Out of pocket will be cheaper than being scammed, to say nothing of less time consuming and uncomfortable. Plus once you suspect a dentist is dishonest and she is rooting around in your mouth, who is to say she doesn't do shoddy work, which will cost more in money and time in the end.

You should get your xrays (taken by the new dentist) to take with you when you go to a DDS you trust.

Did you have your records from the old dentist sent to the new one? If you didn't, the new dentist has to start somewhere, thus all the x-rays.

If you didn't have much tartar after 2 1/2 years without a cleaning, it sounds like your home care is good--regular brushing and flossing. If that's the case, how did you end up with 7-10 cavities?

My dentist hygienist always does the polishing last.

My understandings - Cleanings are recommended every 6 months, dentist checkups should be done annually. and x-rays every 1-2 years. Specific areas being "watched" may be imaged every year.

When you go to a new dentist (did the new dentist have your old records and prior images?), they want to take a comprehensive look so as not to miss anything.

Some dentists may try to maximize services just like other service providers do. Same ditto, some can be a bit crooked too. Especially when there's insurance coverage, payment rates may be low so a way to make up for that is to do a bit more that will be covered. That your old dentist stopped accepting your insurance suggests that its reimbursement rates are inadequate, he preferred to lose patients as to continue being underpaid for the work.

You haven't been to a dentist in 2.5 years, a lot may have happened. Withhold your finger pointing until you've gotten a second opinion.

PS - how do you know your old dentist is competent and honest?

No one has commented on the polishing before cleaning. That seems odd to me too. Has never been my experience, wondering what others think?

The # of X-rays seems excessive to me.

i can see why you’re suspicious.

"I wonder what she would have said if I told her yes"

Sure would be interesting to know. Wait to see what your old dentist says. I agree with taking the xrays, if possible. I just recently changed dentists, and the new one did take extensive xrays, but I was due for them. Hmmm...never had my teeth polished first. That always comes last, then the flossing. IDK...it does sound a bit odd, including the 7 vs 10 cavities. Can you let us know what your old dentist says? I'd be interested to know. Also, don't wait so long to go to the dentist, but I'm guessing you know that.

Just thinking...if you do find out this new dentist is not being honest, I would contact the ADA with your story. I once had a friend who went to a new dentist and was told she had a mouth full of cavities. She was highly suspicious and got a second opinion. The second dentist told her she was cavity free. I would NOT let something like that just slide.

What would you expect the ADA could or would do to help kathsgrdn?

I didn't get my old records, did think about it, but have been very busy lately with work, PT and other doctor appointments these last couple of months. I really don't want to have more x-rays but not sure this dentist will give me them. I really don't feel comfortable going back in there, so will just have new ones done.

When the tech was doing the x-rays, I wondered if they were going to tell me I needed a root canal. That was my first thought, isn't that odd? I've never had one, never needed one.

Elmer, I know how often you are supposed to go to the dentist. But it seems like a lot of time and money when you go by their recommendations and there is never anything wrong with your teeth. Most of the time, anyway. I can see if you have problems and need to keep up on things, but really never had many cavities. All but one were when I was a child. Those were weakened over time and in my 50s (?) had to have 2 crowns on two of those teeth and the others replaced with new material but I am not cavity prone.

I will hold my final judgement on the new dentist until I see my old dentist. Even though I do find some of the things just weird, like the polishing of teeth first. I've been to a lot of dentists in my life and have never had that happen, ever.

"What would you expect the ADA could or would do to help kathsgrdn?"

No idea but would not hesitate to find out if a dentist is fabricating expensive problems.

I just googled "polish teeth before cleaning," and apparently it is done by some hygienists.

