Devastated and embarrassed, curious if this falls below an acceptable standard of care

[Brandykay926]

Idk what to do!
I am 37 years old and went in to get my teeth extracted the other day and I had immediate dentures made. Problem however … when I arrived the day of I expressed to the front desk that I wasn’t comfortable with this new dentist that I saw the day before and asked if he was the doing my procedure and they said yes and that he is the only one who does them currently. Originally I was told that the owner would be the one doing it. They advised me that he won’t be back until November though. Then went on to tell me he had been with the company many years it’s just that he moved locations. Which I later found out that was not true!
He was supposed to remove all top and bottom. I asked for and signed a thing to receive ‘laughing gas’ but never got it. I asked for it in the room even. He had given me Valium for the day before and day of, in which I thought was for the night before and then the night of. It was supposed to be for the night before and day of like right before. I told the nurse I had not taken it that morning and they refused to give me the gas. I literally bawled through getting all my top teeth extracted. Some were broke already and many broke during the process. He didn’t end up extracting any of the bottom because I could feel things again already when he to them. Said he maxed me on local and thought it would be best if we did the bottom another day. Then tried to place my immediate denture and it was like he literally had NEVER placed one in anyone’s mouth before ever, it wasn’t even close to seating where it should have, told me to bite on it and just keep it there for at least the first 24 hrs… this thing wasn’t touching the roof of my mouth anywhere, wouldn’t go over my gums anywhere. Like there was already way too much swelling.

Prior to the plan to extract my teeth and get the dentures there is no discussion of other options or pros or cons or expectations or how things will change in my life what I needed to do to prepare for the procedure other than doing the mold for my immediate denture And how much things we’re gonna cost out of my own pocket. After only getting half of my teeth removed and literally crying and bawling through the entire thing all I was told for aftercare was that he was calling me in some meds, didn’t say what or had to take it how often and if I should keep up on it, give me no aftercare instructions at all other than a piece of paper that came with the dentures that were given me in a bag because obviously the top didn’t fit and the bottoms were never pulled, and the instructions only had to do with the care of the denture itself. He barely looked at my X-rays, which idk if makes any difference or not but I had 3 front teeth that had root canals the he pulled just the same as he did the other and today my nose is very swollen even and starting to hurt. I am literally heart broken. No top teeth, no denture that I can wear. I wear a Covid mask when I have to leave the house. I don’t know what to do. I can’t talk right. Look disgusting, embarrassed, ashamed, just sick to my stomach and depressed as heck. I don’t even answer my work phone cuz I can’t talk right. I am embarrassed to deal with customers period. This is honestly devastating to me I am wondering if I have a case against the dentist or office or if I am just sol. Literally never been ent over different options for me, never gave me any care instructions or after care, things to look for, or anything. And I am traumatized from the way he pulled my teeth and the breaking of them and pieces of teeth hitting me and my significant other, and literally bawling through the whole thing. It was torturous.

 

[Lindylou1601]

@Brandykay926 I am so sorry for what you are going through and can absolutely empathise. My story isn't anywhere near as bad as yours but 12 days ago I had 4 teeth removed and a partial denture placed in immediately afterwards. I only have 6 of my own teeth left so I can't go without my partial. My dentist gave me no instructions or advice. She didn't explain anything to me. I went for an appointment a week later and she adjusted my denture. A few days later I had to go back for another adjustment. A couple of days later I was in terrible pain and rang my dentist for an appointment and I could tell the receptionist was irritated by my phone call. She said the dentist wasn't in that week and she would contact her and ring me back which she didn't do. My dentist told me when I had my 2nd adjustment that it was only a week since the extractions and was clearly annoyed with me. I have had to scour the Internet for information because my dentist gave me none. The pain was so bad at one point that it was unbearable. I feel better now after 12 days but feel my dentist could have explained things to me so I would have known what to expect instead of giving me a tube of denture fixative and a list of instructions. I feel like I don't want to bother them again because I might be a cause of annoyance to them. I am really sorry you are going through such a traumatic time and I hope you get the denture sorted out. Did they take impressions and did you have a wax try in? My partial fits over my gums but is difficult to put in because of a missing front tooth that is awkward to fit in until I position it right. The last time I went for an adjustment my dentist rammed the denture in my mouth forcefully because she couldn't get it in. I was very upset by the whole experience and have decided to just get on with it now until it hopefully becomes more comfortable.

