Finding a good dentist/Referrals - Page 2

[TylersMom]

In Atlanta, GA Dr. Healy has made a big impression on me so far, though I've only made an appointment. His staff is well trained and friendly. His webpage is www.dochealey.com

[sandbox]

I can give a wholehearted recommendation if you are willing to travel to southern CA.
My son who's not yet two just had surgery this past Sat. and the pediodontist was great!! We looked long and hard for her and it definately paid off. She was gentle, professional, and compassionate, and she took care of my son exactly the way I had hoped she would. Like I would, if I were a pediodontist! Why didn't I choose that line of work? Hmmmm......
Let me know if you'd like her name and number, it's a little traveling, but you can get $39 flights from SF to LA on southwest right now. May be worth it......

[sandbox]

Dr. Haleh Shaheedy in Encino, CA. A wonderful pediodontist. Gentle and Compassionate, and incredibly professional.

[lavender]

Dr. William TenPas in Corvallis, OR! I will drive my son the almost 2 hr trip there just to go to his favorite dentist! Family dentist, good with kids, conservative when it comes to how much dental work needs to be done.

[lilybee]

lying dentist tries me for 6 cavities

I had the worst ever experience yesterday. i switched Dentist because of our insurance and when I went for my routine cleaning the new dentist said i had 6 cavities. Well, - of course i new that i did not since I had my xrays from only 6 months ago and there was nothing. _ So I called my old doctor (Whom I love but is very expensive) and he said I did not have any cavities. I was totally being taken advantage of and she knew it. But- six cavities she was trying to take me for. What is this insurance world coming to?

On a different note. Can you explain to me what the important things are to know regarding dental work today? For instance, flouride issue, fillings, anything else and what is the deal with the flouride anyways? Wholistic V.S. Regualr Dentist?
Thanks for your help.

[barjem]

I have heard this type of horror from a good freind and they were trying to get her to have her ds teeth fixed and you could not even see a stain on his teeth ..she was lucky she had an insurance change and HAD to find a honest dentist who did not see anything !!!!!!!!!!

[lilybee]

update

I went to my regular doctor again and he confirmed that i indeed have no cavities. what a joke.

Please help me with some answers regarding holistic dentistry anyone????

[Jillby]

florida dentists

hi everyone! I am new here and I have a question. does anyone know of a dentist in florida that accepts medicaid? or maybe will allow a payment plan? my ds is almost 4 and has about 7 cavities. probably at least 2 that need root work. so sad! and he is really scared of doctors. any stranger really. help me! my e-mail is [e-mail] if you want to respond privately. thanks so much....


jill

[bunny's mama]

brian palmer, DDS

this is a letter i received from my LLL leader. it is from dr. brian palmer who is a dentist who has been doing research on the benefits of BFing for many years. so FYI, i thought some of y'all might be interested


Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 23:32:12 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: My final gift to you.

After 25+ years of research, and one year of
developing my website, I have just recently put up my
final presentation - The Importance of Breastfeeding
as it Relates to Total Health. It is a 268 slide
presentation in Acrobat Reader format. It is divided
in three parts for easier opening. Because of the
format, anyone in the world should be able to open it.
You can then download it to their own computer if
they wish (just have to click the little 'floppy disk
icon' in the upper left corner of the Acrobat Reader
window). The commentary can either be printed from
the site or saved to your computer by doing a 'Save'
command. By saving the presentation and commentary to
your computer, and possibly then to a CD, anyone in
the world can give the presentations to whomever they
want. You have my permission to use the material on
my site as long as it is for educational purposes
only. The information on the site is not to be sold.
I am hoping you can use the material to educate many
other health care providers, especially pediatricians.

In the presentation, I try to demonstrate how
breastfeeding reduces the risk of many health problems
in our society. Just by breastfeeding and
understanding the severe consequences of some infant
habits, millions of dollars in health care costs could
be saved. I have tried to address some of the
questions I know many of you have, such as: What are
rugae and what is their purpose during the act of
breastfeeding? What is Obligate Nose Breathing and
how does it impact bfing? Why is bfing important for
the proper development of the oral cavity and airway?
What are the consequences of a tongue thrust? What
are bubble palates and how can they impact
breastfeeding? Why does tongue-tie cause sore
breasts? What damage can excessive infant habits
cause? Why are breastfed babies prettier? How does
bfing reduce the risk of obstructive sleep apnea, long
face syndrome, SIDS, otitis media, abfractions,
obesity and cancer? All of these questions are
addressed.

Once you have reviewed this final presentation, I
would encourage you to go back over the other
presentations and articles on the website, especially
the presentation on sleep apnea. Hopefully they will
have more meaning to you. Once the medical community
and the general public understand the importance of
breastfeeding as it relates to reducing sleep apnea,
breastfeeding will be elevated to a new level of
importance.