So, the odd thing is there were two people besides the dentist. The first person did the x-rays, polished my teeth, flossed them and at the very end, after the dentist told me I had cavities, put fluoride on my teeth. The second person, introduced herself as the hygienist and did the tartar removal (about 3 minutes or less), and then checked my gum health, which was always done in the past (old dentist) by my dentist herself. Then the dentist came in and looked at the x-rays, glanced at my teeth and told me I needed a bunch of fillings. I don't even know what the first person's job title is. I don't remember if she told me or not.

chloebud, the ADA is the professional association of American dentists. It publishes a magazine, holds an annual meeting, and does advocacy for the dental profession in the news and in working with state and federal governmental bodies. It doesn't license or regulate dentists.

That kind of stuff is exactly why I haven't been to a dentist in years. Also, I don't have dental insurance.

Moni

I haven’t read all the responses but I will tell you to beware new dentists that diagnose unusual for you problems. I have 3 cavities in 69 years. No other dental concerns ever. We moved and I went to see the most popular highest reviews dentist in this town. His tech and then the dentist himself said I had terrible periodontal disease. Would need extra checkups and double cleaning trips and x-rays... yada yada. I was in tears. I left after unfortunately paying for the first installment of this c#%^. I went to see my son’s dentist in this same town , should have done so before but she was booked up. Now I know why. She was stunned that the first idiot would make such diagnoses. She said it’s not the first time either.

My son asked me not to spread the word in this small town. Initially I agreed but then I decided what the heck he and his help are liars and he should be reported to the state licensing folks. I haven’t done that because when my records were transferred to the new dentist they didn’t send any of the written transcripts with the false diagnosis.

Beware... there are some seriously horrible “ professionals “ out there. It would seem that more than ever you are at the mercy of these people and you need to up your game on your awareness of your health and the care you need. Go luck!

Kaths, contact your trusted dentist and see if he will request the xrays.

Functionthenlook, not sure there is time, but will call them. My appointment is Monday.

Went back to Facebook reviews for this dentist and among the glowing reviews are a couple bad ones. One in particular caught my attention this time: woman and her son go in. She was told she has 4 cavities and her son has some (she doesn't say how many). She got a second opinion and she had 1 and her son had none! I did read through these reviews but I must have missed that one. Most are 5 star.

My dentist for years retired so I went to a local dentist using a coupon for "comprehensive exam" for $99.

He said I needed over $1200 worth of work and wanted me to sign up for a credit plan immediately.

I declined. Fortunately i saw a dental assistant who had worked for my old dentist.

She recommended a dentist in the same building for a second opinion.

I scheduled an appointment and was impressed with him and with his staff.

He told me he treated patients the way he would like to be treated.

Never said anything bad about the dentist upstairs but talked about what needed to be done.

I have been seeing him for over 12 years and have had excellent care.

And his staff is outstanding.

I have referred people to him and they have received great care, too.

I have no dental insurance and get a 5% discount for paying cash.

Be your best advocate.

My husband is a dentist and an easy going guy but nothing upsets him more than when he sees poor quality/unnecessary dentistry. Please, please get a second opinion.

DH is retired but works very P/T for the government, therefore unable to see me as a patient. Our dentist recently retired and the new guy recommended a laundry list of unnecessary treatment for me including Invisalign (following a 15 second visual inspection). At this point, he happened to look down at my chart noting DH's occupation and sheepishly said, "Oh, your husband is a dentist?".

DH said no way was I a candidate for Invisalign but had his colleagues look at my casts (these casts were done by DH and we had them at home, new guy didn't bother to make any) for their opinions. They not only said "No" but "Hell, no!".

It can be a challenge to find a good dentist. I hear so many people say how great their dentist is because s/he's "so nice" and their staff is friendly. One of the key words I look for is, "conservative" relative to treatment plan recommendations. The new to me dentist I saw for the first time this week came highly recommended by DH's assistant. He graduated in the top 10% of his dental school class (no small feat) and DH has seen and is impressed by the quality of his work. I did not mention DH's occupation and was relieved when his treatment plan meshed with DH's.

Facebook/Google/Yelp/etc reviews can be bought and faked.

