To think my new dentist will start ripping me off

[Terrifiedofthedentist]

so this isn’t so much my opinion as my fear.

small back story, I was never taken to the dentist as a child or teen, as a young adult I started to get some tooth ache and was told to ignore by my parents as dentist just want to take your teeth. This was the mantra growing up, they’ll drill your teeth to ensure business for themselves or pull your teeth. I became pathologically afraid of the dentist, to the point I’d shake and cry, and had to have sedation for routine checks.

so needless to say my teeth have a lot of fillings. And I need one implant. I’ve had the extraction but just need the implant and crown now. But the dentist I’ve been seeing for years who is so so nice told me they are leaving the practice and they aren’t allowed to say where (contract on poaching customers etc)

she helped me with my fear a lot. So now I’m terrified the new person who carries on my treatment will just find more things wrong with my teeth and charge me through thennose for this implant. I’m genuinely so so scared.

am I being realistic?

will this actually happen?

ive actually got tears in my eyes thinking about it

Give it a couple of months and your dentist will turn up again. Most of them have a LinkedIn profile or at the very least will show up on the new practice web page.

Respectfully, OP, your parents have done a number on you. Their conspiracy theories have resulted in negligence.
I would tackle that, and the phobia you have, through counselling as that’s the main issue.

private dentistry is expensive but dentists don’t need to poach work through vulnerable clients. They have enough work as it is!

But isn’t that a bit creepy? Me to follow them. I don’t want to freak them out.

can they even carry on treatment started elsewhere

Dentists are incredibly busy and don't need to poach patients.

So does that mean the dentist could’ve told me where they were going but didn’t want to?

yeah I’m super upset with my parents, my mum said well you could’ve taken yourself but the thought at like 12/13 didn’t really enter my mind, especially as I’d just heard horror stories

in also deeply ashamed of my teeth, I feel like someone who sees them must think I’m disgusting

So does that mean the dentist leaving could’ve told me where they were going but didn’t want to?

Agreed and it also costs an absolute fortune to run a dental practice, they charge a fair price for their training and overheads

No. They couldn't tell you in case they were accused of taking patients with them.

It’s totally industry standard not to be able to tell patients where you are moving to when you leave a practice. Equally it’s not creepy to follow a dentist by doing your own research. Most dentists are honest and want to do what’s best for you - there’s a national shortage of dentists so no one is making up work just to keep busy I promise!!

Oh ok… thought it was maybe a me thing

No the dentist couldn’t tell you where they are moving to. It’s a clause in any standard associate contract. Please don’t start seeing conspiracy when none exists.
No dentist will think your mouth is disgusting. Do your utmost with your oral hygiene routine and sugar control, that’s all that’s needed. Do what a previous poster advises, wait a bit and then look your (trusted) dentist up on LinkedIn. Good luck.

Even private, the other guy that was recommended is a really good dentist but I think he does charge a bit more but I’m so worried, I’m so worried about how judged I’d be and he hideous I am with my teeth

I have terrible teeth due to years of depression and ED (bulimia). I get the shame. However, dentists have seen it all. Really.

You couldn’t have taken yourself. This is entirely on your parents.

your current dentist almost definitely had a no poaching clause but you can always follow them in a few months. I did this with a previous specialist who was treating my back molars when they were basically disintegrating. He actually moved from NHS to private practice but gave me a good rate as a private patient as he caseloaded me (pointless sadly as I am now due to lose said molars).

I do try but I think because I’ve had so much work it’s a ticking time Bomb :(

Dentists aren't conspiring against you.

But private dentists are working for a private business.

They'll promote the interventions which bring in the most profits.

I’ve commented about this but please don’t be ashamed. The state of your teeth isn’t your fault and even if it was, dentists are there to treat you not scold you on the past. Mine are truly awful but no one has ever batted an eye. In fact, an orthodontist I saw a few times said mine were a challenge and thus, interesting.

I guess that’s my fear, would that lead to unnecessary intervention or more costly interventions?

It’s strange but my parents logic was milk teeth don’t matter anyway and she can go by herself as a teen

Dentist here that's been happily 'stalked' by several patients. Absolutely standard to not be allowed to say where you're going, it's no reflection on you at all. I've always been delighted when people have tracked me down. If there's a friendly nurse or receptionist you might well be able to get it out of them, if not Google their name and hopefully it will come up on their new practice website/social media.

If they do so they will soon be up before the GDC and struck off. Part of the professional code dentists have to follow is to put patients interests above financial etc.

Unfortunately some do not and are struck off , losing their livelihood pretty quickly.

What about judging patients?

I just feel so ashamed

Darling I am quite sure that dentists don't judge their patients, especially when it absolutely isn't their fault if their parents refused to take them to the dentist's when they were children.

As a dentist if you judged everyone with a cavity you’d be emotionally exhausted by the end of the day! We just want to help. And I guarantee they’ve seen worse!

I've never had a dentist that intervened unnecessarily - NHS or private. In my experience, they'll do everything possible to 'save' a natural tooth (rather than remove and replace with an implant for example}. I had to practically insist that my current (private) dentist remove a newly-erupted wisdom tooth that kept biting into my inner cheek because there wasn't really room for it in my mouth.

I always book a scale and polish to take place at the same time as my check-up but, if my teeth are in good nick and he doesn't feel they need cleaning, he won't do it.

I'm sure that's quite true.
With the sugar epidemic and the lack of dental hygiene which is endemic, it's 100% certain that the majority of dentists rarely see mouths without cavities.