[EB Burgess]

1) Referrals from respected friends, professional colleagues, etc.

2) Investigation, research and reviews, noting the dates of those reviews.

3) I Stay away from corporate dental offices, prefer smaller, private practices with a few partners in case something happens to my dentist of choice.

4)If a big procedure is suggested, I look for oral surgeons with my dentists recommendations first, but with same scrutiny.

5) Root canals…havent had one, but if suggested, Im off to a holistic dentist or surgeon for 2 nd opinion & alternatives.

6) The condition of our mouth can expose things going on in our body. There is a connection.

Ive had friends whose dentist suggested they see their primary based on their dental exam.

[IMA-HelenT]

All good points, thanks @ebtexas … interestingly our webinar this week is all about “Could Your Oral Microbiome Reveal More About Your Health Than You Realize?” … I am looking forward to the discussion.

[Jan]

I like ebtexas’ reply – common sense and a little leg work. However, my husband and I have had this conversation and somewhat both feel it’s a money grab. Unless you are prone to dental issues or had an accident etc. I try to go once a year for cleaning and maintenance. I do not accept the fluoride treatment. My hygienist always says my teeth and gums are great. I use an electric toothbrush most days and floss every day. 🤞to each their own i guess.

[IMA-HelenT]

Sounds like you have a good routine and are aware that you need to be in charge of your health, including your oral health. Thank you for adding top the discussion.

[EB Burgess]

JJH, just a thought to consider… great to do the cleaning because thats where a lot of the junk is.

However, its vital to be checked for tongue and oral cancer. Thats worth a trip to the dentist.

[David Wegener]

Once I learned about ClO2 based oral health, EVERYTHING changed in my mouth.. and my overall health.

https://frontierpharm.com/ – – they make both amazing mouthwash and toothpaste… the mouthwash has resolved 2 cavities.

yes. Reversed the cavities.

Yes. You read that correctly. You can re-read it again until it clicks.

Tangentially, I’m involved in medical & dental data, working in the public health sector with dental hygienists and dentists.

Knowing what I know and seeing what I’ve seen, no, I do not trust most dentists. The amount of fraud is mind-numbing. The amount of over-medicating/over-treating of patients (often for billing purposes) is so bad that I refuse to send family to dentists alone. I’ve seen kids with > $15,000 worth of metal in their mouths.. when 9 months previously, they had 1 minor caries. It is horrible.

Not all dentists are corrupt.

and not all crooks are cold hearted.

[lavitavegas]

Daughter of a dentist here. I’m 51, no cavities, no history of cavities, when asked I say I have a 10/10 mouth… dentists laugh until they look in and see… yeah I’m right. My dad is long retired now, and while I’d love to get regular 6 month cleanings… I have definitely pulled back on my clockwork appointments because… I’m TIRED of x-rays that I DO NOT NEED. Now that I live in NV, I find out it is a state law that dentists must take xrays every year to satisfy the state legislation/ insurance requirement. Even if I WANT to pay out of pocket for a mere cleaning, I’m endlessly exhausted by the constant strong-armed persuasion for xrays I DO NOT NEED. We all know healthcare is NOT patient-centered… and this is yet one more example. I’m utterly sick of it.

Others are discussing products they love… I swear by the BetterBio “NOBS” tablets– xyletol based toothpaste. I also use the mouthwash and the floss (which is very thick… and I love that).

[Scott Faught]

It takes time, trust and experience with each other. Find a good dentist. Go to him or her for years. Build trust. I had a crown come off and went to my dentist office yesterday to glue it back on. No charge. I’ve been going to the same office for almost 20 years. I know the folks in it and we connect on my visits. It used to be that way with my primary physician but that has gone all corporate with 15 minutes per visit and no time to connect.

[Lenore Norrgard]

I see a biologic dentist and have been happy with him. However, I could not understand why after decades of adult life with no cavities, now I was getting them every year, even though I’ve flossed and brushed for decades and started water picking a few years ago. All care is paid out of pocket.

About six months ago, I came across an interview with Dr Ellie, a retired dentist. She wrote a book, Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye, and explains all about the oral microbiome and how healthy saliva heals cavities and cracks, and gingivitis can be healed, too. She’s extremely conservative about all dental treatments. I highly recommend her book.

I began her protocol four months prior to my last cleaning and exam, and the hygienist said she had to go back to my chart and confirm that I was the right person: She said she didn’t recognize my mouth! Very clean, and much-decreaed plaque, to the point of almost none. The measurements of my gum pockets also had significantly decreased. The dentist came in for his exam, and said, The hygienist tells me your mouth has radically improved; we like that to happen from our care here, but you did it at home. Good for you!

I’m not sure what to make of fluoride. I avoid it in my drinking water, but even the biologic dentist and Dr Ellie recommend using it for treatments that are spit out and not swallowed, saying it is protective and makes our teeth stronger. However, they specify a particular KIND of fluoride, and say to avoid the others.

[Morgan Sky]

Nope do not trust CONventional dentist. Due to my rural location and lack of providers it has become impossible to find any. The last dentist I had actually announced in August 2025 that he would not be taking Medicare any longer as of Jan 1 2026. I had an appt. for cavities he found prior at a cleaning in February 2025. Three days before the appointment he sent a message saying he cancelled the appointment no longer taking the insurance. I responded asking for an out of pocket price and was surprised that they just cancelled offering no option to get the job finished that they had scheduled 8 months prior. I got the run around and decided based on such poor treatment,( as they know there is a severe shortage of providers in the area) that I would not even want to have them do any further service. Just as well they offered no out of pocket option. Prior 2025 during covid I had ran into a similar issue with finding a dentist and after I went to three dentist including the one mentioned above, traveling 100 miles from home they all had different outcomes of my X-rays. One said I had 2 cavities, 1 said I had 3. One corporate dentist said he wanted to pull all my teeth and give me dentures. The one I mentioned at the start of my reply is the one that said I had 3 cavities, and when I returned to him in 2024 I had none, but then I magically had only two in 2025. Go figure?

I brush with baking soda and rinse with salt water. The hardship to find and actually go to a dentist especially after researching the questionable outcomes of conventional dentistry has become a very low priority at this point. I really wonder about the lack of integrity in the one that kicked me to the curb last year and after pondering have distilled that after several attempts to get me to pay for more out of pocket procedures that is was not just that he was rejecting old people on Medicare but that he was not making enough money. However since I offered to pay out of pocket to complete the cavities and he declined who knows ?? perhaps imaginary cavities ?? Who knows but not very caring of his patients I mean clients or now we are just consumers and no oath there.??