“Do some dentists do unnecessary fillings?”

I would hope that all of us in the dental profession are ethical and would most definitely NOT do unnecessary fillings. I can say, however, that some dentists may be more aggressive than others. Hopefully your dentist has an intra-oral camera and can show you evidence of the decay they are after.

Thank you for asking. Do you think your present dentist is recommending treatment you feel is unnecessary? You need to feel comfortable with your dentist or any physician. In my office, I show patients where cavities are using their x-rays and  intra-oral images using a camera. I never recommend treatment unless I can show you why. Ask your dentist to show you your cavities. If you're still skeptical, it may be time to find another.

Hope this helps,

Steven Chamish, DDS

You might be surprised how often I get this question. And I would like to answer with a simple "no". However, if we look at the history of dentistry and the changes in approach to treatment, it was not that long ago that young dentists were taught "extension for prevention". What that meant was if there was a little filling needed in a grove, extend the filling to all the grooves because eventually the tooth will have decay in those grooves too. Now a days, with bonding fillings, this is no longer the practice. Measuring lesions on teeth is subjective. You will always find a difference of opinion when it comes to treatment and when it is and isn't needed. There is definitely a level of trust and hopefully you have chosen a dentist you can trust.



Sincerely,
Jossi Stokes, DDS

It can happen. It may be best to get a second opinion for any planned dental treatment.

Hello,

Good for you to be so bold to ask a great and important question. Unfortunately, the answer to your question is Yes. Unnecessary fillings happen every day for a number of reasons. Firstly, unnecessary fillings happen due to lack of experience. Dentist are taught about cavities until they are blue in the face in dental school. When they reach the clinic they are taught by a variety of different dentist how to detect them. This is where differing opinions between part time faculty members can really shape a dentists perspective and diagnostic skills.
Secondly, dentist often do fillings because if they are unsure about whether there is a cavity they believe that it is better to do the filling then to let a cavity get much worse in the next 6 months and now the patient needs a root canal.
Finally, just like any profession there are bad people out there. Unfortunately dentistry is a profession where bad people thrive because patients have little knowledge about their dentistry and it is not something people want to worry about. This is called over-treatment and it is an area that is much larger then most people in the dental industry like to admit or talk about.
Either way, the best way someone can protect themselves from unnecessary fillings is to get a second opinion from another dentist (which are usually free). Hope this helps.

My best to you!

William F. Scott IV, DMD