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I have a question about bridges and was wondering if anyone here might be able to advise me.
Ten days ago, a dentist placed a bridge over four of my teeth. Two are the anchors and two are the bridge. The treatment plan indicated pontic/porc-gold and abutment/porc-gold but these are clearly not porcelain or gold. They are a more like a white hard resin material. And to make matters worse, one of the teeth now has a crater-like dent in the center where it was high. The back tooth next to the dented one now has a black-like dot where the white has come off, showing the metal beneath. All this damage in ten short days. (No. I'm not chewing on rocks, just normal chewing)
I have another bridge that has been in place for over 15 years and have had absolutely NO problems with it, whatsoever.
This new bridge has a gap near the gum line and I have to clean it, after every meal, to remove food that keeps getting underneath. It's annoying, to say the least. I knew I would have to give special care to it but this is ridiculous!
Further, when the dentist set the bridge, it did not go in easily. He had to grind off more of my tooth to get the bridge in place. Still, it was high in two spots. One of the high spots is where the dent/hole is now. It's as though the high spot was getting too much pressure from chewing and became weak. The high spots wouldn't allow me to have an even bite, either. My teeth on the other side of my mouth didn't meet because of the high spot. When I told the dentist this, he told me to "give it several days and see it if feels better." BTW, he kept looking at the clock because he had to leave at one o'clock to coach a high school football practice.
Not having dental insurance, I paid for this bridge out of my pocket and it was expensive. However, since it was supposed to be made of porcelain, I was willing. I'm no Einstein but there is a HUGE difference between this bridge and one I have that's been in place for over a decade.
I called the office this morning but since it is Saturday, the earliest I can talk to to the dentist is Monday, which I plan on doing. Still, I wanted to leave a voice message to prove I had called and not waited days and days.
Here's my question.
If this dentist placed a bridge made of resin material and billed me for a porcelain bridge, did he defraud me? And if he did, am I in my rights to ask for a refund of the bridgework? I will not refute the office visit charge and the extraction he had to do for one tooth but I don't feel it's fair to pay for porcelain when I received a lower quality of material.
I really don't want this dentist messing around in my mouth any longer. I don't trust him. I guess what I'm really asking is .... Am I in for a fight over this with this less-than-honest dentist? Thanks for any advice or opinions offered.
I'm not sure how to advise you regarding a lawsuit, but the work definitely sounds inferior. I have had to do a LOT of bridgework over the years due to problems with my teeth and bite, I still have one of the first bridges that was placed 40 years ago! I recently had to have almost my entire upper jaw reconstructed, and am wearing a full bridge there - it is porcelain fused to noble metal, and it looks and fits beautifully (with the exception of a small gap near gumline on one front tooth) My dentist made sure my bite was correct, so my teeth come together properly. It definitely sounds like your dentist did not do this.
As far as the materials - are you sure what your bridge is made of? Do you have something in writing from him regarding what he was going to do and the cost? Is this actually the permanent bridge and not just a temporary? If you are talking substantial money, you may want to consult an attorney. I definitely would NOT go back to this guy.
It sounds like he put in a temporary bridge while the permanent is made, and forgot to tell you it was temporary. The usual procedure is to fit you for a bridge, which means removing the teeth that are being bridged, and shaping the anchor teeth, then making an impression of your "bare mouth" and sending the impression to a lab that specializes in manufacturing the bridge itself. This can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on how busy that lab is (these labs do exclusively dental prosthesis work). You can't very well run around with a huge gap in your mouth and a pair of carved-down stumps, so the dentist creates a "fake bridge" out of resin as a temporary covering to protect your mouth and provide a chewing surface til the actual bridge comes in.
You might have forgotten all of this with your previous bridge from 15 years ago, but that's the usual process. Definitely check with them on Monday. Composite resin is not a common material for the false teeth, though it is commonly used as the cement to hold the bridge in place (it's actually a composite resin cement).
I'm not sure how to advise you regarding a lawsuit, but the work definitely sounds inferior. I have had to do a LOT of bridgework over the years due to problems with my teeth and bite, I still have one of the first bridges that was placed 40 years ago! I recently had to have almost my entire upper jaw reconstructed, and am wearing a full bridge there - it is porcelain fused to noble metal, and it looks and fits beautifully (with the exception of a small gap near gumline on one front tooth) My dentist made sure my bite was correct, so my teeth come together properly. It definitely sounds like your dentist did not do this.
