Getting a Second Opinion on Your Dentist’s Diagnosis

SAN LEANDRO — Are you thinking about getting a second opinion on a diagnosis provided by your regular dentist? If so, there’s something you should keep in mind. Your regular dentist is familiar with your health history, and that familiarity undoubtedly comes to bear on their diagnosis. If you go to another dentist who has never seen you before, you may get a very different diagnosis simply because they aren’t familiar with your health history.

In fact, there have been multiple experiments performed in which a person would visit several different dentists to be diagnosed. In each instance, the diagnoses provided by the dentists varied widely, with recommendations ranging from no treatment to intensive procedures. What accounted for these differences is hard to say. These experiments illuminate the benefit of having a dentist who’s familiar with your health history. In general, this will increase the accuracy of diagnosis. So, while there’s nothing wrong with getting a second opinion, you should take it with a grain of salt.