Over 40 years ago I promised myself I would try to do
something to make the world a better place. I feel my
website fulfills that promise. The burden of that
promise has now been lifted from my shoulders. I feel
I have done the best that I can. I only hope others
who have the funding will continue my research. It is
now time for me to play more golf and walk the beaches
with my lovely wife.

You have my permission to share this note with others.

For Better Health.

Brian Palmer, DDS
Website: www.brianpalmerdds.com

[simonee]

Thanks for posting this, bunny's mama!

I read the presentation with a lot of interest. I had always assumed that dd would never be able to avoid the dental nightmare careers dh and I have had, because it's all genetic. Now I realize that, though the general strength of teeth may have something to do with genetics (and I already know that hers aren't very strong), breastfeeding her till she decides she wants to wean is probably going to save her the orthodontic and other positioning problems dh and I have had and still have!!! And while she sleeps with us, it's also nice that she doesn't snore like her daddy

Again, thanks so much. It's great to see medical professionals promoting breastfeeding.

Two boobs up for dr. Palmer!

[Hera]

Pediatric Dentist in Eugene, OR

A friend is looking for a Biologic Dentist in the Eugene area for his under 2 year old.

Anybody?

[Greaseball]

Question about dentistry...

Why is it that doctors can treat almost anything, except that which has to do with the teeth?

I've gone to the ER several times with infected teeth and the docs can only give antibiotocs and painkillers - they can't pull teeth. I don't understand why one medical specialty is so separate from all the rest. I've also had troubles with my toes, kidneys, skin, bones, and stomach, but I wasn't sent off to a specialist that practices only on those body parts.

Also, why is it that most health insurance plans don't cover dental care? I just don't understand why a vitally important part of hygiene and overall health is seen as elective and separate from other health care.

[melissa durrell]

I agree with you about the health insurance thing. Seems crazy that they wouldn't cover your mouth and teeth. Lack of optical coverage pisses me off too! We need to SEE for gosh sakes!!!

[Smilemomma]

There's so much information, Greaseball, it's impossible for any one person to keep up with even one area, let alone the whole body!

And a little pickiness, doctors DO treat the oral cavity. You must mean dentists and physicians ... (a teeny peeve of mine).

In many schools, dentists and physicians are trained together for the first 6 years of the 8 year training. Only for the last two do they branch off. Then a specialty in a particular area is another 2 years or so for both.

As for the insurance, I'm happy that dentistry is left out. Look what the insurance companies have done to the practice of medicine! I'd just as soon not have some clerk in an office somewhere tell me how to treat my patient, thank you very much! They've ruined medicine.

Ok, rant over.

[LdyBluNH@aol]

finding a nice dentist

so how exactly can you find a nice compassionate dentist????

i was absolutely TERRORIZED!!! (things like dr just kept going even as i was screaming my soul out in complete fear, etc.) as a kid

i need to have extensive work done and just am not willing to find out someone's an insensitive bleep bleep by being their next tortured victim

i would serious consider flying out to you, smilemomma - if i thought we could get this work done in less than a month's time (i cant afford the hotel for that long) LOLL

[Debbiemom]

Dentist fear...

My mother has a phobia of dentists (actually a true phobia, not fear or trauma). When she finally worked up the courage to call around, she asked the receptionist if the dentist would be understanding about her phobia. She was looking for them to answer "Oh yes, Dr. So-and-So has several patients with that problem and is very patient and understanding." What she found was usually giggling or rudeness. "(laugh) Oh there's nothing to be afraid of!" or "(snort) Well, no one's ever complained before." One of these was even from a place that advertised as "catering to chickens!"

Call around and be honest. Tell them you've had a terrible experience in the past and as a result you need a dentist who is understanding and respectful. The dentist you're looking for will have ensured that his/her receptionist is prepared for those kinds of questions. Ask if you can schedule a consultation first to talk to the dentist, without having to get into the chair or be examined that day.

[aka mom]

Dentist recommends 4 pulpotomies on 2 yr old - I'm SCARED

I brought my dd in for her first ever dental appointment a couple days ago. I've know for a few months that we should get her teeth checked because she has some spots between her front top teeth. I guess I was afraid of what I would be told. Now, I wish I had brought her in sooner - maybe the outcome would be better. This dentist is recommending 4 pulpotomies (all 4 top front). He is an anesthesiologist (not sure of the spelling of that) and dentist. She would be given versad and then gen. anesthetic in a gas form (Halothane, I think it was called). When I asked him about just filling the cavities he said that the type of bacteria she has is very invasive and acts quickly to eat away the tooth. He believes that just filling would not be best because the nerve would be hit and said we'd be back in a few weeks with abcesses at the base of the tooth roots (near where the adult teeth are growing - he drew a picture). I asked about the connection between MS and root canals and if there is any between the pulpotomy and MS. He said the research I was referring to was inconclusive (or something like that).

