B
Bassey
0
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2015
- Messages
- 6
Hello,
I joined this forum today and really need to vent. I've never been afraid of what dentists do in the surgery (until a month ago). As a child, I went regularly and was gassed and had all sorts of work done, including two root fillings which have caused me pain (on and off, often on) for 27 years). But once I saw x rays of how badly perforated one of my root fillings was, then I became afraid of poor quality, ugly and unnecessary work being done, which would leave me in pain for years afterwards. So, once I was 18, I looked after my teeth incredibly well to avoid having any more dental work done.
One of the painful root fillings, the most perforated one, was on my upper right central incisor. I finally had enough money for an implant this year, so had it extracted and an immediate implant done. The dentist wanted huge amounts of money upfront. On the day of the implant I lost trust in him because he didn't do what he said he would do: he said he'd shape the temporary bridge so I could close my teeth - he didn't do this, so I couldn't chew for two weeks until he shaped it. He said he'd do a gum graft - he didn't. He said I wouldn't need a bone graft. After the implant procedure, he said he did actually have to do a bone graft after all, and it would cost me £565. (I had signed a contract saying that if a bone graft was necessary it would cost between a hundred and something, and £575). I was suspicious, because he'd seen 2D and 3D xrays showing bone loss, so I feel he should have known if he might have to charge almost the maximum charge).
The temporary bridge was awful, poor fit and awful appearance, I lost my confidence because when I spoke I lisped because of the gaps between the teeth, and people could see the implant's metal abutment showing above it when I opened my mouth (I have a gummy smile). So my mental health was rock bottom during the five months of the implant treatment. There were other shortcuts he took too with the treatment which I feel made my gumline recede more than it would have otherwise done. When I took a note of my concerns in he snatched it off me, angrily before I could read it to him.
One time he took off the temporary bridge he used a thumping tool which smashed off one of the metal wings. He didn't tell me it had smashed off until he'd put the bridge back on, but just cemented to one tooth this time (my upper left incisor). Anyway, when he came to hammer it off again with his thumping tool on 2nd Dec, he smashed out my upper left central incisor almost to the gumline. So that now needs either extracting or root filling with a post retained crown. When he smashed it out he said 'it had two large fillings and decay behind one (or both, I forget exactly) so it probably wouldn't have lasted for much longer anyway'. That was not what I needed to hear, I needed to hear, 'oh no, i'm so terribly sorry, so very sorry, that's a terrible mistake'. The tooth he smashed out was fine for my purposes, eating, talking, never painful. Just not strong enough to withstand getting deliberately hammered by a man standing above me whilst I was lying powerless underneath him. It's a terrifying experience I keep thinking about. (He did say in his initial report to me to have an implant, because having a traditional bridge instead would damage my upper left, which would be a shame as it has only had 'little treatment'). If he'd said there was a risk it might smash, I'd have gone to someone who used temporary dentures not temporary bridges.
What's maybe worse is that the implant he did put in, on my upper right central, was put in the wrong place, too far buccally, so it looks terrible, and the gum will probably continue to recede because it doesn't cover over the crown. But if I have the implant extracted it will do huge damage, also causing further recession. I could have the implant crown taken off, but I cant have a bridge from my upper left incisor now he's smashed it out. I can't have a bridge from my upper right lateral because it has a post retained crown (the other dodgy root filling from my childhood). I could have that tooth extracted but there probably wont be enough space for an implant because the implant he used was massive.
The implant didn't solve my pain problem, the level of pain is the same as before, but more frequent now. And now my smashed tooth hurts. I can't go back to him for treatment, I'm too scared. I should have trusted my gut feeling and just left at the start of the implant treatment, despite having paid loads upfront. He was nice and attentive before I paid up and signed the contract, after paying up he became dismissive. I feel sad because I really did loads of research into best implants, best practitioners, and he seemed fine, teaches on an implant degree programme, has a doctorate, said he had something like a 99% success rate, said he'd done a couple of thousand.
I'm in limbo now, going between consultants and waiting for their reports. They say things like 'the implant is in the wrong position, it will do huge damage to remove it. Perhaps better to just remove the crown and let the gum heal over it (ie 'bury it'). There are no good options. I'm spending my days thinking about what to do, feeling grieved that dentists have caused me so much physical and emotional pain over my life. I lie awake at night thinking about it. When I get to sleep it's not for long, and sometimes I dream about teeth falling out or spurting puss.
I know some dentists will have integrity, so I don't want to dismiss them all. But I've had terrible ones. I'd appreciate any understanding messages. Thanks for reading, I really did need to vent.
