Complaint Review: Cherry Hill Dental - Dr. Mary Gadbois Dentist - Columbia Missouri

I have never told anyone that fully erupted wisdom teeth could cause crowding of anterior teeth.  I have told many patients that it is wise to get wisdom teeth removed before they get old.  This is based on the following data.  1.  Your bone becomes more dense as you get older.  This makes the removal of a wisdom tooth later in life much more complicated.  2.  The younger you are the better you heal which makes the whole process better.  3.  No one can keep their wisdom teeth as clean as they keep their "good" teeth.  4.  No one is shoving food so far back in their mouth that they are using their wisdom teeth.  So.... if they have no function and can lead to gum disease and decay around other teeth and.... it is harder to get them out later on in life why wouldn't I recommend that everyone get them out.

With that said, there are a select few of my patients that I don't recommend extracting wisdom teeth because they are keeping them clean.  Also, after the first visit, if the person hasn't removed the wisdom teeth, I never mention it again.  I do not bully people into treatments.  Frequently I refer wisdom teeth extractions to an oral surgeon.  I diagnose my patients the way I would my mother or my sister.  I have removed the wisdom teeth on all of my siblings, not to make money because I did it for free, but because I believed it was in their best interest.

Also, I really am confused as to whether you were ever in the office.  I can't believe someone "pressured" you to "add on" a fluoride treatment.  Fluoride is free in my office.  I do it because it is the right thing to do but I don't charge for it because insurance won't reimburse for it.  I have never charged an adult patient for fluoride in the ten years I have been in practice.  We place a clear coat varnish of seal and protect on molars when they are sensitive for free.  Therefore, once again, I find it hard to believe this was "pushed" on you.  We offer all of our patients free whitening trays and we have never had a "neon light" treatment that cost $300.  We never mention whitening alternatives unless a patient asks.  If a patient does ask we tell them that the trays they are getting for free work better than anything else unless they want to get white super fast.

I have several xrays which I will post soon that show the damage that wisdom teeth can cause when they are not removed.  There have been many situations where a wisdom tooth has caused decay on the backside of a molar that makes us have to extract the wisdom tooth and do a root canal and a crown on the second molar.  I've also had patients who have such extensive decay that they lose their second molar along with the wisdom tooth.  I'm sure those patients wish someone had taken the wisdom tooth out before it had caused so much damage.  I've never had a patient wind up in the hospital after elective removal of wisdom teeth but I've had several end up in the hospital because of infections from partially erupted wisdom teeth that abscessed.  They have had to be placed on IV antibiotics and in one case had to have an external drain placed in their face to remove the pus.  In your title for this review you say that I invented cavities but in your review you say that I told you that your teeth were fine and have no decay.

Based on your review, I question whether or not you even came to my office.