Can You Help Me Convince My Dentist?

I got a small composite filling. It looks OK, but everytime I bite down to chew there is a sharp pain. I talked to my dentist about it, he messed with my tooth, but it didn’t do anything to help. Now he wants to do a root canal and crown. I did some research (out of desperation), because I don’t want to loose any more natural tooth structure. I read on mynewsmile that sometimes this happens with small fillings and they just need to be replaced and then everything is fine. Do you know of any other documentation on this that I can show my dentist?

Amelia L – Ohio

Amelia,

I can’t believe your dentist is suggesting a root canal and a crown. There is a great deal of documentation that what you read is correct. Unfortunately, I don’t think that documentation is going to do you any good at all.

My suspicion is he’s thinking a root canal and crown will bring in around $2000, while re-doing your composite filling isn’t going to bring him a dime, as he should replace it for free.

You are going to have to get tough with your dentist and possibly find a better dentist.  You’re welcome to bring him this conversation as well as the documention you read on mynewsmile. If he still refuses to replace the filling, the him that you’re going to go to another dentist and have it done properly. Then you’re going to report him to the dental board and write a review of the situation with Yelp! and Google.

That’s likely to be more persuasive than just showing him what you read.

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