Now what gets me is this. He didn't do any xrays and before he had even seen dd the nurse was explaining what we'd have to do or not do with general anesthetic. I think that this is the only way he knows how to deal with kids. His office is more unkid-like than I could ever have imagined. Very sterile and serious. He was nice with her though. We went to him because after talking with my dentist on the phone she sent me to him. I'm going to have dd see her also next week. She has a way of fixing cavities without drilling - some thing that uses sand or laser - not clear to me, but dh has had it done without the use of novocaine. She doesn't have nitrous oxide though, which sounds like it might be an option.

I guess what I need help with is that I am terrified of what I've heard so far and just want to know whether a dentist would be able to tell that a pulpotomy would be needed when he hasn't taken an xray. Scared of the general anesthetic too, but even more scared that the alternative would be traumatic to dd.

It's late and she is on my lap nursing while I type! I'll have to leave it at that.

[Nanner]

I feel your pain!

My dd is 20 mths and has 4 teeth that have been rotted to the root since she was about 14 mths. We are working with the dentist to keep the decay from progressing (and it hasn't!) further and then when her molars come in (I think they prefer to use the 2 yr molars for this), we are going to yank those suckers out and give her some new ones! The other option we were given is a pulpectomy and they explained that to me and, although I wanted to save her teeth, I decided that fake ones would be less traumatic and less painful for her. You treat them just like real teeth, and they said no one should be able to tell. Kodi's decayed teeth are so bad that they would have to build them back up to normal size after the root canal. I think you should get a 2nd opinion and see what he says.
The first dentist we went to was a recommendation of my ped and she was HORRIBLE! The office was not child-friendly and neither were the staff! They had all these rules that were set in stone and the dentist gave me only 1 treatment option- and that was to fill the cavities with her in a papoose with no meds. So I called around and got a feel for every single ped dentist in my area before making appt's with 3 of them (since Kodi's teeth were already bad and it sometimes takes a little while to get in). Luckily, the first one I went to was AWESOME!!!!
They had all these toys in the waiting room, they let my Mom come back with me and after the dentist looked at Kodi, my Mom took her back to the waiting room right away (Kodi panics really bad at the Dr.s office ) He gave me a ton of different options and put us on a plan to fight off further cavities and stop the decay that was present (and it has worked 100% so far! We have been doing The Plan for 5 mths). Anyway, you can email me if you want more details about what we are doing for prevention or if you have any other questions, though I am no expert! Good luck!
Sara

[SagMom]

akamom, My dd recently had this done on a molar. She is 7. An x-ray was done first but the repair was done in the office, without any sort of anesthesia. She said it was not painful at all.
I'm no expert on this subject, and perhaps there are different degrees of the proceedure--but I'd definately seek a second opinion.

FWIW, our first dentist was a pediatric dentist. His waiting room was full of toys, there was a tv in the exam room, it looked more like a a carnival than a dentist's office. It turned out to be a nightmare! He would not "allow" parents to stay in the room with their child. He routinely used restraints and drugs for even routine things like cleanings. He told me that my 2 y/o was too old to be nursing. (We never went back after that first visit.)

Our current dentist is a gem. He is not a pediatric dentist, there are no toys. Yet he is WONDERFUL with children. He does not use a board--ever. He is patient with the little ones, explains everything he's about to do. Parents are welcome to stay in the room, or even hold the patient on their laps if that is comforting to the child. He tells the older children jokes and reserves meds for when they are absolutely necessary.

My point (and I do have one) is that just b/c someone bills themselves as a "pediatric dentist" does not garantee that they'll be good with children. Shop around a bit, ask lots of questions and find someone who you're really comfortable with.

[aka mom]

Thanks to both of you for your replies. I ended up taking dd to a paediatric dentist recommended by a 'Waldorf' mom I know. He was really great. Gave us a couple of options and we are going to go the "conservative" route of having temporary fillings on the front teeth to get the nerve to shrink away from the area (a healing filling) so that he can then fill them (6 months later) without touching the nerve (we hope). If it is not possible to miss the nerve and she needs the pulpotomies he will do it with a local anasthetic. Whew! This plan sounds a lot better to me. And, he found some forming cavities that the other guy missed (molars). I don't like that she needs to have any of this done, but it sounds a lot better now. He was very gentle, kind and patient (with BOTH of us). I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next 6 months...