I joined this forum today and really need to vent. I've never been afraid of what dentists do in the surgery (until a month ago). As a child, I went regularly and was gassed and had all sorts of work done, including two root fillings which have caused me pain (on and off, often on) for 27 years). But once I saw x rays of how badly perforated one of my root fillings was, then I became afraid of poor quality, ugly and unnecessary work being done, which would leave me in pain for years afterwards. So, once I was 18, I looked after my teeth incredibly well to avoid having any more dental work done.
One of the painful root fillings, the most perforated one, was on my upper right central incisor. I finally had enough money for an implant this year, so had it extracted and an immediate implant done. The dentist wanted huge amounts of money upfront. On the day of the implant I lost trust in him because he didn't do what he said he would do: he said he'd shape the temporary bridge so I could close my teeth - he didn't do this, so I couldn't chew for two weeks until he shaped it. He said he'd do a gum graft - he didn't. He said I wouldn't need a bone graft. After the implant procedure, he said he did actually have to do a bone graft after all, and it would cost me £565. (I had signed a contract saying that if a bone graft was necessary it would cost between a hundred and something, and £575). I was suspicious, because he'd seen 2D and 3D xrays showing bone loss, so I feel he should have known if he might have to charge almost the maximum charge).
The temporary bridge was awful, poor fit and awful appearance, I lost my confidence because when I spoke I lisped because of the gaps between the teeth, and people could see the implant's metal abutment showing above it when I opened my mouth (I have a gummy smile). So my mental health was rock bottom during the five months of the implant treatment. There were other shortcuts he took too with the treatment which I feel made my gumline recede more than it would have otherwise done. When I took a note of my concerns in he snatched it off me, angrily before I could read it to him.
One time he took off the temporary bridge he used a thumping tool which smashed off one of the metal wings. He didn't tell me it had smashed off until he'd put the bridge back on, but just cemented to one tooth this time (my upper left incisor). Anyway, when he came to hammer it off again with his thumping tool on 2nd Dec, he smashed out my upper left central incisor almost to the gumline. So that now needs either extracting or root filling with a post retained crown. When he smashed it out he said 'it had two large fillings and decay behind one (or both, I forget exactly) so it probably wouldn't have lasted for much longer anyway'. That was not what I needed to hear, I needed to hear, 'oh no, i'm so terribly sorry, so very sorry, that's a terrible mistake'. The tooth he smashed out was fine for my purposes, eating, talking, never painful. Just not strong enough to withstand getting deliberately hammered by a man standing above me whilst I was lying powerless underneath him. It's a terrifying experience I keep thinking about. (He did say in his initial report to me to have an implant, because having a traditional bridge instead would damage my upper left, which would be a shame as it has only had 'little treatment'). If he'd said there was a risk it might smash, I'd have gone to someone who used temporary dentures not temporary bridges.
What's maybe worse is that the implant he did put in, on my upper right central, was put in the wrong place, too far buccally, so it looks terrible, and the gum will probably continue to recede because it doesn't cover over the crown. But if I have the implant extracted it will do huge damage, also causing further recession. I could have the implant crown taken off, but I cant have a bridge from my upper left incisor now he's smashed it out. I can't have a bridge from my upper right lateral because it has a post retained crown (the other dodgy root filling from my childhood). I could have that tooth extracted but there probably wont be enough space for an implant because the implant he used was massive.
The implant didn't solve my pain problem, the level of pain is the same as before, but more frequent now. And now my smashed tooth hurts. I can't go back to him for treatment, I'm too scared. I should have trusted my gut feeling and just left at the start of the implant treatment, despite having paid loads upfront. He was nice and attentive before I paid up and signed the contract, after paying up he became dismissive. I feel sad because I really did loads of research into best implants, best practitioners, and he seemed fine, teaches on an implant degree programme, has a doctorate, said he had something like a 99% success rate, said he'd done a couple of thousand.
I'm in limbo now, going between consultants and waiting for their reports. They say things like 'the implant is in the wrong position, it will do huge damage to remove it. Perhaps better to just remove the crown and let the gum heal over it (ie 'bury it'). There are no good options. I'm spending my days thinking about what to do, feeling grieved that dentists have caused me so much physical and emotional pain over my life. I lie awake at night thinking about it. When I get to sleep it's not for long, and sometimes I dream about teeth falling out or spurting puss.
I know some dentists will have integrity, so I don't want to dismiss them all. But I've had terrible ones. I'd appreciate any understanding messages. Thanks for reading, I really did need to vent.
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