Switching Dentists Mid-Treatment?

[Ammie]

Long story short, I just had 2 root canals done in one visit yesterday, and it was awful. Spent an hour in the waiting room, procedure took 3 hours since my dentist kept having to leave for 10-20 minutes at a time to treat other patients. At one point I was sitting there for what felt like ages with two clamps and the rubber dam over my mouth, completely alone, basically praying for my dentist to come back so I could be done with this already. Oh, and the anesthetic wore off because they took so long to get started, I found that out when they started drilling and I could feel it.

Anyway, I'm not scheduled to get permanent crowns until 3 weeks from now, and I've been wondering if it would be possible to transfer to a new dentist at this stage? I've already sent them an email and I plan on calling this week, just wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation. Would it be possible to have the current dentist send my permanent crowns to another dentist? Sorry for all the random questions, just needed to get all this out of my head.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Ammie,

So sorry you had to go through this experience. That sounds really nerve inducing, it sounds so scattered and like you didn't have the full attention. that is really hard. For them to keep taking off and then the anesthetic to wear off and to feel the drilling.. Did they have any idea or ask about your comfort level at all during this time ? or were just no autopilot running all over and not really recognizing the discomfort of this all? Did they acknowledge or validate your experience at all?

Did they do the crown prep already? or just the root canals? and is there more than one Dr at this location or were you thinking of switching to another practice all together? sorry about all the questions. I myself switched mid treatment after a bad experience with my old dentist putting in my implant and doing extraction and I can tell you I am VERY glad I did!! My new dentist is a gem. and very considerate of his patients in all ways.. It really makes a difference to have a dentist that cares. I hope you can get this situated and be well cared for!!

 

[Ammie]

Ammie,

So sorry you had to go through this experience. That sounds really nerve inducing, it sounds so scattered and like you didn't have the full attention. that is really hard. For them to keep taking off and then the anesthetic to wear off and to feel the drilling.. Did they have any idea or ask about your comfort level at all during this time ? or were just no autopilot running all over and not really recognizing the discomfort of this all? Did they acknowledge or validate your experience at all?

Did they do the crown prep already? or just the root canals? and is there more than one Dr at this location or were you thinking of switching to another practice all together? sorry about all the questions. I myself switched mid treatment after a bad experience with my old dentist putting in my implant and doing extraction and I can tell you I am VERY glad I did!! My new dentist is a gem. and very considerate of his patients in all ways.. It really makes a difference to have a dentist that cares. I hope you can get this situated and be well cared for!!

They asked how I was doing multiple times, but it just seemed like they were trying to get things done as quickly as possible, especially towards the end. Which is ridiculous, considering how long it took anyway. I actually had pain during nerve removal of one tooth and the dentist actually straight up told me it was going to hurt since she was removing the nerve and just kept going. I didn't realize until after that apparently this is typical of big chain dental clinics, I should've done more research. My impression was they had too many patients booked and not enough dentists to treat them all in a timely manner.

I've had crown prep done and temporary crowns put in, they said it will be 3 weeks before the permanents come in. I'm looking to try a different office entirely, a private practice that seems to have a much better reputation. I'm hoping I can avoid having any more work done at this clinic, going to call the new place this week to see if there's any way I can just get the permanent crowns sent to them instead. The reason I don't want to wait until after the crowns is because I suspect one of the teeth might need a second root canal treatment. It's still very sensitive to pressure. This was also my first time going to the dentist in 6 years, so I've been dealing with general anxiety from being at the dentist's in the first place. I'm going to do what I have to do to get my smile fixed, I was just hoping it would get off to a better start than this! Lol

 

[brit]

I actually had pain during nerve removal of one tooth and the dentist actually straight up told me it was going to hurt since she was removing the nerve and just kept going. I didn't realize until after that apparently this is typical of big chain dental clinics,
I've had crown prep done and temporary crowns put in, they said it will be 3 weeks before the permanents come in. I'm looking to try a different office entirely, a private practice that seems to have a much better reputation.

There is so much wrong with what has happened to you there. You should have your dentist's full attention during a root canal treatment and are you seriously saying they did 2 apparently 'one visit' root canals and 2 crown preps in one appointment! Could this be because they are worried you might not come back and go elsewhere? In your shoes I would not return but it seems all that may be left is to stick the permanent crowns in place so going elsewhere may not improve matters...unless you would rather someone more experienced checked the preps and made sure the quality is okay...it's a bit late to go elsewhere once the new crowns have been put in place.
In the UK a private dentist would typically do root canal treatment over 2-3 visits of about an hour at which you would have the dentist's full attention and crown prep may be left till much later to ensure the tooth has settled down. The nerve is usually taken out at the first appointment under local anaesthetic.
This is what it should be like ideally: https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/faq/root-canal/

If I were you, I would not go back. It might be a good idea to get an endodontist to check the root canals before putting a crown on. I doubt the technical quality was much good given the interruptions and the the amount of work done!

 

[krlovesherkids777]

I would maybe go to someone who offered a 2nd opinion that seems good with anxious patients and maybe if you feel comfortable with them, see if they can work with the other office instead of you having to directly to take some of the stress off you.. I would not feel comfortable personally going back their either . It makes me nervous just thinking of what happened here. Please let us know how it goes hopefully this buys you some time to try to find another more compassionate place to see if they can help you finish?

They asked how I was doing multiple times, but it just seemed like they were trying to get things done as quickly as possible, especially towards the end. Which is ridiculous, considering how long it took anyway. I actually had pain during nerve removal of one tooth and the dentist actually straight up told me it was going to hurt since she was removing the nerve and just kept going. I didn't realize until after that apparently this is typical of big chain dental clinics, I should've done more research. My impression was they had too many patients booked and not enough dentists to treat them all in a timely manner.

I've had crown prep done and temporary crowns put in, they said it will be 3 weeks before the permanents come in. I'm looking to try a different office entirely, a private practice that seems to have a much better reputation. I'm hoping I can avoid having any more work done at this clinic, going to call the new place this week to see if there's any way I can just get the permanent crowns sent to them instead. The reason I don't want to wait until after the crowns is because I suspect one of the teeth might need a second root canal treatment. It's still very sensitive to pressure. This was also my first time going to the dentist in 6 years, so I've been dealing with general anxiety from being at the dentist's in the first place. I'm going to do what I have to do to get my smile fixed, I was just hoping it would get off to a better start than this! Lol

 

[Ammie]

Thanks for the support guys! I spoke with the new dentist today and I'm going in for an exam with them tomorrow afternoon. They said they can't treat me until after I've had the permanents put in, but we'll see how tomorrow goes. At this point I might be willing to pay for the crowns all over again with the new dentist if it means I don't have to go through anything like that again.

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hi,

Most chances it will not be a problem to switch dentists in this stage.

 

[Ammie]

Update: I went for xrays and an exam with the new dentist today and it went very well! They have a much nicer office, friendly staff, and the dentist was wonderful. He sat down and let me explain my situation, answered all my questions, and gave his evaluation of the work I've had done. The root canals look good, so I can relax about that. He confirmed that they can't get the permanent crowns I've already been fitted for sent to their office. Apparently it's partly an insurance issue and the fact that the lab that makes them won't transfer work to a dentist from another practice. I decided to bite the bullet and just pay for new crowns from this dentist instead. It is well worth the peace of mind to me, to know I don't have to go through any more nightmare procedures or sit in a waiting room for hours.

 

[brit]

Thanks for updating us. I am pleased you could afford to make the best decision for your peace of mind despite the extra expense. Good luck going forward.