{"id":277329,"date":"2017-01-28T17:42:31","date_gmt":"2017-01-28T22:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rael.org\/?p=277329"},"modified":"2020-09-23T17:47:54","modified_gmt":"2020-09-23T21:47:54","slug":"unnecessary-tooth-extractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noproxy.rael.org\/da\/unnecessary-tooth-extractions\/","title":{"rendered":"Unnecessary tooth extractions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RAEL\u2019S COMMENT: <\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n
Do not listen to criminal \u201cdentists\u201d who want to remove your teeth, especially under the false pretext of removing heavy metal from your mouth. As this (good) dentist said, \u201cIt\u2019s always a good idea to get a second opinion, especially when the recommended treatment involves the loss of a precious tooth.\u201d A good dentist always tries to save natural teeth. And heavy metals are naturally constantly eliminated from your body and without the need of any stupid \u201cdetox\u201d. The body naturally \u201cdetox\u201d itself constantly. My grandmother died at 99 and her mouth was full of \u201cheavy metal\u201d old-style fillings\u2026<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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So the other day I met a lovely new patient named \u201cMary.\u201d She came to my office for a second opinion because her new dentist was planning to extract what she believed to be \u201cup until a day or two ago\u201d two healthy front teeth. It\u2019s fortunate that Mary sought a dentist\u2019s second opinion. She was worried that she was being pressured into unnecessary tooth extractions and it turns out, she was right!<\/p>\n

Mary arrived at my office and filled out the requisite paper work (oh, how we love the paper work!) and was escorted into the treatment room. As is my custom, I sat down with her with our chairs at equal heights to facilitate eye contact and make for more comfortable conversation. She was quite visibly upset and distressed by the visit to her dentist two days before. This is her story:<\/p>\n

\u201cI woke up in the morning with a lot of swelling in my gums and my front tooth was loose. My co-worker recommended her dentist to me and was I seen later that day. There are several dentists in the office, each a partner with different specialty (so I was told). They each had their turn examining me. I was then told that my loose tooth had to be extracted as well as the one next to it!!! I would need to have a permanent bridge made to replace them and the dentist who first examined me then proceeded to take impressions of my mouth for a temporary bridge. I left the office with a prescription for antibiotics and an appointment for treatment. The next day, one of the dentists called to confirm the diagnosis and prescribed treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luckily, Mary\u2019s sister is a dentist who practices on the west coast. Mary sent her a copy of the just taken X-rays and quite surprisingly there were no signs of infection or pathology. In fact, the tooth in question was nowhere to be seen on the images sent (poor X-ray technique or perhaps a convenient omission?)! Questions arose about the game plan. Phone calls were made back and forth between Mary, her sister, and the dental group, culminating in Mary cancelling the next appointment and putting a halt on the lab work for the planned temporary bridge.<\/p>\n

So, the time had come for me to examine Mary\u2019s X-rays and her mouth. What I found was rather shocking. There was no swelling in her gums to speak of, just some localized inflammation. The loose tooth did have some slight mobility but nothing alarming. The X-rays did not have a clear view of the \u201cproblem\u201d area. (I took a few of my own images, which failed to reveal any obvious problems.) What I did find was a food remnant, like the skin of a grape, wedged in the gum of one of her heretofore \u201ccondemned\u201d teeth.<\/p>\n

What Happened<\/p>\n

No teeth needed to be extracted and the likely cause of the acute flare-up and symptoms including tooth looseness was a gingival abscess (a small localized gum infection) caused by the food entrapment. While Mary does require other dental treatment, she was clearly misdiagnosed, or even worse (dare I say it..oh what the hell, bamboozled into unnecessary treatment.) She will not be having any teeth removed any time soon and I just saw her for a follow-up appointment. All is well.<\/p>\n

It saddens me and maddens me to think that there are health professionals who either don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing or who are preying upon the innocence or even naivet\u00e9 of the unsuspecting patient. Fortunately for Mary her gut instincts were right and she had the wherewithal to gather more information. And she has a sister who is a dentist.<\/p>\n

As I said in a recent post, an educated patient makes for an informed patient and information is empowering. Curiously, while Mary found the first dentist by way of a personal recommendation, she found her way to my office through a Google search. She \u201cGoogled\u201d her way to my office seeking advice!<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always a good idea to get a second opinion, especially when the recommended treatment involves the loss of a precious tooth.<\/p>\n

Unnecessary Tooth Extractions<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n