As far as the materials - are you sure what your bridge is made of? Do you have something in writing from him regarding what he was going to do and the cost? Is this actually the permanent bridge and not just a temporary? If you are talking substantial money, you may want to consult an attorney. I definitely would NOT go back to this guy.
Thanks for responding. To answer your questions ...
1) No. I am not sure of the materials used to make this bridge but it was supposed to be porcelain.
2) Yes. I have the written procedure plan that indicates porcelain. The exact working on the paperwork states, "Porc-Gold."
3) Yes. This is the permanent bridge. He placed a temporary in a month earlier. It kept popping out, too. 30 days is way too long for a temporary, imo. For my previous bridge, my waiting time was two weeks.
4) The work was close to four thousand dollars. I was given a discount because it was cash. But they never told me the percentage of discount AND they never told me what the full price of the bridge would be if I wasn't getting a discount. That bothered me a bit but I thought, if the work was good, it's okay. Trouble is, the work is lousy and the materials are inferior. And another thing, he checked the bite after he put it in but when I told him it was off and still too high, he sanded it down in one spot but still left the high spot. The bite was off and I told him so. That's when he told me to give it a few days and see if it felt better.
I don't want to take this guy to court. But, I am prepared to do so, if he doesn't make this right. At this point, I don't want him doing any more work on my teeth but I'm not going to walk away and let him have my money and leave me with this inferior piece of crap in my mouth.
I'm no Einstein but I know when my gut is telling me I've been fooled and my gut is screaming at me, "You have been taken!" Now, my gut is saying, "Don't take this sitting down. Do something about it!"
Thanks for your reply, gypsychic. I really appreciate it.
Ah you answered right after I asked - if it's a permanent, then it should have fit -perfectly- before you left the dentist's office. You need to go back there and get it done correctly. The fact that you paid cash in advance is concerning, AND that you accepted a "discount" without finding out how much that discount was, and what the original price should have been.
You should have gotten a procedural schedule before hand, outlining EXACTLY what was needed, and how much each thing was expected to cost. An itemized estimate, in other words.
If you failed to do that, then unfortunately you might not have any recourse. The responsibility lies at the patient's feet to understand what someone is about to do to their body and how much they're going to have to pay for the privilege.
It sounds like he put in a temporary bridge while the permanent is made, and forgot to tell you it was temporary. The usual procedure is to fit you for a bridge, which means removing the teeth that are being bridged, and shaping the anchor teeth, then making an impression of your "bare mouth" and sending the impression to a lab that specializes in manufacturing the bridge itself. This can take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on how busy that lab is (these labs do exclusively dental prosthesis work). You can't very well run around with a huge gap in your mouth and a pair of carved-down stumps, so the dentist creates a "fake bridge" out of resin as a temporary covering to protect your mouth and provide a chewing surface til the actual bridge comes in.
You might have forgotten all of this with your previous bridge from 15 years ago, but that's the usual process. Definitely check with them on Monday. Composite resin is not a common material for the false teeth, though it is commonly used as the cement to hold the bridge in place (it's actually a composite resin cement).
No. He did as you explained (in bold). I didn't get the permanent bridge placed until 30 days after the temporary was placed. (I knew it was too long a time). The temporary he placed popped off after one day and I used the temporary glue to keep it on but it didn't work well and created a lot of frustration. I was happy to finally have the permanent one placed but when it was too high and my entire bite was off, I knew something was not right.
The fact that he didn't want to stick around the office to make sure it was fitting properly and sent me on my way, telling me to give it a few days, really sent the red flags up.
I remember when my "good bridge" was prepped and placed. Nothing wrong with my memory, yet. LOL This was prepped okay but the final product isn't porcelain. It's some poor quality resin or something. It's NOTHING like my older bridge. That one is tough as nails. This one isn't even strong enough to last ten days. Nope. There's something really wrong here.
I do believe it was the old bait and switch thing. I was promised (in writing) to have a porcelain bridge. This bridge is not porcelain. I think a bridge made of popsicle sticks would be stronger than this thing in my mouth.
Thanks so much for replying. I appreciate it, very much.
Ah you answered right after I asked - if it's a permanent, then it should have fit -perfectly- before you left the dentist's office. You need to go back there and get it done correctly. The fact that you paid cash in advance is concerning, AND that you accepted a "discount" without finding out how much that discount was, and what the original price should have been.
You should have gotten a procedural schedule before hand, outlining EXACTLY what was needed, and how much each thing was expected to cost. An itemized estimate, in other words.