Kathy your xrays are yours and they were paid for, go sign the release and have them sent to your old dentist. I do not think they can refuse that. I believe it is all done by computer now days.

My wonderful dentist retired. I went to one recommended by a co-worker. Every time I went (2x year) he found a reason to take out one of my silver fillings and replace it with the white ones. Then the last time he drilled out the old filling too deeply and I ended up needing a root canal and a crown! I never went back to him and I never paid the bill he sent me for the original work. I even had to go to my dr to get some pain relief meds while I waited for the specialist to get me in for the root canal. My dr even called the guy an a-hole because he said he should've prescribed a pain med for me, not just telling me to alternate Tylenol/Advil.

I finally found a new dentist that I really like. They took a lot of x-rays but no where near 20! She showed me on the x-ray 2 small cavities and a crack. I had no doubt that the work needed done.

Rock and a hard place...the new one may have found cavities the old one missed. Esp if you haven't had those kinds of xrays before which can really uncover buried cavities doing long-term damage inside the tooth.

I'd talk to friends and look at online reviews and get recommendations for a third dentist. Keeping your own teeth and keeping your mouth healthy is essential to your overall health in more ways than one...pocketbook be d@#$!%.

"It doesn't license or regulate dentists."

Could be but they might at least tell you how file a complaint. Maybe the State Board of Consumer Affairs. Got to be a way.

Annie, I couldn't agree more with keeping your teeth and mouth healthy for overall health. We don't have dental insurance, and seeing my dentist and periodontist is far from inexpensive. So worth it!

I would be upset about all those x-rays, for sure. So unnecessary! I also wouldn't go with this guy if you paid me. Dh once saw a dentist who told him every visit that he needed more work--much $$. Check yelp reviews and take raves and pans with a big grain of salt--look for someone with lots of reviews and look at the big picture. I'd be really mad if this happened to me!

I had the same experience! Almost identical! Tried a new dentist that was offering a coupon -- and went back to my old dentist for a second opinion because I just couldn't believe that fillings needed replace, I had new cavities, etc etc. I go to the dentist every 6 months without fail. I asked for a written treatment plan from her and got a handwritten itemized list on a plain sheet of paper - no letterhead.

Upshot- it was all fraud. NONE of the work the new dentist suggested was needed. I filed a complaint (to the state licensing board - your state has one also), and I noticed that that dentist closed her practice shortly after. Perhaps she has relocated into your area!

People will judge many professionals simply on superficial aspects like friendliness, comfort, office décor and so forth, and never suspect that they are dishonest or notice that their work is incompetent - even if the work, such as a filling, repeatedly fails, they will accept the dentist's excuses.

If I had crowns I would certainly go for a check more often - they can be a trouble point.

Wow...all these posts make me feel even more fortunate my new dentist gave me a thumbs up after taking X-rays.

I had a similar experience with a dentist too.

Dentistry is an interesting profession. I think as a profession they have tried to stay as far away as possible from of all the insurance industry trappings that have overrun medicine. They operate in the margins of medicine and there is a whole lot of money to be made there.

So like most things in life, when there is an opportunity for exploitation, some people will take it.

Dentists vary in ability and also in integrity. I personally take any internet-based rating or comment with a grain of salt.

The best way to find any service provider, whether a professional or a tradesman, is by recommendations of friends you know and trust. And those are sometimes not the best because everyone has different standards and understandings of what to expect. But short of a personal referral, any other way is more akin to pulling a card out of a face-down deck - you may or may not get what you're hoping for.

I went to a scam dentist once. He said I needed a crown when I was only 22, which was a lot of money for me at the time. I thought he was nice so I referred 2 friends, all also in their 20's, and both of them needed crowns too at a cool $1k each. What are the odds that all 3 young women with good dental hygiene would all need crowns?

And on top of that, he did such a bad job that I've had to get it replaced 3 times.

