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The original was posted on /r/japanlife by /u/Individual-Theme3016 on 2023-09-17 21:00:15.

Earlier this year, I saw a few sus looking black lines on my teeth so I went to see a dentist. Checked some reviews on Japanese websites and went to a small dental clinic that is close to my apartment. It caters to children too and the office looked quite nice.

The first session was just consultation; the director of the clinic checked me and took some X-rays, and explained to me where I had cavities and what needed to be done. He also said that one of my wisdom tooth was growing horizontally, resulting in this space between two teeth where the toothbrush cannot reach, and it’ll be better to pull it out entirely rather than fix the cavity. I had cavities on all four sides, left and right, top and bottom, all at the back of my mouth. He explained that my bottom left wisdom tooth will have to be pulled out at a bigger hospital, as it was growing horizontally and they didn’t have the equipment to remove it. Other than that wisdom tooth, the remaining three cavities will be filled over three sessions. I agreed. He then said that my teeth look as if I have been grinding them in my sleep, and he said it’d be better to get a mouthguard. I also agreed.

Over the next few visits, I got my cavities filled one spot at a time, each time lasting around 15 minutes. The first red flag was that when I showed up to my first appointment, the doctor operating on me was another doctor at the clinic, not the director. They had never mentioned that other doctors will be operating on me, and I was under the impression that the director was the only doctor, as it was a very small clinic. My cavities were very small but there was some sensitivity. It was my first time getting cavities filled, so I didn’t know what to expect. I only thought something might’ve been wrong because the second time I went, it was the director operating on me, the cavity was slightly bigger, but it was painless during and after. Nevertheless, I got my remaining cavities - top right, bottom right, top left - filled, and got a mouthguard.

Fast forward a few months, I visit the bigger hospital they recommended to me with a referral (紹介状). Dentist there told me that although the clinic dentist only said to remove the bottom left wisdom tooth, the tooth right above it should also be removed, because without the bottom tooth supporting it, it will grow lower and lower into my gums. Funny thing is, the clinic dentist had already done work on that tooth, and charged me for it. I didn’t know that you’re supposed to remove the top and bottom teeth together; he never mentioned it. He stressed repeatedly that since I’ll be getting my bottom left tooth extracted, we shouldn’t do anything to it as it’d be a waste. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gotten the top left cavity filled either.

So, was I scammed? Is it normal for the dentist on your consultation and appointments to be different people? Did they scam me into paying for that cavity on a tooth that is supposed to be removed? I find it hard to believe that the clinic dentist didn’t know that teeth should be removed in pairs…