Will getting a second opinion cost me anything?

At Prana, the first-visit consult is free and includes an exam and X-rays or a 3D scan, so there's no added cost to getting an independent look at a treatment plan.

Do I need to tell my current dentist I'm getting a second opinion?

No, you're not required to. You can simply request copies of your records or recent X-rays if you'd like to bring them to a second visit.

Is it normal for two dentists to disagree on a treatment plan?

Some variation in professional judgment is normal, especially for elective or borderline cases. A large disagreement is exactly the kind of thing a second opinion is meant to surface before you commit.

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second opinions in dentistry: when to get one

By Dr. Aakash Rana, DDS · Updated September 2026 · 4 min read

Short answer: A second opinion is worth getting anytime a recommended treatment is expensive, irreversible, or unclear to you — it's a normal, expected part of dental care, not an insult to your current dentist.

Getting a second opinion in dentistry is exactly as normal as getting one in any other area of healthcare, but a lot of patients hesitate to ask for one because it feels awkward, like it might come across as distrustful or offensive to their current dentist, or as though it implies a lack of confidence in the first opinion. It shouldn't, and it generally doesn't land that way with a reasonable provider. Here's when a second opinion is genuinely worth getting, and how to go about it without any friction or discomfort on either side of the conversation.

Situations that especially call for one

A second opinion is particularly worth getting before any large or expensive treatment plan, before agreeing to an irreversible procedure like an extraction, before starting implant or full-arch work, or any time the reasoning behind a recommendation isn't clear to you even after asking directly. It's also reasonable if a recommended treatment plan feels significantly larger or more expensive than you expected going in, or if you're being asked to decide quickly without time to think it over and compare it against another perspective from someone who has no financial stake in whichever way you ultimately decide to go — pausing to think costs nothing at all when the situation genuinely isn't a true dental emergency. Taking that extra bit of time rarely changes the underlying problem, but it can change how confident you feel about the plan you eventually choose.

It's not an insult to your current dentist

Reputable dentists expect that patients sometimes want a second set of eyes on a major recommendation, especially for anything costly or irreversible. Asking for your records to get a second opinion is a completely standard request, and a dentist who reacts poorly to that request is itself useful information about how they'll handle other questions down the line, before or after treatment. You're allowed to make a fully informed decision about your own care without feeling like you owe anyone an explanation for wanting one, and most offices are used to fielding this exact kind of request.

What to bring to a second-opinion visit

Bring any X-rays, scans, or a copy of the written treatment plan from your first visit if you have them — this helps the second dentist compare notes rather than starting completely from scratch, and can save you from repeating imaging unnecessarily. If you don't have copies, you're entitled to request them from the original office, and most offices will provide them without issue. Come with specific questions about anything that felt unclear the first time around, so the second visit actually addresses what's genuinely on your mind rather than repeating the same conversation you already had once.

What a good second opinion should look like

A useful second opinion involves its own exam — not just a rubber stamp of the first plan or a reflexive disagreement with it for the sake of seeming different. It should explain its reasoning clearly, whether it agrees or differs from the original recommendation, and give you a written breakdown you can compare side by side against what you were told before. If a second opinion visit feels rushed or vague, that's worth noticing too, since the whole point of getting one is clarity you didn't have before, not just a second signature on the same plan.

When the two opinions actually differ

If a second opinion genuinely disagrees with the first, that's not necessarily a sign either dentist is wrong — dental treatment sometimes involves legitimate differences in professional judgment, especially for elective or borderline cases where more than one reasonable approach exists. What matters is understanding the reasoning behind each recommendation well enough to make your own informed choice, rather than simply picking whichever plan costs less or sounds easier without understanding why they differ in the first place, which is the part a good second opinion should actually explain.

How Prana's free consult works for this

Prana's free first-visit consult — a $700 value including an exam and X-rays or a 3D scan — works well as a second-opinion visit, since there's no cost barrier to getting an independent look at a treatment plan you've already received elsewhere. If you have questions about a plan from another provider, feel free to book a consult or check the FAQ page for more on how visits generally work, what documents to bring with you, and what to expect once you actually arrive.