When you get a medical opinion, you have to rely on the medical expertise of doctor. You don't have a better option. If you get a second opinion, and it is the same as the first one, you intuitively know it's more trustworthy. But what happens when the second opinion contradicts the first one? Who do you believe? How do you rank each scenario by the "trustworthiness" of opinion? How would one go by valuing the trustworthiness of multiple differing opinions, as is common in dentistry?
One instinct I've learned from software engineering and the internet is that professionals are often wrong. The symptoms of a bad doctor are very similar to that of bad developers. Same with bad cooks, bad contractors, and so on.<p>The main symptom is contempt. You ask them a few questions or mention a second opinion, and their face turns into a scowl. Some are outright insulting, saying that X is a moron, without having enough information to make that judgement. Whenever I meet a doctor like this, I look for a second opinion, and very often it contradicts.<p>The next is buzzword. My child had a fever for a very long time and was hospitalized. A good pediatrician said "It could be Kawasaki disease... but it doesn't meet any of the other symptoms". A not very good one said "It's definitely Kawasaki disease, can't be anything else."<p>The third is well, passion. I know everyone hates the word, but I find a correlation. The worst doctors I've met are often trying to do anything except their job - they pitch unnecessary supplements, overcharge, talk about their stock investments. The great ones try to make you healthy; they end up undercharging, recommend cheap alternatives to their pills, volunteer for charity organizations, waive their consulting fees, and so on.<p>I realize this is a very subjective and biased way of looking at it, but it's worked well for me.
Like emteycz I check the science. I will also ask others who might have the same issue. And depending on severity get a 3rd, 4th, or even 5th opinion. Like emteycz said: Its your health. Of course this depends on how serious the issue is. Often its an issue where both can have valid solutions. Or there could be something one missed that the other caught.
I've had this happen to me b4 and honestly I got a third opinion... But truly, u just gotta trust yourself. you know your body, so if a doctor is telling u things that ur unsure of, u needa ditch them.