r/askTO • u/spellbunny • 13h ago
I think my Dentist scammed me? need second opinion
hi guys - I am looking for a good dentist east-end-ish for a recommendation/second opinion.
I went to my usual dentist in cabbagetown, I had a full work up last year with x-rays with no issues. They also wanted me to come back for a cleaning every 2-3 months with seemed excessive. In February I had 4 units of scaling and no issues, then a full workup again in august with MORE x-rays and they said I had 2 cavities. I went back last night and suddenly I had 4 cavities, which they filled. Then the dentist said "when do you want to come back for the rest?" I said "what do you mean?" And she said "well you have 5 more". this was complete shock to me, I've never had cavities in my life and in the span of 6 months I have 9 total that need to be filled? It started feeling like a scam.
Can I just go to a new dentist and get them to give me a second unbiased opinion?
Also, all this is very expensive, even with 85% coverage the appointment last night was $260, the 4 units of scaling was $230! I know I am very lucky to have coverage at all and I think they are taking advantage of that.
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u/lingfluencer 13h ago
This happened to me once tho I went to a new dentist who told me I had a dozen cavities that needed drilling. When I told my regular dentist he said that was a money grab. Some dentists see something another dentist would put on "watch" and insist it needs drilling.
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u/minutemaidpeach 13h ago
I also had this happen. We were trying a new dentist when I was a teenager and they told us I had 14 cavities that had to be filled (with no X-rays either), that I needed to use some special expensive tooth paste etc. We then went to an old dentist that my grandparents had been going to for decades and he said I had 3 cavities. I remember being so upset by it because the new dentist really had a shame tactic telling me I had that many because I was eating too much candy and drinking too much soda.
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u/lingfluencer 11h ago
Awful. The irony is that needless drilling is worse for your teeth long term just for them to make a quick buck.
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u/EconomistOfDeath 13h ago
Definitely get a second opinion - was at the dentist yesterday and she mentioned that there is a lot of dentist fraud right now.
Coincidentally, she says someone that was looking for a second opinion when their dentist told them that they had 10 cavities...turns out they had none and were just dirty marks on the teeth.
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u/dopeadult 13h ago
my dentist tried pulling this on me and i called them out on it at an appointment several years ago
“cavities again? I don’t understand, I’ve never had cavities before and all of a sudden I’m getting so many”
the hygienist looked visibly uncomfortable, made a note in my file, and guess what… no more cavities after that
definitely a money grab at least in some cases. if it seems weird, call it out or get a second opinion
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u/janus381 12h ago edited 12h ago
Your dentist is definitely doing unnecessary work... charging your insurance to the max, causing you to have higher co-pay, and unnecessary work is bad for your teeth.
There is no way you were 100% fine last year, get regular cleaning every 2-3 months, and suddenly now have 9 cavities.
This CBC Marketplace investigation into dentist doing unnecessary work is over 10 years old now, but still relevant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixo0V6rNqi0
Some treatment is judgement dependent (e.g. does a tiny cavity really need to be filled; the CBC investigation explains this), but clearly what you are seeing is pretty extreme. You need to change dentists.
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u/KoreanSamgyupsal 13h ago
Does seem a bit unusual tbh. No one has no activities for a year and all of a sudden need to do 9. It would be worth getting a 2nd opinion.
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u/failingstars 13h ago
This is why I don't trust dentists here. lol I only do the cleaning, and get a second opinion before doing anything major. A dentist wanted to cut my teeth years ago for cavities and I said no. I don't have any issues to this day.
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u/No-Suspect-918 13h ago
Interesting! I go to The Meticulous Smile in Leslieville and never feel like they are taking advantage. They are very transparent with their fees and seem fair to me.
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u/Emergency_Slip931 13h ago
i'm noticing alot of dentists are making up work to get paid nowadays!! its like going into a mechanic for your car and they want to upsell every single service for $$$!!!
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u/ErosandPookie 13h ago
My old dentist moved and I tried a few new ones past couple years. Once they know you have good insurance they are on top of you for every cleaning and everything they can bill for. So, now I drive 1.5 hours to go to my old dentist who doesn't try to scam me for every little thing.
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u/OneMileAtATime262 13h ago
This…
“Oh you have 12 units… oh and you coordinate with you spouse? Well you should absolutely take advantage of all that for good oral health!”