Please let us know how you are and how you are getting on.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi @Brandykay926, I'm so sorry for what you went through, that sounds horrific . It sounds like this was a dental chain in the U.S.? Some of them have terrible reputations, and it might be worth checking reviews to see if others have had similar experiences there.

Regarding your malpractice question - certainly if some teeth were saveable and there were alternative treatment options, these should have been presented to you. Maybe it's a good thing that they didn't get around to the bottoms because this gives you a chance to get a second (and maybe third) opinion before proceeding with anything.

My suggestion would be to set up some consultations with other dentists in your area, preferably ones that come recommended or that get consistently good reviews (check Google). See what they say and if their assessment is the same as the previous office. If it's not, get all your notes including the x-rays from the previous office. You could then consult with a dental malpractice lawyer. In the UK, the dentist would certainly be obliged to discuss all feasible treatment options with you beforehand. I presume it would be similar in the US, but I'm not an expert so you'd really have to consult with a lawyer who specialises in this field.

Please let us know how you're getting on - best of luck

P.S. here are some pages with tips for finding a dentist:

How to find a dentist for nervous patients

Discover how to find a dentist who is good with nervous, scared or phobic patients - and who to avoid!

www.dentalfearcentral.org

How to find a high-quality dentist

How do you know if a dentist really cares about the quality of their work? Here is what to look for and expect from a high-quality dentist.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Brandykay926.

I am So sorry about what happened to you. This not at all the level of care that is any bit standard. I will write more later, but what I do suggest is you contact the board of dentistry in your state and let them know what happened. It will file a complaint on this dentist and keep others aware and he will then have a very good reason to practice better dentistry. I was on the board in another state as a public member and they take these things very serious and can give you some advise. I would definitely seek out care that is patient, gentle and caring. I am again so sorry this happened to you!!

 

[Brandykay926]

@Lindylou1601 they did do a mold but then the rest was all guess work because they don’t know how much swelling one person will have vs another. I ended up shaping the denture myself to fit. Which I understand voids any warranty etc but I’ll be honest… the way that dentist was attempting to make it fit, it didn’t even seem as if he ever used a dremel or something like it before, or maybe just didn’t know where or how to shape it. Idk. I work with hand tools I. My every day work so I just went ahead and made it work however I could. And cushion grip has been amazing for me for comfort and fit as my gums changed over the last 6 months. I go in next week to check the fit for the gums for my permanent ones. I ended up not getting my bottoms pulled and am getting a partial on my lower. I did go to 2 other dentists since then and one of them being the dentist I had prior and paid out of pocket. Unfortunately he doesn’t take my new insurance and I have 5 kids still living at home, so I can’t afford to just pay him out of pocket.
I did file a complaint on the doctor and office tho. I waited to do it until this week because I didn’t want to do anything rash out of emotion. But I am still very upset with them. I went back there hoping the old dentist returned and found out he is at a different office here in town, so I am transferring there. But I am still very upset and traumatized with the way that office handled about everything!
AND, when I went back they had to get the X-rays they never got that day after pulling my teeth for insurance to prove they pulled them. Not gonna lie… had I have known that, I would have made sure they couldn’t get that just to be a pain in the arse and make it more difficult for them to get paid. I know one thing for sure is that I will NEVER let that dentist touch me again! And never recommend them to anyone.

 

[Brandykay926]

@krlovesherkids777 Now it has been about 6 months (or there abouts) and I just filed a complaint this last week. I waited to do it because I didn’t want to file anything or do anything rash out of emotion. But this still has been and is completely unacceptable to me! Idk if anything will be done about it, but I hope so. I hate to be the ‘tattle tale’ but no one deserves to go through what I did. I fell into a terrible depression for a bit. I’m doing better now. Wish I had the money to get implants, or even see the dentist I really want to, but that’s neither here nor there. I responded more above to someone else too.