Story Published:
Dec 17, 2009 at 9:40 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Dec 17, 2009 at 11:10 PM CDT
Every year or even twice a year you go to the dentist. You expect to hear that you either have cavities or you don't. But the answer to that question isn't as easy as yes or no.
One of our viewers sent her 12 year old granddaughter to 4 dentists and got 4 very different diagnoses. So which was right? Perhaps, all of them.
12-year-old Dakota Yount is getting a dental exam and x-rays, her 4th in just two months. It all started in September during a routine visit to another dentist who told her that she needed 6 fillings.
With no insurance and the cost to fill the cavities topping out at more than 800-dollars, Dakota's grandmother Gayle decided to take her to another dentist who accepts payment plans. She never expected what he told her. “I got a copy of the x-rays and took them to him and to my amazement, he said she had no cavities.”
So she took Dakota to a third dentist and this time, “he told me there was one suspicious spot that could be filled, but that was all he could see,” said Gayle.
Worried that the first dentist was trying to rip her off, Gayle called us. We sent Dakota to Doctor Gary Ledford. “I don't want to do any fillings at this point in time,” Doctor Ledford told Gayle.
Doctor Ledford is now the third dentist who agrees there aren't nearly as many cavities as was first diagnosed. “I couldn't come up with 6 if I wanted to,” he said.
Doctor Ledford did find two suspicious spots that could be the start of cavities, but nothing that he believes requires a full-fledged filling. “When we get into it, I think there will be a little bit of decay. There's not enough to show up on xray and I can't get stuck in them,” he said
So it's clear. The first dentist who wanted to give Dakota 6 fillings must have misdiagnosed her. Or did she? Dr. Ledford says it's never that black and white. “Perhaps that's why they call it practicing dentistry. There's nothing set in stone with any of this.”
The fact is, some dentists are more conservative than others, they use a variety of methods to treat tooth decay and all use different diagnostic tools. “Do you look at them under magnification? Are you using other tools? There is nothing that is cut and dry that you look at tooth and say this is absolute yes or no,” said Dr. Ledford.
For example, the first dentist used a laser that shines a light down through the grooves of the tooth to tell you quantitatively how deep the cavity is. The dentist told us the tool showed the need for 6 fillings. While Doctor Ledford is sticking with his diagnosis, he says the bottom line is no two dentists are created equally. “You need to go to a dentist you trust.”
As for Dakota, her 4 visits paid off. She's now sticking with Doctor Ledford as her new dentist. “I don't think we ever get 2nd opinions with dentists. With doctors we get 2nd opinion, but not dentists.”
While dentists may disagree about diagnoses, they all agree that regular dental check-ups are the key to a healthy smile. The Springfield Dental Association is asking people to not put off getting proper dental care to avoid extensive and expensive care if disease progresses.
Also, there are safeguards in place to assure dentists don't take advantage of patients. Patients can make complaints to the Missouri Dental Board. They'll investigate and if verified, the dentist can be put on probation, be forced to pay fines or even lose their license.
