Posted: 4/9/2013 3:37:21 PM EDT
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I need some advice in a situation pertaining to my girlfriend. This is a moderately serious medical issue so the first place I thought to look was here. She has been going to some medical college for "inexpensive" dental work as she has no insurance. It's basically a bunch of junior/senior dental students working on you.
They told her she has 8 tiny cavities(about half the size of a pinhead) on her FRONT teeth. They want to ship her ass off to MN for some conference where they would have seniors looking to get licensed fill the cavities. She would get paid for it but I've currently got two cavities in my mouth that were "too small to be worth filling" that have been there for almost a decade. Any chance this place is overlooking the fact that these cavities should be let go for now just to get another body to work on or in general is it best to fill any cavity asap? Also, one of her teeth(number 14?) has been hurting her a lot lately. According to the student that looked at her x-rays, it looks like there is an extra portion of root from that tooth growing the wrong way and potentially pushing against another root/tooth. Also it looks like there is a 'section of "bone?" missing.' Yeah.. no clue wtf she meant by that but that is all my g/f can remember. Does this sound like something that is going to end up being a standard root canal or does this sound like some fucked up bullshit that is going to require full blown oral surgery? Should I be concerned about her getting this work done at a college or are these setups usually pretty legitimate? Just doesn't sit well with me but with no insurance and no money there aren't very many other options I've been able to find. |
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ARF Dentists usually only show up for GF threads that include images of the patient. The only pics I have wouldn't even fly in the BOTD section. Ms paint the naughty bits, then IM them to everyone 
Really though, get a full writeup from them plus copies of the x rays. Then go ask a real dentist with experience. The consult may be limited in cost. |
| I can't speak to the pain as I am not a dentist but my wife is currently in dental school so I can speak them wanting her to get the filling work done... So just as with med students, dental students must pass their boards in order to become a licensed dentist. 4th year (the final year of school just prior to becoming a licensed dentist) students must demonstate certain clinical skills in order to get licensed. Being able to perform a good filling is one of these skills. As far as getting the filling done these would be 4th year students who are just short of getting licensed and quite frankly a filling is a more standard and basic procedure so I wouldn't worry about it being done wrong. Of course they are asking her to go out of her way so it is her choice whether to do this or not but keep in mind someone has to do it and it really isn't a serious risk to her as it is a simple procedure. As far as the tooth pain I don't see any serious issue with going to a dental school to have it evaluated as all of the students are being supervised by a licensed dentist and in fact any advanced work might be done by a resident who is already licensed and is working on completing their specialty. This just my limited knowledge. As far as the evaluation of the X-rays goes I would make sure one of the supervising dentists looks at it and not just a student. |
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Hello there. I am new to ARFCOM as a registered user. Longtime Lurker.
I have been a dentist for 35 years and maybe I can help. Generally at the dental schools you have available the very best diagnosis of any condition that the patient may have. It is at the schools that all of the procedures and practices are formulated. That said, having juniors and seniors work on you is another deal altogether. Usually the patient gets top notch care, under strict supervision, however it just takes a long time to get it. As far as a patient sitting for a board exam, a patient will Never get overdiagnosed. You have several sets of eyes on the potential patient and these eyes are seasoned professionals. Part of the exam is testing the potential dentist if he/she is qualified to make a correct diagnosis. If the patient doesn't need the work the student is asked to leave and fails. Sitting for a board exam is a great way to get good work and get paid Thanks |
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MY BIL is an endodontist. He had to provide the patients to work on for his "boards". He did have
a "following" after working on patients all through dental school. He specifically didnt do work because he "needed" those patients (and associated procedures) when he took the practical part of his boards. Obviously he wouldnt let critical care not go undone, it's just he needed those people to do work on for his peer review/certification. AFAIK He still holds the record for most root canals in med school - hence his calling as an endontist. He's got teenie tiny hands but for the love of God can he smash a golf ball a mile. He spots me 18 strokes A SIDE on a 10# Nassau and he still wipes the floor with me.... If shes confident in the "student" doing the work I say go for it. |