4. I saw this one cavity and was lucky to find out, before my tooth started aching. The dentist(my first dental visit ever) takes 2 x-rays, and says i have 6 cavities, which was difficult to believe. I asked her if I take good care of my teeth, would these cavities get filled on their own, and her response was 'NO', they've gone too deep, and will only further decay. Now the surprising part is she only showed me the big cavity in the x-ray; ( which i could see myself in the mirror); another interesting part is she fixed the fake cavities on my first visit and asked me to schedule two more appointments for fixing my big cavity and another one for the clean up(tartar removal). What should be my course of action when go for my next appointment? should i ask her to show me the x-rays for all the 6 cavities? would that offend her?...I havent paid anything yet;

Did my dentist rip me off; she only fixed the fake cavities, and asked me to come later?
They won't do all of your dental work at the same time - especially if it requires anesthesia on both sides of the mouth. Also, the dentist isn't usually the one that cleans your teeth. The large cavity may need more work and require more time. Small cavities are sometimes pinpoint - but if you don't get them fixed early they become large - they won't heal themselves.





Believe me - you don't want them to rush it and you do want to take care of your teeth.
Reply:No harm, no foul! Trust your dentist, ask questions even if you have no idea what you are talking about, it can be explained so that you can understand. We are here to help you maintain your dental health. Report It

Reply:Get a second opinion. Instead of asking her to show you x-rays you may not interpret correctly, go to a second doctor and ask her to send the x-rays.
Reply:It is hard to tell the extent of a cavity yourself, so she is proably telling the truth.
Reply:You are not getting ripped off. If this is your first dental exam in 26 years, it is likely that you do have 6 cavities. Also, cavities do not fill themselves. In addition, dentist are trained to read x-rays in ways that we (laypeople) are not. I get cavities all the time and this sounds like standard practice. Get them all taken care of before one goes deep enough to warrant a root canal!
Reply:have her put the sharp curved instrument in the hole and pull. You can then feel that it is caught in a cavity. They can only get worse.
Reply:Well all Dentist do things differently, but yes ask her to show you proof of the other cavities on the x-ray, you have every right to know. Good Luck.
Reply:You could certainly ask to see the x-rays, but honestly, given that you'd never been to a dentist in your life, it is not unusual for you to have a few small cavities. And a cleaning is standard; you should have that done every six months.


All due respect, but using your Wal-Mart dental mirror is no substitute for having gone to dental college. It's very unllikely that this dentist is scamming you--she's got no reason to do that. What she said about cavities is true: they don't get better by themselves--they only get worse.
Reply:Yeah rip off


I had dentists tell me lies about my teeth and gums





I had a pain in my teeth for a few days and went to the dentist, he looked and said nothing was wrong, the pain went away too. He told me to use different toothpaste I didn't change. He charged me $40 to look at my teeth for 5 min. I still go to him because he doesn't make stuff up like fake cavities.





I would go to another dentist. Finding a good dentist is hard but can be done.
Reply:First off, what in the world is a fake cavity? Secondly, you should find another dentist.
Reply:If you think about this you will understand we do this for your benefit, we don't like to numb you up all over and have you chewing up your tongue and cheeks. Usually only one quadrant at a time is all we will work on.





There may also be an insurance issue and your co-pay that they are considering. We also try to take care of the worst first, except if it's highly possible that the tooth may need a root canal, crown or other high cost treatment. You would hate to have one tooth use all of your insurance for the year, especially when you can repair four or five that need minimal work now wait a year and the restoration will become much more extensive.





You said you are a new patient; just ask questions about your treatment plan. I feel sure they have your best interest in mind with scheduling different appointments; they are doing different sides and upper or lower. They may be taking care of the composite restorations first, then doing the amalgam next and scheduling out so that it's not a financial burden on you. Be thankful you have a dentist who is conscious of trying to save you money.





You mentioned she only showed you one x ray with a large decayed area. That is probably because this is one she is really concerned with, that it may require more than a simple filling, quite possibly a root canal or extraction. If you want to see the other x rays, they will be happy to show them to you, you may not know what your looking at but it won't hurt anyone’s feelings to show you, we actually prefer that you take an interest in your dental health and make necessary and informed decisions rewarding your dental health.





One thing you mentioned was, "she only fixed the fake cavity" I am sorry but I don't understand what you mean. It's either a decayed area, or it's not, no in between. Also her explanation reply to "decay filling in on its own" is correct. If the decay hadn't gone through the enamel, it might have been a possibility that the decalcified area may have re-mineralized, but once past the enamel they have to have the decay excavated and a restoration placed.





You should feel lucky that you have so few decayed areas, since you have never been to a dentist before. Keep going and have your decayed areas cleaned up and restorations placed. After that continue going for semi annual cleaning to prevent anything from developing and take advantage of your dental team, get all the advice, information and demonstrations you can so that you can continue to keep your teeth and dental health in excellent condition.





Additional information: Yes dentist get paid for each restoration, and for each surface it covers. The larger the filling the higher the cost. That is not always the way we look at things, a good dentist will take care of her patients.
Reply:when you go back, ask to see the cavities on the x-rays... there should be no problem in asking to be shown.. you are charged for all fillings regardless of how small, or large they are


tartar removal is very important for your gums and teeth