My last visit to my dentist was three years ago. I went to see my dentist recently. One of the fillings is getting old I reckon, it has a fine visible chip. That tooth tingles when I chew. This filling was probably as old as I am. I got it since primary school, that's the consequence of not brushing and ate too much junk food.
Mr dentist took a look and recommended he replaced the filling. I told him that I would like to get it done without aesthetic. He looked at me for a while and wondered if I was sure of my decision. I hate the feeling of numbness to the mouth and lips. Especially after the filling is done and he needs to check to ensure I bite right. It's a bit hard when I can't even feel my own mouth. Well, that filling cost me $150.
I never had local aesthetic when I needed to get a filling done when I was in Malaysia. But dentists in NZ and Australia do give their patients aesthetic.
I just don't think the drilling is that bad.
I just don't think the drilling is that bad.
Do you visit your dentist routinely?
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This reminds me of a recent news. Sourced from The Sydney Morning Herald.
A dentist (Dr Phung) treated a patient's mouth 25 teeth too many. The patient only required three teeth done. The dentist has been ordered to pay more than $345,000 in compensation and interest.
The dentist charged the patient's employer's insurance company $73,645 to perform root canals on each of his 28 teeth. A dental expert who reviewed the patient's mouth stated that it was a complete case of fraud by the dentist. Another expert stated that Dr Phung has charged well over the average charges for his work and the patient's teeth had been over-treated.
The patient had every nerve and vein in every tooth amputated.
In the Supreme Court, Dr Phung was ordered to pay the money he had retained and other costs.
The patient has also started a separate Supreme Court action against Dr Phung.
Do you think that the dentist's registration should be cancelled? Strike him off I say!
17 comments:
I didn't check up my teeth recently, however in the past, I had to go many times. I think that Dr. Phung should be struck off, yep. I agree.
Happy holidays Ai Shiang! :)
Not only you had toothache but 'purse ache' burning a hole in your pocket. Never had any LA for filling and its a yearly routine checkup for me. I think that Dentist had dented his reputation and should be extracted from the registration or perhaps given a second chance by suspension for a couple of years.
Strange that the patient allowed the dentist to do that to him/her?
I try to visit at least once every six months and that's recommended for good dental maintenance. My next visit is soon. I shall wait until after the new year (probably mid Jan) for my next appointment.
Dental care is expensive and not covered by my company.
No....no....I don't wanna go in to the dentist room. :(
I visit the dentist twice yearly. Only reason I did that was to utilise the dental benefit from my company. I so fear those dentist.
I may be a MAN, but I also scared of Ouch!
Mkl,
Happy holidays to you too.
Bananaz,
It's good that you visit your dentist regularly.
Happysurfer,
Good question, I thought about that too. That patient actually had a work accident, and his jaw was hurt. Maybe the patient didn't really know how many teeth needed treatment. But frankly speaking, he should check his own teeth. It's not that hard to find out which is painful and which is not, isn't it?
Mei Teng,
It is good that you visit your dentist routinely. We only have 1 set of teeth, better keep them in good conditions.
Tekkaus,
Takut already huh?
Shingo T,
Many people hate going to the dentists. I guess, regular brushing and flossing will reduce problems. It's also good that you get that benefit from your employer :o)
good morning...hahahhaa Dr Phung is crazy...where is he from? haahaha...i had the same kind of filling as you since primary school which broke while i was in my 3rd year and had it replaced...they did really good job back then ya....
Manglish,
Good day! By that surname, I think he is a Vietnamese. I think he is "gila duit". I think the mercury filling last a long time.
i thk he needs to hit his tooth quota and not just the money. ahhahhaa..... or perhaps practice makes perfect day. but i do agree, remove his licence.
i have routine dentist visit, I made sure me and hubs visit the dentist for cleaning and other stuffs needed before flying here.
belated holiday greetings to you!
actually i am scared to visit dentist ... dunno y ler ... i hate that drilling sound ...
You are so much better than me liao. I had it done only when there is pain. Haha! The recent "overhaul" cost me Rm550. 6 fillings and had my teeth clean. I felt so weird without my tartar and plaque. Hahaha!!!
Wah.. the patient should have gotten second opinion lah.. where got do root canal on every tooth one??
Believe it or not, I have never been to the dentist in my life until a few months back! Went for the first time to check my teeth and gums. Luckily the dentist is not anything like the Dr Phung! Haha!
I still remember having my tooth filling done in Canada and surprised that the pain was close to nothing, as compared to the excruciating pain I experienced in Malaysia.
Even though anesthetic causes numbness, I still prefer having it if the dentist is doing something major.
Same here in Canada, anything to do with teeth is expensive, e.g. impacted wisdom tooth extraction costs $360!
Gina,
I think so too (regarding getting a second opinion). Besides, I think I can even check my own teeth to see if I need all of them treated. It's quite impossible that the patient didn't know that he only needed to treat 3 teeth.
Adeline,
That is costly! I had my wisdom teeth extracted when I was in Malaysia. Probably when I was around 20. So, that didn't burn a hole in my pocket even thought I visited a private clinic. But somewhere down the time line I had 1 tooth crowned which cost me over NZ$2,000! Well, I broke that very important tooth because I chewed on some seeds.
Foongpc,
I do believe you. Some people are very lucky that they have good strong teeth.
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