Does anyone know if it is appropriate for a dentist to drill/file the enamel of a healthy natural tooth just to help make a new filling below it fit right? The same dentist also drilled healthy enamel on a natural tooth above a crown that he was having a difficult time fitting. It seems to me that it would never be a good idea to lose healthy enamel from a natural tooth.

Hi, Mary. I'd say you need to find another dentist. I have bad teeth; very little enamel left on my teeth: and to me it is outrageous for a dentist to remove any enamel from any teeth, unless it is necessary. In the case of the crown, they can be smoothed down till the bite is corrected. Never let a dentist do this to you again. I would speak ahead of time to any dentist you go to; to make sure it doesn't happen again. It's your teeth; you have the right to protect them! It sounds to me like that dentist was doing what was easier for him, at the expense of your enamel. I'm sorry that happened to you...Deb

MaryBethK, let me ask this.
you say, Does anyone know if it is appropriate for a dentist to drill/file the enamel of a healthy natural tooth just to help make a new filling below it fit right?

Are you saying you had a tooth on the front teeth need a filling and he drilled on the bottom teeth.
That doesn't make sense.
Why would he have to drill on a front and bottom tooth for a filling?
You only drill on the tooth that needs the filling.
Which tooth needed the filling? Was it one of the top teeth.
I dont understand why he would have to drill on one of the bottom teeth.

I had a dentist who really messed up my bite doing something similar - every filling he did (4) changed the look of the tooth and its occlusion with the tooth below or above it. At my last appt when I complained that my bite was changing and I was getting pain on one side b/c the teeth he filled weren't meeting correctly any more he said - that's OK we can crown the other teeth and make them match the ones I filled. That's when I knew for sure he was a bad dentist - you don't ruin natural teeth to cover poor dentistry. Now I have bad tmj b/c my bite is so messed up - so run don't walk from any dentist that messes with natural teeth in favor of not correcting a filling he did on other teeth.

Does anyone know if it is appropriate for a dentist to drill/file the enamel of a healthy natural tooth just to help make a new filling below it fit right? The same dentist also drilled healthy enamel on a natural tooth above a crown that he was having a difficult time fitting. It seems to me that it would never be a good idea to lose healthy enamel from a natural tooth.


I didn't understand the situation w/the first tooth, but my dentists have always put on the crown, then used carbon paper to see if it fit, then removed the crown and DRILLED ON THE CROWN, put it back on, used carbon paper, like 4 or 5 times, asking me each time to grind my teeth on the carbon paper, THEN they'd put on the PERMANENT cement after the carbon paper showed a good fit and I said it felt good.
I have NEVER found a great dentist UNLESS I got his name from friends.
I have ALWAYS been disappointed just calling anyone for an appt.