[Thad E Ginathom]

Near my previous home. There was a lab that advertised "accuracy is our aim." I used to think, "nowhere near good enough!"

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Apples and Oranges.

A clinical situation demands what procedure is to be done.

Medical science is not purely black and white. I'd strongly urge you to desist from using google as your second opinion choice and visit a specialist.

I am not sure if I my question is coming out right - so let me clarify it once more. Is Coronectomy procedure commonly done by Dentists for a wisdom teeth? This is as simple as I can frame it. I am not asking at all if it can be done for a particular case? My question does not require a clinical evaluation. It's a very high level, general question.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by carboy

I am not sure if I my question is coming out right - so let me clarify it once more. Is Coronectomy procedure commonly done by Dentists for a wisdom teeth? This is as simple as I can frame it. I am not asking at all if it can be done for a particular case? My question does not require a clinical evaluation. It's a very high level, general question.

If it is completely erupted but the gums around it are high and inflamed then yes. Else if not erupted, then remove the tooth. As black and white as I can put it. Again depends on case to case.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

If it is completely erupted but the gums around it are high and inflamed then yes. Else if not erupted, then remove the tooth. As black and white as I can put it. Again depends on case to case.

This is the X-Ray.




Did the OPG x-ray today. Will be visiting the dentist on Monday.

But wanted to check for opinions.

Is the Wisdom teeth impacted? Does it seem like it has to be extracted? Is the red line the nerve - it does seem awfully close.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by carboy

This is the X-Ray.


Did the OPG x-ray today. Will be visiting the dentist on Monday.

But wanted to check for opinions.

Is the Wisdom teeth impacted? Does it seem like it has to be extracted? Is the red line the nerve - it does seem awfully close.

Making a one time exception by consulting online without seeing the patient. Prima facie, the lower left tooth needs to go. Go to a good maxillofacial surgeon and get it removed.

I'm not getting into any more online consultations regarding this case. Stop googling for heaven's sake.

[Miyata]

Not sure how it is in Mumbai, but one observation about SOME dentists in B'lore - quite a few seem to have a different day-job and dentistry seems to be an evening/weekend profession.

My feeling has been that some of these folks might be good with theory, but when it comes to surgical precision, it's best to go to one that's been practicing regularly.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by Miyata

Not sure how it is in Mumbai, but one observation about SOME dentists in B'lore - quite a few seem to have a different day-job and dentistry seems to be an evening/weekend profession.

My feeling has been that some of these folks might be good with theory, but when it comes to surgical precision, it's best to go to one that's been practicing regularly.

Isn't that a wrong statement to make without knowing anything about those doctors?

Think of this possibility:
Don't you think that the guy doing mass practice may be doing wrong things all the time and the guy doing limited practice may be using top notch stuff and keeping himself current in technology and education and doing latest procedures by attending workshops and being ethical in treatment approach because he has other avenues of making income?

I'm sorry, but that statement from you is shameful and regretful that so many others will read the same here.

[Miyata]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Isn't that a wrong statement to make without knowing anything about those doctors?

I'm sorry, but that statement from you is shameful and regretful that so many others will read the same here.

My apologies if it came across the wrong way. Was not intended to be so. I wasn't speaking of their ethical stance, that would be inappropriate for me to comment on. I was only hinting surgical skills. Allow me to elaborate:

What I write/wrote is based on my experience - my dad had to go through many dentists to fix an error (incompetence?) from at least one of the dentists. It was during this search for a surgically more skilled dentist that we discovered possibly reasons why it is so difficult to find a skilled one.

Really not meant to offend anyone, if the moderators feel the comment to be inappropriate, I would be happy to have it deleted.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Incompetence has nothing to do with a full time practicing dentist vs a weekend/eve tooth warrior no?

There are bad apples everywhere, just your classification about part time dentists was incorrect in my opinion.

[Miyata]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Incompetence has nothing to do with a full time practicing dentist vs a weekend/eve tooth warrior no?

There are bad apples everywhere, just your classification about part time dentists was incorrect in my opinion.

Agree. Absolutely.

Everyone will of course hopefully exercise caution, try and get some references and reviews, and hopefully not be too swayed by a sentence they might catch on the internet.

I will stop my comments on the topic with these. It might go too off-topic.

Request to mods - If it needs deleting, request you to kindly do the needful. Thanks.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Prima facie, the lower left tooth needs to go. Go to a good maxillofacial surgeon and get it removed.
Stop googling for heaven's sake.

The reason for googling is because my sister is not going to get it removed. She would rather die than get it removed. As I said earlier, her right wisdom tooth removal by a surgeon didn't turn out well - the nerve got bruised & even her 13 years has not healed. She doesn't want to risk the other side also. If something happens, the quality of her life will go down drastically. I am going to go to her dentist on Monday with the X-Ray & show it just for the sake of it.

[Thad E Ginathom]

I'm sorry for your sister, and respect her feelings and fears, especially as she has had bad experience already, but she should know that dental problems can go from bad to hell very quickly, and the worse it gets the tougher the cure can be.

Just speaking as a patient, a fellow human with teeth, I'd urge her get whatever treatment she needs sooner rather than later.

Of course, it helps to find a dentist one likes and trusts.

But, as a layman, the only dental skill I can seriously appraise is anaesthesia... The results are immediately obvious!

[Miyata]

I totally agree with (Sir) Thad above. I was reluctant to post it here since I wouldn't want to indulge in fear mongering, but the gist of a case of a dear family member and mariner -

The man never indulged in alcohol or smoking. He used to take tea earlier, but I'm told he had given that up as well. Very health conscious. The only time he took (sampled would be a better word) sweets was to be a good, accommodating guest. He disliked visiting hospitals.

Doctors in Delhi diagnosed him with some form of cancer that apparently had its origin in a long history of his dental issue. He had ignored the dental problem with various home remedies. Within 6-months of the diagnosis he was no more.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I'm sorry for your sister, and respect her feelings and fears, especially as she has had bad experience already, but she should know that dental problems can go from bad to hell very quickly, and the worse it gets the tougher the cure can be.

This is not a fear of dental procedures issue. She got a root canal done some years back without any apprehension. Nerve issues are very serious - especially in the mouth - not in terms of mortality, but in terms of quality of life deterioration. Nerves don't heal easily. Her's hasn't healed in 13 years. Her nerves got bruised with the earlier extraction because most probably because they were much nearer the teeth as compared to most other people. For e.g. in my x-rays I can see a huge difference as compared to hers. And her current side is even nearer than the one where it got bruised.

She is not going to do the extraction come what may & I can understand it - if she gets nerve bruising on both sides of her mouth or worse a nerve cut, her quality of life is going to go down quite bad.

So that's why I am looking for other options.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by carboy

... She is not going to do the extraction come what may & I can understand it - if she gets nerve bruising on both sides of her mouth or worse a nerve cut, her quality of life is going to go down quite bad.

So that's why I am looking for other options.

OK, and, sorry yes, I guess you have already made that clear.

I'm curious about the nerve problem, and wonder if our experts could comment in a general way as to what can happen and why (if I'm not asking for a text book to be abbreviated into a short post <Blush>). I know I have one nerve that refuses to lie down and be dead! It belongs to a tooth that has been root-canal-filled twice. Last time my dentist reached the base of one root, he had to inject anaesthetic there before he could proceed further, even though he had done more than enough to anaesthetise the area.

Just curious.