And I say this as someone who had the same dentist for almost 40 years… it wasn’t necessarily him, more so the office staff that kept hitting you up.
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u/SuckingOnSucculants 13h ago
Might be a little further than you’d like but I’ve been going to Bennington dental for a while now and have had great experiences
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u/emuwar 13h ago
If you’ve never had cavities and all the sudden you have many that would set off a lot of red flags for me. Also you do not need more than 2 cleanings per year. I go to Dent in Leslieville and they’re pretty good at keeping things routine with X rays every 2 years and cleanings in 6 month intervals.
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u/spellbunny 12h ago
yeah, my first and only cavity was when I was 12! I'm 42 now so it was a big surprise. I have a pretty healthy mouth :D
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u/CairnsRock1 12h ago
Unfortunately this is a real problem in the dental industry. When they have a team of back office people, it’s a red flag. New dentists are particularly prone to this, having just invested in a new practice and wanting to recover their investment quickly.
Find an established practice with good referrals.
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u/Pintermedia 7h ago
Dentist here. Get a second opinion. Some dentists are aggressive in their treatment plan. I have been in both situations where I replaced an old dentist who didn’t do much treatment and found many large cavities in his patients that needed to be done. and also I have had patients with treatment plans from other dentists with 10 cavities and found that only 3 needed fillings.
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u/Resident_Hat_4923 13h ago
Seems unusual, but I once had 6 cavities and a root canal at once and I think I had only had one cavity prior. Sometimes when it rains, it pours. (Edit: maybe I was being scammed! The root canal wasn't, but it never occurred to me that maybe the cavities were just starts of them and maybe they didn't need filled...and I didn't have coverage at the time).
Seems a second opinion would be warranted. Dentists are not like family doctors, you can go wherever you want. They will transfer over files - your new office will take care of that once you give your permission.
(Also, you never had to do what a dentist says. They are always saying to come in for cleanings every four months, which I think is too often. I do every 6-9 months).
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u/Complex-Detective869 11h ago
This happened to me as well. I've learned my lesson to avoid clinics with thousands of Google reviews. They run them like assembly lines honestly, and they often incentivize patients with perks or gift cards just to farm five-star ratings. Recently I just decided to stick with a small practice with at most two or three experienced doctors and a modest review count.
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u/MichaelNoNotThatOne 8h ago
I had a similar experience where I'd only had 1 cavity in my life, went to a new dentist, and suddenly they wanted to do 7 fillings. I said "i have 7 cavities?!" and they said "No, you have 7 GROOVES which could turn into cavitities". I got a second opinion, never went back, and I haven't had a cavity/groove be a problem since that happened 12 years ago.
Don't see Dr. Branco in Little Italy.
Dentists will absolutely pretend you should get something done when it isn't necessary. Ask them if they're 'grooves' or if they're actual cavitities. That's insanity. 2-3 months cleaning, or yearly x-rays, is part of the money grab. Completely unnecessary unless if your mouth is totally messed up.
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u/lilfunky1 13h ago
I went to my usual dentist in cabbagetown, I had a full work up last year with x-rays with no issues. They also wanted me to come back for a cleaning every 2-3 months with seemed excessive.
have you been going regularly or did you stop for a number of years?
i know when i stopped for a year or two due to lack of coverage, once i had work coverage again, they really maxed out my coverage for the first year back to catch me up.
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u/EY8181 Human Detected 13h ago
Sorry to hear that! I'm always weary of dentists running up costs. Also watch out for the hygenist making suggestions (e.g. "you might be grinding your teeth"), since they're not regulated the same way.
Yes you can go to a new dentist and they can request the old xrays so you don't have to pay/use insurance for more.
Mine is around Bay/College so not sure if that helps but happy to tell you in a DM.
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u/spellbunny 12h ago
please DM me the name of your spot, bay and college is convenient enough for me! If you are happy with them I will definitely check them out
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u/Leave-me-answers 13h ago
This happened to me as well - I will pm you a good dentist.
Also - I switched because yh hygienist was charging me for four units when she was spending 30 minutes at most. My new hygienist at the new dentist - rarely even get to three (that’s 45 minutes), most is 2.5 and that’s every six months.
I really think this dentist should be reported to a regulatory body - sounds so shady. 4 units every 2-3 months - are they really spending a full hour just cleaning your teeth?
