Hi Dr Moore,

General question, how can I assess whether my dentist is looing after my teeth properly or simply attempting to make money out of me?

I’ve had about 18 months/2 years with no treatment, and now it seems everytime I go for a check up he decides to “replace fillings he is not happy with” even though they are not causing any pain. I also have an impacted wisdom tooth which he wanted to take out. I refused to have this done in the Dental surgery and asked for a referral to an NHS Hospital – once I got my appt there they said the tooth did not need to be removed.

All of this is making me rather concerned and loathe to return to my dentist. I also have some pain in my left upper molar which I have previously flagged to him. He insists that the tooth does not need a filling – however the cynic in me now feels that it could be he is waiting for it to decay badly so I’ll need a root canal @ £350 as opposed to filing the tooth now which makes him alot less.

Am I being too cynical and is my dentist just trying to provide preventative care? (all my fillings are white and I know these are not as long lasting as amalgam ones).