Three roots on teeth

[CountAllVotes]

The dentist I was going to said everything was just fine.

However, last year he abruptly retired.

Reason: Alzheimer's disease.

So, I found another dentist to go to and OMG, seems I had TEN cavities and needed two crowns.

Seems the dentist did not notice!

What a mess I am in.

Between all of this dental work and the ongoing car mess, I'm going broke quickly.

I went to get the two crowns done only to discover that many of my teeth have three roots on them!

Does anyone else have this?

If so, how common is it?

I've had the ten cavities taken care of and the temporary crowns will be coming off next week.

I brush/floss daily.

The only reason I can figure out I suddenly got like this is due to stress as I've never had problems with my teeth in the past and no, I do not have gum disease.

Sad situation at best and a giant

I guess the dentist is so far gone he did not notice the cavities?

I just don't know what to think any more.

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Ummm ... I would have asked for a second opinion. Not all dentists are above doing unnecessary work. nt

[CountAllVotes]

2. I sure it was all necessary

You could see the cavities on the teeth. In fact, I mentioned it to the dentist that retired abruptly. No problems. Uh huh.

As for the crowns, one of the teeth had been fixed 3X. The filling was coming out of it and sharp! Ouch!

The other crown may not have needed to be done (perhaps). The new dentist said "mistake" as she was getting ready to operate on the gum around it. It is adjacent to the other tooth with the sharp filling come out of it.

So, being I could see the problems myself, I don't really have any doubts.

As for the triple roots on the teeth, I vaguely remember hearing those same words after having my wisdom teeth extracted some 40+ years ago. You could see the extra roots on the fancy x-ray they ran on me.

Nightmare situation and finding a dentist to see me was almost impossible where I live. Everything is like that here, medical care included.

Thanks for the reply.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. OK. BTW, three roots is normal for your biggest teeth.

Molar Teeth

Adult molars are located in the back of the jaw. They have the most chewing surface of any tooth and have three to five chewing cusps. Lower-jaw molars have two large roots, and the upper-jaw molars have three roots.

Maxillary Adult Molar

The biting surface outline is square (not as much as the mandibular molars) with four distinct cusps. Some maxillary molars have an extra cusp (Carrabelli cusp) located on the mesiolingual cusp (tongue side of the tooth). There are three roots: two buccal and one lingual, which is the longest of the three (Figures 16 and 17).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/molar-tooth

[CountAllVotes]

5. Thanks again

These are molar teeth for the most part.

I do have large teeth but I am not self-conscious about them being too large.

The dentist with the Alzheimer's disease said I had abnormally large teeth and that they needed to be whitened. I declined on that offer.

I'm glad to know this is not unusual. I feel that everything about me is that way.

I think the reason for the cavities is because after my husband died, I was buying and eating A LOT of cheap hard candy at Winco. Some of it was taffy and the like. I'm sure that did not help.

I have since time quit buying and eating the hard candy. I bet that caused or certainly exacerbated the problem.

Thank you again!

[Solly Mack]

3. My father did, I do, and all my siblings as well. 3 roots, all long.

[nuxvomica]

6. I think three roots is normal for certain teeth

But your question has presented an opportunity for me to tell my weird tooth root story:

Many years ago when I was in my 30s, my dentist told me I needed to have the farthest back molar removed as an x-ray showed the roots were rotten. He scheduled the extraction for two weeks later. (In those days, most dentists did their own extractions but nowadays it's usually done by a specialist.) I was all worried that I would look funny with the missing tooth and spent every evening hypnotizing myself (your basic staring at a candle and imagining you're in an elevator going down) and visualizing the tooth getting stronger and healthier. The day of the extraction I told the dentist none of that and resigned myself to my fate, assuming the self-hypnosis didn't work but it was helpful in dealing with my need to do something. The dentist removed the tooth and was surprised to see it was growing an extra root on the side, which was not in the x-ray. I still have the tooth somewhere. Cue Twilight Zone theme here.

[CountAllVotes]

7. lol

I remember those self-hypnosis days too!

