I have a new dentist due to my old dentist retiring. I went in for my normal checkup and he said I have two teeth which need to be extracted and replaced. Surely, if my teeth were that far along I would have needed an emergency dentist from the pain, don’t you think? Could this youngster be taking advantage of me?

Annie L.

Dear Annie,

I’ll be honest, it does sound suspicious to me. Surely if something were building up your old dentist would have caught it and warned you that it was something to keep an eye on. Though, every once in a while we’ll discover a patient who has something blow up on them so quickly it takes everyone by surprise and they end up with an emergency dental appointment. Usually, that’s one tooth, though, not two.

It wouldn’t hurt for you to get a second opinion. If it turns out he’s taking advantage, it’s time to switch dentists. If he’s actually correct and you had something develop that quickly it’s important you take care of it quickly too. You don’t want a dental emergency to turn into a medical emergency. Tooth infections can become life-threatening.

Dealing with Tooth Extractions

You’ll want to replace your teeth after they’re extracted. You have several options. The ideal replacement is a dental implant. This acts like your natural teeth, with a prosthetic root. The best thing about it is it protects you from losing bone structure in your jaw. It is pricey though.

If that’s out of your budget, there are dental bridges. They crown the adjacent teeth and suspend a false tooth between them.

The relationship between patient and dentist is a precious one and needs to be one of trust. I hope, whatever way this turns out, you’ll find that dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. David Potts.