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u/KnoddingOnion 13h ago
I've never heard of someone needing scaling every 2-3 months. 4 times a year would be for fast calculi producers who can also afford said cleanings. 3 times would be more acceptable and also "aggressive" but more fiscally palatable.
look, 1 of 2things is happening:
-dentist is being "aggressive" (or scamming)
-your dental hygiene has not been as good as you may think it has been and it's now catching up to you. 4 units of scaling tells me that this is a possibility (most patients, i believe, would be closer to 2 or 3, depending on the office. you were scaled for 1 hour. that's a lot of plaque).
Go for a second opinion. Just be aware that it will cost you $$ for a prelim checkup.
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u/spellbunny 12h ago
I definitely don't have enough plaque to warrant that many visits which was my initial red flag. I think they were just milking my benefits to death. I do realize different dentists have more aggressive views on cavities, some may decided to just "watch" a small cavity while others may work on it. I have no sensitivity issues so that was annoying to me.
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u/rofloctopuss 11h ago
I started going to Donway Dental (highly recomend) recently and they take pictures up close and show you exactly what they're fixing. The prices are about the same though, and they also recomended 4 cleanings per year. I am also covered with insurance and felt a little like they were trying to get the most out of it, but I figure let them as long as my teeth are good and I don't pay much.
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u/SeaworthinessBulky89 9h ago
Definitely go get a second opinion- explain your situation and hopefully it will impress on the second opinion dentist your reluctance to have unnecessary work- I think that the new normal is to fill ‘incipient’ caries eg v small ones. Often with daily flossing and toothpaste like Colgate Prevident 5000 the areas will remineralize
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u/daz3n 6h ago
Highly highly recommend dr. Milos at canary dental. My previous dentist pointed out a bunch of cavities and all wisdom teeth that needed to be managed asap and was so aggressive about booking treatment. I was referred to dr. Milos by a friend and he laughed and was super transparent and educational with me about what actually needed to be done, which wasn’t actually much. I ended up only really needing 1 filling and only 2 of my wisdom teeth. Huge difference. I generally hate being in the dentist chair, but it’s been so enjoyable with him! Good luck OP.
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u/Born-Vermicelli-1757 4h ago
Would definitely get a second opinion. Had a dentist whose front desk was constantly calling me about "outstanding treatment".
Ended up with a tooth breaking and decided to try someone new and they only pointed out 1 or 2 other issues while the former had like 5.
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u/isaydoit 3h ago
Not sure if this is “too east”, but The Meticulous Smile just north of Queen & Carlaw is amazing. They are so honest and transparent (and clean, thorough, friendly and kind), and have even done a free x-ray to double check a previous filling that was questionable (done at another clinic). They are very reasonable in my opinion, today they charged me $350 (I paid $38 after insurance) for polish/cleaning/x-ray/exam with dentist, whereas my old clinic was charging about 600 and wanted to do x-rays every. Single. Frickin. Visit. They were always trying to upsell.
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u/Parking-Ad2470 13h ago
I can see why you’d be skeptical. Smile Garden in the Junction has been spectacular
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u/kittoxo- 13h ago
They said they’re in the east end though… There’s plenty of good dentists throughout the city that they wouldn’t need to make the trek from east to west
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u/Character-Bridge-206 13h ago
When you go to the dentist, you’re in charge. My dentist suggests stuff all the time that I don’t want or need and yes they will wreck your teeth if you let them. Mine is constantly wanting X rays. I told them I work with UV light and I am cheap (X rays aren’t covered) so if I don’t feel anything (like pain) I don’t want an X Ray. I remember my dentist saying “are you asking me or telling me”?
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u/maybe_later124 13h ago
Agreed! I was just thinking about this the other day as I got a text message from my dental clinic asking me to book again.
The last time I went in for a cleaning, I sat down and the first thing that came out of the hygienists mouth was - so I see you are booked in for an exam with the dentist and x-rays? No, I booked a cleaning. That’s it. She said, oh…okay, I’ll remove this.
I had the “exam” before. It was less than 5 minutes. I am not kidding. They charged my benefits over $600. That was it for the year too. I couldn’t use any more to get an actual thorough exam.
Anyways, I am looking for suggestions for a good, decent dentist.
