Opinion needed - bad dentistry? - Dental Health Message Board

shuggyb · 07-03-2008, 02:22 PM

I went to a dentist with symptoms that might be attributed to TMJD - pain in
my ear, around my ear, in my temple and in several of my teeth (one of which
had become very sensitive).

The dentist explained possible causes of TMJD, including tooth grinding
which I categorically stated I did not do.

I thought the sensitive tooth might be the root cause rather than TMJD. The
dentist x-rayed and found a small bit of decay in said tooth. He said he'd
fill the tooth, but he still reckoned my symptoms were attributable to TMJD.

When he had finished the filling he informed me he had also ground down my
two back teeth (one of which was the filled tooth) to stop the tooth
grinding that might be causing the TMJD like symptoms. Both these teeth have
been ground down such that they are now more or less flat on the biting
surface. I'm really unhappy about him doing this as I think it was totally
unnecessary and it feels awful.

Is this a normal thing to do, especially without prior consent and given I
had stated I did not grind my teeth? Will this actually be detrimental to
the health of the teeth in question?

taape · 07-03-2008, 06:30 PM

I just had some of my teeth grounded down but just slightly to fit the bridge I just got in yesterday. I didn't really like the dentist doing this either since he wasn't a tmj specialist. Could you tell what was going on at the time or was your mouth too numb? The dentists should get your verbal consent at least before just sawing your tooth surface off.

I have a tmj specialist appointment coming up because of a sensitive tooth which does not have decay and one tooth which is loose from a misaligned bite. The printed information says that sometimes they grind certain teeth down to make the bite fit.

I also deny that I grind my teeth but the dentist insists I do. I told him that due to something maybe the bite problem my teeth slip bad sometimes when I'm eating and I could easily crack a tooth which accounts for lots of the grinding looking marks on certain teeth. Anyways, I've started using a night guard even though I don't think I grind my teeth to see if the tooth sensitivity gets less.

shuggyb · 07-03-2008, 07:12 PM

I thought he was finished with the filling and was a bit confused about why he was going back in with a drill. My mouth was too numb to be sure what he was doing. I thought he was maybe getting rid of some rough edges on the filling. It was all over very fast.

Once the numbness subsided and I could feel my teeth with my tongue properly, I was shocked at how much he'd ground them down. Totally unnecessary and without my consent. There is absolutely no evidence I have been grinding my teeth and he didn't even hint he was going to grind them down nor did he discuss it with me at any point.

taape · 07-03-2008, 10:35 PM

Can you change dentists?

bergerbaby · 07-04-2008, 02:52 AM

the best person to tell you if you grind your teeth or not ,is your wife .husband partner?

if they say you dont grind your teeth ,mas believe me they will know ,if you do ,because you make a hell a lot of noise doing it

if your not happy with your dentist ,change him use your instincts ,i wished i did earlier
trouble is where i live lot of dodgy dentists ,and ive been unlucky in finding most of them