[Rizen]

8. I had a similar thing happen.

My dentist retired and the next one I went to said I had seven cavities and crowns that needed work. But I got them all taken care of.

[Sogo]

9. "The only reason I can figure out I suddenly got like this is due to stress...

...as I've never had problems with my teeth in the past..."

It sounds like you may have been having problems with your teeth all along in the past, but because of the dentist's diminished abilities, the problems were left untreated, so that now it seems like "suddenly" a bunch of problems.

RE the three roots, I had a hooked root on one of my wisdom teeth, and it took the dentist 2.5 hours to get it pulled out. He kept shooting more and more novocain into my jaw and pulling and pulling, and finally took an x-ray where he could see that the root was hooked under the tooth in front of it. As a consequence, whenever he was pulling on it, it felt like my entire jaw was being pulled out (which it technically was). He ended up cutting off the hook part of the root, and it remains down in my jaw to this day....!

I hope all your troubles get resolved soon!!

[CountAllVotes]

12. Thank you

As I just wrote a few minutes ago, I believe the office staff is incompetent.

They are billing me for x-rays on today's date and I haven't been anywhere near the place.

I am starting to wonder if I needed two crowns to be honest with you; one perhaps.

After I get the crowns next week, I think I will try to find somewhere else to go.

This is very stressful for me and I don't like being ripped off.

[LogDog75]

10. I'd look at another dentist to confirm what your dentist told you

Dentistry is one of those medical fields where people can sometimes be taken advantage of mainly because we don't know what we need or don't need. If a dentist is telling you need expensive dental work then I'd definitely get a second opinion.

I had the benefit of dentists in the AF and working in the hospital/clinic I got to know a number of dentists. One dentist told me the reason he joined the AF was he was working for a large, chain dental business and they were always pushing him to up-sale the patients on things they didn't need. He said he couldn't do that to patients and all he wanted to do was to provide people with good dentistry so he quick and enlisted in the AF where he was happy to be.

I retired and chose a dentist from a list of dentists in my area. Turns out, my sister and brother went to this dentist. She was good and never tried to up-sale me on anything and if my exam showed no cavities or anything else she say so. She's since retired and the dentist who bought her practice is pretty good. I haven't had any complaints about her or her staff.

I

[CountAllVotes]

11. I just rec'd the Statement of Benefits from the insurance co.

According to them, I have overpaid by .75 cents.

They are now trying to charge me for x-rays taken on today's date. I haven't been anywhere near the place.

They had told me when I went to get the crowns done in March that I owed them an additional $507.00 and that I had only paid half of what is due.

Something is rotten in Denmark so to speak.

I don't think it is the dentist as much as it is the office staff. They seem incompetent to me.

They got their money and now they are trying to get more.

How disgusting!

[CountAllVotes]

13. beating a dead horse to death on this one ...

Update:

I called as they told me I owed the $507.00 which was incorrect.

As for the x-rays, it is for my bridge. That's just fine I guess but I don't have a bridge.

The two crowns together are considered to be a bridge I was told.

They want money for x-rays they said they told me about.

I told them I did not hear of this in the past.

Seems they slipped it by me when I first went in a signed a treatment authorization.

This is quite sad as I think the dentist herself is ok but her staff it going to be her downfall, esp. given her broken English language.

I'll go back to get the permanent crowns next week but I really do not think I will go back again after the way I was treated this a.m.

I'm not in the mood for this bullshit, nope!

[LogDog75]

14. Shop around for a dentist

Check to see if your state has a listing of licensed dentists and any complaints or actions taken against them. If you live in an area with a large number of dentists, then as a consumer check them out. As your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances who they use and what their opinion of the is.

[CountAllVotes]

15. I will

I rather doubt I'll find a new one as I had to go to hell and back to find this one that takes Delta Dental Insurance which paid out over $4,000.00 since Oct. 2024.

I forked out close to another $1,000.00 myself.

I am still disgusted by the way the office has treated me. I should not have to put up with their lies attempting to cheat me out of over $500.00. I may file a grievance; not sure yet.

Thanks for the advice. I do appreciate it!