How can I be sure I NEED the dental work or if my dentist is raking up a bill?

its imposable to no, if you say no you could risk the decay getting to the pulp, then you have a very expensive root canal treatment where he cuts the nerves in the tooth, theres 3 i think.

I like the dentist's answer above me but I will add to it. YOu can never know unfortunately whether you "need" the treatment or not unless you train yourself to diagnose dental problems. There are definitely some bad dentists and definitely some great ones too. If you trust your dentist and want to remain with him/her then ask the dentist how he/she came to the diagnosis. If they explain why then you may feel a little better. You may not though...and if you don't then get a second opinion. If you still mistrust your diagnosis then go to a dental school for treatment. Most schools train there dentists ethically and most often they don't overtreat. ts normally cheaper but normally longer. It works well for many people.

A final note to others that have responded....When a tooth hurts bad enough to bring you in to a dental office...normally they can't be fixed with anything other than a root canal or an extraction. Also there are people who have no pain and enormous decay. If your goal is to keep your teeth (not need root canals) and you trust your dentist then get the treatment done...There are some bad apples but not everyone is bad.

Good Luck and keep smiling

It's difficult to say for certain whether or not a restoration definitely needs to be replaced.

After time the restorations margins become cracked or not flush with the tooth, then those areas are more prone for food collection which invites bacteria to colonize. From there the start of a cavity can begin.

Small cavities don't hurt (rarely do they hurt), but big ones do. The bigger a cavity is, the more expensive it is to save the tooth.

When it comes to dentist opinions on replacing old restorations or crowns, you can get many replies. One may say they're fine, another may say they all need to be replaced b/c they're horrible, and a third one may say they're border line but lets observe them, where a fourth one will say they're border line but lets not wait for the problem to occur lets repair/prevent cavities from happening. There is no definite guideline like a recipe. It all goes to personal experience while in the dental office. My philosophy is why wait for a problem to occur?

Bear in mind, you don't HAVE to do anything. I've told patients that they had cavities and should get them fixed, but never return. So which dentist is right? The one emphasizing prevention or the wait and see approach? You won't know for sure until the cavity happens or doesn't happen.

If you don't want to replace them, you can kindly tell the doctor that you don't want them replaced. As long as you know the options and the consequences, then we did our job.

A 2nd opinion is a good place to start. You can also check out the provider list on this website www.betterbenefits.info These dentists agree to give people discounts and if they are agreeing to that then chances are they are ethical and won't try to rip you off.

Go to a different dr. and get a second opinion. I always do that if I feel uncomfortable with the doctor's judgement.

it depends on what he wants to rack up. Clean them, maybe get an xray...though too many will screw up your saliva glands....if they dont hurt dont let him start yanking and drilling. Thats ridiculous. If they look and feel good just tell him a cleaning will suffice. If it aint broke, dont fix it. Good luck!!!

Get a second opinion.