I got a single dental crown. There wasn’t anything wrong with the tooth. He was doing the crown because it was a bit crooked and that was bothering me. After I had the crown done, my tooth became quite sensitive, especially to hot and cold. I called their office and they told me that it was quite normal for that to happen for a few weeks. Eventually, though, it was hurting so much that I went to see another dentist who advertised as an emergency dentist. That dentist told me that the tooth was now infected and I needed a root canal treatment and a new crown. I was blown away and asked how that could possibly happen and the dentist explained that the dentist had left open margins that trapped bacteria there. She showed me the x-ray and there were pretty big margins. I feel like the dentist should have noticed that. Wouldn’t he have done an x-ray, too? I called their office and told them I wanted my money back because now I have to have a new crown plus an additional procedure. Their phone person told me that once the crown was in my mouth it became my problem. Is there any way to get my money back on this?
Srinita
Dear Srinita,
Based on what you have described, your dentist has violated the standard of care in your case. While taking an x-ray is not standard procedure after placing a dental crown, they should definitely run an explorer around the margins of your dental crown to make sure there is a great fit. It does not sound like your dentist did that. The fact that the emergency dentist did take an x-ray that documented the open margins will really work in your favor.
If your dentist was ethical, they’d be willing to admit they made a mistake and refund your money willingly, maybe even offer to cover the additional procedure, but it doesn’t sound like this is going to happen for you. While dental malpractice cases are rarely worth the time and financial investment unless there has been life altering problems as a result, here are some things you can do to encourage your dentist to do the right thing:
1. Tell them you will write in detail everything you experienced as a result of this dentist’s neglect on all the review sites. People do check these sites before trying a new caregiver.
2. Tell them you are going to the dental board. While not as serious as a malpractice suit, they would not want negative attention drawn to the dental board about them.
3. Have the second dentist who diagnosed the problem talk to your dentist. Sometimes having a peer call you out makes a difference.
4. Have a lawyer write a threatening letter. This may make your dentist worry you are willing to follow through with a malpractice suit. That should sober them up.
This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.
