I went to 50 different dentists: almost all gave a different diagnosis (1997)

I have many dentist anecdotes (I switch dentists often), and generally don't believe what dentists tell me. My first suspicion began when one told me to floss more, so I flossed daily for an entire year. When I went back in after six months, they told me to floss more. I told then I had flossed daily for an entire year and they did not believe me. I went to another dentist and they were impressed by my teeth from my flossing! I was more happy with the second dentist for noticing!

I had another one tell me I had a 'dead' tooth and it needed extraction as it would rot my mouth. I saw a different dentist and I asked about my 'dead' tooth. They responded I had no dead teeth and weren't sure what I was referring to.

Another anecdote: My child's teeth were coming in crooked, and had some late adult teeth. The first orthodontist suggested a spreader (a common procedure where your palate is split and made wider), followed by braces. The second said that they could also suggest an alternative, with only braces.

End result-- the dentists that give options are the better ones (IMO). If they give only one option, I am cautious. In general, get a second opinion.

Went to a new dentist after moving. She found two "small spots that could go bad if left untreated!" and "should be drilled and filled!". A year later I am still in pain some time.

Dentists are fucking psychopaths and we are literally cattle at their mercy. I have no idea how to continue, how to find a dentist I can trust with my stupid teeth. I am terribly afraid of them now.

Flossing&brushing is better than a waterpik, any dentist worth their salt will tell you that. I think it's a money grab. You don't need it.

If you have an ongoing problem of plaque/tartar build up on your teeth then this BBC article[1] could be a life changer for you. It was for me. After a year of doing it right my gums are now close to perfect.

I notice though that neither my hygenist's or my dentist's office has been handing out information about this approach. Not good for business perhaps. I believe this technique works via abrasion so toothpaste is a must. I use a Braun 4000 but any sturdy electric toothbrush should work.

[1]https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220718-the-best-way-to-....

I went to a new dentist after moving to FL. Pines True Smile is their name. The dentist and cleaning hygienist keeps selling me this Invisalign despite me being 40 years old with teeth in great condition (I have two front buck teeth, which are just 3mm ahead of others around them). The hygienist even said because of those two front teeth, the air gets into my mouth and the rest of the gum will be eroded by bacteria more (kind of like a scarce tactic to make me go through with their Invisalign procedure, which would cost me $2-300 out of pocket). I refused because I never had any issue with my teeth and have great set of teeth (my previous dentist and hygienist in NY would always praise how well I maintain my oral hygiene). I even joked them that I'm happily married and don't need to look dapper anymore. Then the dentist (who's the owner of that clinic) started giving me an attitude.

He then told me I need to extract a wisdom tooth that never came out. I saw the X-rays and it is not touching/hitting other molar like some of the nightmare wisdom scenarios that I've seen on the internet. It just didn't come out of the gum and it wasn't hurting me for the last 20 years of my life. So I refused saying because it never give me a problem, I'll leave it at that. My worry was that once it's taken out, it would give more space for the molar and other teeth nearby to start shifting, and my teeth spacing will become sparse (thereby, needing Invasilign for real). Then he started talking to me impatiently.

Finally, he suggested I redo the fillings, 4 of them total, that I had done ~10 years ago in SF. I never had any discomfort and there is no stain or sign of old-age in these fillings. The dentist didn't show me any picture of these fillings and why they need to refilled. But given that I have read about fillings needing to be redone every decade or so before, I said alright. Then he did it in 20 mins. Now one of the molars that he refilled has been giving me some uncomfortable sensations occasionally when I chew something with it.

This is not to mention that because I mentioned that the last time I went to a dentist was 1 year ago (I was busy from moving to FL), they suggested me to a deep cleaning. Turns out, that deep cleaning was quoted to be $2592 on paper and cost me $237.80 out of pocket (plus $569.20 paid out by my dental plan). The fillings cost $384 on paper and $36 out of pocket (plus $225 paid out by my dental plan). The worst was that the "deep cleaning" they gave me was EXACTLY the same that I got every six months from my NY dentist, who I had been seeing for 4-5 years.

Basically, my conclusion is that the dentist and hygienists decided to extract (pun intended) as much money out of me as possible because it was my first visit and my teeth are in good condition, so they realize if they couldn't scare me with mis-aligned teeth, closeted wisdom teeth, etc. then they might as well make up some excuses to charge me as much money as possible for "deep cleaning" and refillings. The clinic still made $237.80+$569.20+$36+$225=$1068 for a total of maybe 20 mins with the dentist and 25-30 mins with the hygienist.

Needless to say that I refused to schedule bi-annual (every 6 months) visit with them this July. The point I'm trying to make is that in this day and age of profit-oriented healthcare, we, as patients, cannot trust doctors and dentists without questioning (yet, some doctors and dentists don't like us questioning their judgment/recommendations because they are the ultimate authorities).