Did your dentist recommend a lot of porcelain inlays, onlays or crowns? It's like replacing shoes...everyone's got a different opinion on when is a good time to make a change.
When is a good time to replace shoes? When is it a good time to get better shoes? How much better do the new shoes have to be? If you lose the shoe, or wear a hole clear through it, almost everyone agrees you should replace those shoes. But short of that, people replace shoes at all different times in their life cycle. Some discard shoes when they are unfashionable, or when they are scuffed. Others walk around with the soles flopping around.
Dentists are the same way about fillings. All dentists agree that a filling that is missing, broken, or has decay at the edges must be replaced as soon as possible. But there are a lot of other things we don't agree about: discoloration of the material, discoloration at the edges, slight crumbling at the edges, staining of the surrounding tooth, or even color mismatch. Some dentists replace silver fillings just because they're there. (mine were carefully and beautifully done, and they've staying)
And just like everyone feels different about when to replace shoes, everyone feels different about what shoes to get next. Some dentists tend to replace fillings with more fillings, other feel that ceramic inlays, onlays, or even crowns are better. It can be genuinely frustrating for people when one dentist says nothing is needed, and another dentist tells them thousands of dollars of work will be needed.
I tend to diagnose and treat teeth more conservatively, out of respect for your finances, and more importantly, out of respect for the enamel you'll never grow back. The choices that spare the most enamel tend to cost less. I can't tell you if your case needs the work you were recommended, but I can tell you we'd be happy to give you a thorough and honest second opinion. You'll be given a recommendation as well as the alternatives, along with the pros and cons to each.
You're welcome to come in at any time for a second opinion at no cost to you, regardless of insurance or lack thereof. Give us a call at 949-600-7777.
Photo (c) Vu Le, 2002. Taken in a little shoe shop in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh city, officially).