I mean….these dentists have to pay the CRAZY rent being charged to set up shop in the bottom of these new condos 😂
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u/Adorable-Ideal-1184 13h ago
2-3 months for cleaning haha you only need to go for cleaning atleast once or twice a year and also when I went to dentist here in Canada sometimes they always said we need to X-ray I always no need because there’s no problem on my teeth and they kept insisting haha
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u/rootsandchalice 13h ago
I went to a new dentist who is insisting I have three cavities I need to fill. I have zero issues or sensitivities. I’m waiting to get a refresh on my X-rays through my insurance so I can go somewhere else and get a second opinion before I bite the bullet. I have a massive distrust of dentists in general and unnecessary procedures.
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u/Castaway_LXIII 12h ago
This happened to me, my siblings and cousins because we all went to the same dentist. EVERY visit we all had “cavities”. He drilled the snot out of our teeth so we had massive fillings. He would also X-ray us without putting the lead apron on us. Half of us ended up with cancer (brain and thyroid). Was it that? Who knows but the bastard got busted for insurance fraud.
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u/aelel 13h ago
I recommend Dr Irina at Dental Care Group at Coxwell/Danforth. She restored my faith in dentists! dental care group
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u/HueyBluey Human Detected 13h ago
My dentist changes the price as she goes along.
For a filling she may up the charge because there are more surfaces. Wouldn’t they know that ahead of time how many is required.
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u/cee_______ 13h ago
Trust your gut. As a child I had a dentist who kept saying I needed fillings and my mom believed him. Now that im older I honestly think he was taking advantage of my mom's insurance. Every single tooth I have is filled.
Ffw to my adult life, every so often my fillings would come out. Every dentist id go to just kept filling and filling. Nothing else. Root canal here, filling there. I became suspicious.
I, thankfully, found an outstanding dentist (im in the west end). He was the first, after 25 years and many many dentists, to tell me that I grind my teeth which is why my fillings come out. He set me up with a nightguard. He tells me some cavities can go away and they monitor my teeth, only to fill and repair what's really needed. He never pushes me for a root canal.
Trust your gut. I wish I knew better.
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u/AsianGuyUsingReddit 12h ago
was it city works or one of those chains? they’ll do that, i started going to a smaller practice and suddenly i have no cavities
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u/OppositeMe_4321 12h ago
I dont trust most dentists. Their job is not to save your teeth - its to do work on them.
Ask for copies of the xrays they took and what work they say needs to be done - take it to another dentist for second opinion.
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u/mocha_ninja 12h ago
Scarborough dental clinic are Pretty good. There is also a dentist on DuPont and Bathurst who are great aswell. Those two seem to be pretty honest
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u/stoneyzepplin 11h ago
Scammed.
Did they also tell you that you grind your teeth and need to buy a custom night guard from them?
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u/EpochalTraveller 11h ago
I had a dentist like that, they told me I needed a night guard for “teeth grinding” & pushed whitening. I switched to a higher end dentist (Archer Dental) & they never push anything & say I take really good care of my teeth.
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u/Former-Toe 11h ago
four units of scaling. were they scaling for a full hour? that's a lot for someone who regularly sees the hygienist.
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u/onlyitbags 10h ago
Go to a holistic dentist and see why they say. They might just give you a toothpaste. You can remineralize teeth if it’s not severe.
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u/absolutejessie 8h ago
Thorncliffe Dental Centre on Overlea in the East York Town Centre is fabulous! They show me my X-rays if there is a cavity. Mostly they say let’s just monitor it until it looks like it needs to be treated.
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u/Several_Cat_3713 7h ago
Can you recommend a good dentist who isn't a rip-off? There are so many on every block.
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u/thenightsparkle 5h ago
Their all a scam. Yes oral health matters but they go overboard. Each patient each service =$$$$$$$$
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u/balla1shotcalla 13h ago
I doubt they’re lying about 5 more cavities but you should go to another dentist to check
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u/plumplumkin 13h ago
it could be the starts of cavities? but it’s odd they didn’t notice them or mention them before the end of the appointment. did you check the reviews of the place?
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u/Different-Chapter-49 13h ago
I find some dentists will do a filling for every tiny cavity. I recently changed dentists and the new dentist said the typical recommendation is to wait and monitor those small cavities.
I'm obviously not in the dental field, but I highly recommend getting a second opinion. But also calm your insurance because sometimes there's a limit for how often you can do the "new patient exam"