The following are facts. The reader should decide for themselves.
My dentist retired, and I was looking for a new one to place a crown on a recent implant and provide a cleaning (I have cleanings performed every six months). I made an appointment at Summit Dental in Canton. A young dental hygienist said that there were a few areas that required a deep cleaning with an anesthetic. Dr. Storm came in to discuss and told me that he wanted to do the cleaning first (an expensive procedure). I told him that I had been waiting for the crown on my implant for almost a year and asked him to put the crown in first. Please note that the implant was on the other side of my mouth and was prepped and recently checked by an oral surgeon, so a deep cleaning of the area was not necessary. The doctor agreed to place the crown first. Two weeks later, the office called, and a lady wanted to set up a date for the cleaning. I told her that Dr. Storm agreed to place the crown first. She seemed like she didn't believe me. I asked her to check with the doctor. Two weeks later, I called to schedule my crown. The lady I spoke to said that they would not place the crown until the cleaning was done.
Needless to say, I started a search for a new dentist. A hygienist at the new office, obviously with a great deal more experience, conducted an evaluation and came up with much different results. No deep cleaning with sedation was necessary. I received a regular cleaning and later, a crown.
After this episode, I have heard of similar situations involving a dentist (not Summit Dental) ordering a deep cleaning, which turned out to be unnecessary. The only advice I could give is that you should seek a second opinion if something doesn't sound right. In my case, it was a broken agreement between me and a dentist on which procedure would be performed first that drove me to a second opinion.
The funny thing to me was that after all of this, the lady I spoke with at Summit Dental acted surprised when I called to have my records transferred to a new dentist! read more
