First visit in years - oral surgeon or dentists?? - Dental Health Message Board

dragula07 · 02-19-2003, 06:04 PM

Hello,
I need to setup an appt to get some work done on my teeth soon. I haven't been in about 6 or 7 years and need to have a couple of extractions and root canals so I intend to find use "sleep dentistry". Either IV sedation or general. I had a bad experience at the last dentist I went to - he dropped one of my wisdom teeth down my throat after pulling it and had to ram his fingers down my throat to get it, so I'm not wild about going back.
I thought about just finding an oral surgeon and not going to a dentist at all. Do oral surgeons do all the same things as dentists? Cleanings, fillings, etc? Or just surgery type procedures?
What about costs of oral surgeons? Are they more than dentists? I have insurance that covers $2000 a year and I don't mind paying for the general or IV sedation myself.
Thanks for the help!
Keith

Brazos · 02-19-2003, 08:52 PM

Dragula, I would suggest seeing a general dentist first. Oral surgeons don't do fillings and cleanings. The general dentist would do an exam/xray and give you a detailed list of the treatment you need to have. If you want to see an oral surgeon for extractions/sleep dentistry, tell your general dentist and they can give you a referral. The oral surgeon our office works with usually sends the patient to us first unless they are in severe pain and need immediate attention.

RubyD · 02-20-2003, 02:51 PM

Plus most oral surgeons won't see you without a referral first. It's like going to your family physician for a referal to a specialist.

Try to find a very compassionate dentist who will be gentle with you.

I'm not sure about costs. Others here have had sedation and I believe costs have been mentioned. Maybe try searching for "sedation" on this board and see what comes up.

chica loca · 02-20-2003, 03:24 PM

Sometimes dental schools have more affordable rates, esp. in dental specialities. The endontitist(who was an instructor in the endontitry program at a dental school) who did my re-treatment charged less than my dentist did for the original root canal. Often with root canals involving molars, the specialists' equipment is more advanced than a general dentists. My retreatment was due to a canal that was missed by the original dentist and the retreatment was done mostly under a microscope.