If you failed to do that, then unfortunately you might not have any recourse. The responsibility lies at the patient's feet to understand what someone is about to do to their body and how much they're going to have to pay for the privilege.
No. I did get an itemized procedural schedule before hand. The only thing is the price on it was my price ... not the full price with my discounted price. They told me they didn't give out that information, which I thought was strange.
I did everything by the book. I didn't let him begin work until I knew exactly what this was going to cost. The thing is ... it was supposed to be a porcelain product and it's not.
I didn't fail to do my homework on this guy. He had no black marks on his record but last night, I was looking for reviews on this guy and one popped up about some shoddy work. The review was written after I began the work. Had it been there before I began it, I would not have gone to this guy. I've had a lot dental work in my lifetime and I'm not stranger to it. Unfortunately, my previous dentist is now retired and I was looking for someone who could take his place. This guy doesn't even come close to my last dentist.
Sorry if I was fuzzy about my dental knowledge. I know to ask questions. Not just with my teeth but with every part of my body. Maybe not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to some things but I do ask questions about my health and body. Thanks again.
I would definitely go back there then and let him know it's not working right, and it appears to be defective. Give him the opportunity to at least -pretend- that it's a defective bridge, and have it resolved for you. That way you're not coming off as combative, and he doesn't get put on immediate defensive (even though clearly he didn't do a complete job).
My dentist showed me the bridge before he placed it in my mouth, because he was really happy with the work done by the lab and wanted to point out all the details of how awesome it was. He also put it on my mouth -without- cementing it first, so I could compare it to the teeth on the bottom, checking for color matching.
It never occurred to me that any dentist would -not- do all these things to ensure a perfect fit, and I never thought it was something anyone would have to ask to have done. The whole situation seems pretty bizarre to me. You didn't go to one of those Aspen Dental places did you? I've heard they treat clients like cattle and stuff them full of stuff they don't need just so they can overcharge them for it.
I would definitely go back there then and let him know it's not working right, and it appears to be defective. Give him the opportunity to at least -pretend- that it's a defective bridge, and have it resolved for you. That way you're not coming off as combative, and he doesn't get put on immediate defensive (even though clearly he didn't do a complete job). .
I think that's the right thing to do, too. Although I don't trust him now, I owe him at least that much. Maybe he can explain why the bridge material is so weak when it's supposed to be porcelain. He might be able to answer it or be caught in his own deception. We'll see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick
My dentist showed me the bridge before he placed it in my mouth, because he was really happy with the work done by the lab and wanted to point out all the details of how awesome it was. He also put it on my mouth -without- cementing it first, so I could compare it to the teeth on the bottom, checking for color matching..
He showed me the bridge but wasn't as enthusiastic as yours, unfortunately. It was odd, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick
It never occurred to me that any dentist would -not- do all these things to ensure a perfect fit, and I never thought it was something anyone would have to ask to have done. The whole situation seems pretty bizarre to me. You didn't go to one of those Aspen Dental places did you? I've heard they treat clients like cattle and stuff them full of stuff they don't need just so they can overcharge them for it.
Oh NO! I've heard terrible things about that place and read about the multitude of lawsuits. This was supposed to be a reputable office. The trouble is, I think he might not be an expert in bridges as well as he is with simple fillings. And that's like knowing the difference between making a homemade spaghetti sauce and opening up a can of Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee. I really miss my former dentist. He took care of my teeth for over 30 years.
Thanks again for your input. I know what I have to do now. Man, I hate these speed bumps in life!
The trouble is, I think he might not be an expert in bridges as well as he is with simple fillings. And that's like knowing the difference between making a homemade spaghetti sauce and opening up a can of Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee. I really miss my former dentist. He took care of my teeth for over 30 years.
Ah, and herein lies the rub. The guy is probably NOT a specialist in these bridges. My dentist is not only a specialist but also a specialist in implants with 20 years experience in restorative work. This makes a huge difference. I don't necessarily think anything was amiss in the way negotiations were done - showing you your discounted price - mine was done in the same way and I was satisfied with the cost, since it was about HALF what the first dentist I went to see wanted to charge me.
I would give him a chance to work it out with you before you threaten lawsuits. Ask him all your questions, and explain your problems and see if he will make good on it. If he cares about his reputation he will.
Good luck!
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It was odd, too. 
I really miss my former dentist. He took care of my teeth for over 30 years. 