Can you imagine how infuriated my DH was when our then 27 y.o. DD, who lived in another state at the time and had perfect teeth, went to a dentist who performed unnecessary work? Fortunately, only one tooth but still....

Why didn't your husband do her dentistry?

My dentist died last year. Now I'll have to get used to another one if that practice finds a replacement.

My sister was told she had to get the root planing procedure because her gums were bad by a new dentist. She didn't do it and went to another dentist. So that new dentist did the normal exam, cleaning, x-rays, etc. and told her to come back in 6 months. So my sister asked her about her gums that were so bad, the dentist said nothing was wrong with them. So you have to watch out when getting a new dentist. I let a dentist do that many years ago, brand new dentist, very young - had all kinds of fancy new equipment including the panoramic x-ray machine - the procedure was very painful and after that I started losing my teeth. To this day I think it was due to that procedure. He did a root canal on one of the teeth and crowned it and I wound up losing it within a year. I think he was a young dentist deeply in debt for schooling and equipment and was doing all he could to change that.

As I said, we were living in different states. In addition, he was not in a private practice situation. The same thing happened to our DIL. Though he did advise her not to have the work done, she regrettably did not follow his advice.

I forgot to comment on what Patrice said:

" I think as a profession they have tried to stay as far away as possible from of all the insurance industry trappings that have overrun medicine. "

Most physicians and groups accept Medicare. Not all do. Most accept many diverse insurance plans, but not all. Most don't accept local versions of Medicaid. When you get to ancillary healthcare providers (physical therapists and therapist of other kinds, mental health providers, etc) there are MANY who don't accept Medicare. The reason why is the same for all of these - reimbursement rates are too low.

That's the reason why so many dentists don't accept insurance - reimbursement rates are too low. It's not because of treatment management as much as reimbursement rates.

Since going to this dentist on Thursday I have gotten 2 text messages and 2 e-mails begging for reviews from me.

I'm not an expert in dental healthcare but wouldn't the hygienist be able to see problems if I had 7 or 10 rotten teeth? She told me my gums and teeth look great and looked like I took care of them. The only problems she mentioned were I needed to brush a little better on the inner part of my molars on the bottom because there was some slight inflammation there. Told me to angle my toothbrush gently near the gumline when I brush from now on.

She also asked if I drank a lot of tea because my teeth are stained, which I knew already. I guess she was another reason I don't believe the dentist's diagnosis.

"...I have gotten 2 text messages and 2 e-mails begging for reviews from me."

Kath, I'd say that totals more red flags...4 BIG ones!

The x-rays belong to you and I'd have your previous office request them. What you won't get from them is their diagnosis/treatment plan, but x-rays absolutely.

I had a similar situation 8 years ago with a new dentist, my previous was retiring. After a full set of x-rays and exam she told me I needed 3 root canals and 4 crowns. I have always seen my dentist every 6 months and at my previous visit was told all is great. After the dentist was finished explaining the treatment plan, I was sent into another room where my treatment plan was already printed out along with costs. They had already called my insurance company. I never gave the dentist the go ahead to do any treatment. I was told I would have to pay my portion for the entire treatment plan upfront or finance through them. I asked why I couldn't pay per procedure and she then called for someone else to come in. I felt like I was buying a car lol. I said I didn't think I would be coming back and requested my x-rays. Found a new dentist who said I didn't need any root canals or crowns, 8 years later and still no issues.

If you have cavities under the gum-line the hygienist might not be able to see it. And most people who use dental insurance have to go per their guidelines of not paying for full-mouth x-rays every year. Mine will only let me get them every 3 years. That's why I lost the last tooth because it had progressed that far since the last x-ray and was under the gum-line. The dental practice that I go to has the Dentist come in and do a brief exam after the hygienist is done and he didn't see anything either. I guess the cost of full-mouth x-rays is more than restoring a tooth in the eyes of insurance. (???)

