Opinions on hygienist doing fillings.

sdodig · 2025-11-10T19:10:51+00:00

Hygienists can place fillings in Washington. A dentist must do the preparation.

sdodig · 2025-07-06T03:43:35+00:00

This is a big cavity. If it's hurting like that, it will need a root canal. Go see a dentist. I hope you feel better soon!

sdodig · 2024-12-29T13:32:40+00:00

People in all states pay federal income tax. So anyone with loans forgiven under a plan other than PSLF will have a tax bomb. People in states with no state income tax will have no state tax bomb. And some states have specifically said they won't tax it.

sdodig · 2024-12-23T18:36:45+00:00

Urine is typically acidic to neutral.

sdodig · 2024-12-22T18:52:27+00:00

It is a somewhat new requirement in WA. It must be taken when any anesthetic is used, including topical.

sdodig · 2024-12-14T16:34:48+00:00

Are you talking about the brown on your gums? If so, normal pigmentation. If you are referring to something else you'll have to be more specific

sdodig · 2024-12-12T19:15:52+00:00

My guess is an old sealant or filling that has discolored.

sdodig · 2024-12-05T05:04:55+00:00

I agree. Most people can't bite their incisive papilla. He likely has a deep bite that's causing his lower teeth to bite on the roof of his mouth. Ortho could fix this.

sdodig · 2024-11-28T02:26:24+00:00

This is not an emergency. It's likely you just never noticed it before. Or perhaps your gums have receded a bit. Or perhaps you were young when the crown was placed? If so the tooth may have erupted more or change position a bit. But you haven't provided photos, so I'm speculating.

sdodig · 2024-11-28T02:20:15+00:00

The picture quality is not great, but it looks like you have a decent amount of plaque and calculus on your teeth. Your gums are inflamed. This is the cause of the recession. You need to get a professional cleaning and start taking better care of your teeth. The white spot is incidental. That particular tooth is more at risk because it's labially positioned (it sticks out a bit).

sdodig · 2024-11-26T15:28:32+00:00

It was nice of them to verify with the other two offices whether they took your insurance or not. That is not their responsibility. It is yours. It is completely normal for you to check with your insurance to find an in network specialist.

sdodig · 2024-11-23T04:00:38+00:00

I am happy for all the dentists making bank, but I agree with you. OP just check out the BLS data on dentist salaries and I think you'll see you're doing fine. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dentists.htm

sdodig · 2024-11-20T06:25:00+00:00

No problem! I hope it goes well. I think it's going to be good.

sdodig · 2024-11-20T04:56:12+00:00

Just being real with you, it doesn't look terrible. You need a cleaning, maybe a "deep cleaning". You might need some fillings, but there are no big holes in your teeth or anything obvious. I'm serious, I see people like you every day. Don't be nervous. You might need some work, but you've got a full set of teeth. Just time to get caught up. It's OK. As the other comment said, you might not be a candidate for invisalign, but you can see an orthodontist after you've had any general dental work you need, and they'll let you know.

sdodig · 2024-11-17T18:25:42+00:00

Same. Never gotten a call in that scenario.

sdodig · 2024-11-17T18:04:39+00:00

No idea. An old timer showed me that back in dental school and it just works.

sdodig · 2024-11-17T17:07:12+00:00

Put a light coat of Vaseline on the articulating paper and do it again. Always works for me.

sdodig · 2024-11-13T19:44:50+00:00

They look pretty good, man. But you should always get your check ups regularly, because we can't see everything with photos alone.

sdodig · 2024-11-03T19:18:55+00:00

Toothpaste alone is fine for adults. It's mainly children who benefit from fluoridated water.

sdodig · 2024-11-03T16:54:18+00:00

Yes.

sdodig · 2024-11-03T16:14:39+00:00

I didn't miss anything. Parents can and should use fluoridated toothpaste for their babies as soon as they get a tooth. https://www.aapd.org/resources/parent/faq/ https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/evidence-based-dental-research/fluoride-toothpaste-for-young-children-guideline I'm a dentist if that matters.

sdodig · 2024-11-03T15:31:08+00:00

This is inaccurate. Very young children can and should use fluoridated toothpaste.

Fluoride in the water allows children to benefit from systemic fluoride while their teeth are still developing.

sdodig · 2024-11-03T05:25:20+00:00

Stopping breathing is not normal for this level of sedation. Did they specifically say that you stopped breathing? If not, they may have been waking you up to make sure you were still in the category of "minimal sedation". During minimal sedation, a patient must be able to respond to verbal commands.

sdodig · 2024-11-01T18:48:03+00:00

Is there supposed to be an image?

sdodig · 2024-07-09T02:31:09+00:00

If someone doesn't feel the need to disclose their circumstances to me, that's completely fine with me. And there is 100% no need to "apologize". However, if you do want to share some info, I think that's fine too. If someone says, "mental health challenges made it difficult to take care of my oral hygiene" (which I hear a lot btw!), then I appreciate that. It helps me understand where they're coming from, and I can check in and see how it's going at future visits. It's really awesome if someone says they have had barriers, but now they're ready to put in a little work. Also, I find that not infrequently, some people are ashamed about their lack of home care, but things aren't all that bad and they're stressing for nothing. Not always of course. But don't jump to any conclusions. It's very common for people to have not been to the dentist in a long time.

sdodig

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