Ritaweeda, I would have more confidence in her opinion if she had actually checked my teeth thoroughly. She didn't, just a quick glance. My old dentist actually used instruments to check the integrity of my teeth and old fillings. She also is the one who would checked my gum health, not the hygienist.

The new dentist also didn't tell me which teeth specifically where affected, just 7, and then told me I needed to go discuss it with her office manager regarding pricing to fix them. When I said how is that possible, I just went to the dentist a year and a half ago (I thought it was but turns out it was 2 1/2 years) she told me I had a lot of "dark cracks" that she would fix if it were her teeth. So is it staining from tea and coffee or decay?

When I got in the office to discuss the pricing, I told the office manager I wanted a second opinion and asked for a list of which teeth were affected. There were 10, not 7. Then I'm thinking not only are they trying to scam me but my insurance company too. My old dentist would have told me exactly which tooth/teeth had a problem and told me my options.

I have an appointment early Monday morning with my old dentist so we will see. I also decided not to go back into the other dentists office for my xrays. I'm angry, and these days I don't always hold my tongue like I did when I was younger.

If he's so anxious for you to write a review (on something that hasn't even been done!) I would. I would write exactly what your concerns are. 7-10 teeth needing filled, and that you're getting a second opinion.

This guy needs to be outed!

I agree with Jasdip! if you get confirmation from your dentist that it was a scam, write about it on Yelp!

You don't need to go to the office to get the xrays - just call them and have them email them to you. They are digital images. Once you have them, file a complaint with your state licensing board. If they refuse to give them to you, include that in your complaint.

You know this dentist is ripping off other people, and you can help stop it.

I had a similar experience two years ago. My regular dentist was bought out by a new company and shortly after my hygienist quickly retired.

When I went in for my next appointment with a new hygienist, she said my teeth and gums were in terrible shape and I needed to come in for extra cleanings. She also recommended root planing. I did not see the dentist, just her.

I was shocked because my prior hygienist had always said my gums were in great shape and I hadn't had any cavities in years. When I mentioned this she became a little snotty and said "well she's no longer here."

I swear she jabbed my gums on purpose to make them bleed. She was absolutely brutal with her cleaning. Looking back, I wish I had had more confidence in myself and walked out.

When I went up to the front desk, they had also already gotten prior authorization from my insurance for their intensive plan. I left in tears. I never went back.

I found a new dentist which I have to drive a considerable distance, but they are great.

They haven't found any issues at all with my teeth and gums. LOL.

I have often wished I had followed up with a complaint against the old dentist office but I never did. I still get angry about it when I hear their stupid ads on the radio.

I doubt the state dental board will have any interest - there's been no misconduct or malpractice. Nothing has been done.

If you want to do the most good, if the second opinion suggests that recommendations were beyond what was needed, call the first dentist and have a conversation. Share your experience, see how they react.

The money you pay for a second opinion is worth it.

We've come to the opinion that some dentists and those in the profession are simply looking for ways to make more money. We had an orthodontist do some crappy stuff. I reported him to our insurance. We moved at the same time. On top of charging for work not done, our new orthodontist told us the procedure he had done was incorrect for the problem. He had some choice things to say about our old orthodontist. Had we not switched employers and had a new account with the same insurer, I might have complained again.

I cancelled two dental appointments for this upcoming week. The dentist hasn't done anything wrong, but he recently brought his son into the practice. I'm not a fan of the son or the clerical staff. They've mishandled things a few times. I've realized I'm getting anxious before appointments. I never used to be like that. It's time for me to change.

I once went to a dentist with a super fancy office. Part of the exam involved putting a magnifying camera in my mouth and then projecting it so I could see. Anyone's teeth, magnified, look like they re full of craters. I ended up finding a great dentist through Yelp. Dentistry is a lot like carpentry, except you can't inspect the work when it's done.

Kath, do let us know what they tell you on Monday.

Chloebud, I will.