Archives for November 2020

Horrible Color on My Front Teeth

November 24, 2020 by writeradmin

I had to have zirconia crowns placed on my front teeth. My dentist sent me to a prosthodontist. I have a bit of dental anxiety and so he suggested dental sedation. He assured me I’d be able to see the crowns before they were bonded on. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. He said I saw them and approved them, but I have no recollection of that. I am sure that if I had seen them, I would not have approved them. They are completely gray compared to the rest of my teeth. The dentist is absolutely refusing to replace them, saying that I approved them and they are fine. What do I do? I absolutely do not smile anymore. My teeth look ridiculous to me.

Marion

Dear Marion,

You shouldn’t feel ashamed to smile after having dental work done.

I’m very sorry for the experience you’ve had. We often see these type of cosmetic dentistry horror stories with people who get smile makeovers from an inexperienced cosmetic dentist. Most patients don’t realize that cosmetic dentistry isn’t a recognized specialty. If a dentist wants training in cosmetic work, they have to invest in post-doctoral training.

Unfortunately, this means every general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist, regardless of the amount of training they’ve attained. This has resulted in some disastrous results. With a prosthodontist, it can actually be a worse scenario. This is because they think their extra training in restorations also makes them experts in cosmetics as well. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

This seems to be what you are facing. He fancies himself an expert and feels justified in not replacing his ugly work. Unfortunately, if the work is functioning it can be hard to get a refund, but I’ll give you some tips for that later. You do have one thing working in your favor.

He would be hard-pressed to say you were lucid enough to truly give approval. It’s never a good idea to use a strong sedation when there is cosmetic work involved, unless the patient is highly anxious. If that is what you are dealing with it is in both your and the dentist’s best interest to try you in provisionals for a while to ensure that you are satisfied with them, while you are in the best possible state of mind.

I’m also a tad curious about his choice of zirconia crowns for front teeth. These come in blocks and are milled into the shape needed for the tooth. Unfortunately, this has a very flat appearance. A wise cosmetic dentist would put a layer of porcelain on top of the zirconia. Porcelain can be done in varying levels of translucency which more mimics your natural tooth structure.

The best way to get a refund from one dentist is to get another one on your side. Often when a dentist won’t listen to a dentist they will listen to a peer. My first recommendation is for you to get a skilled cosmetic dentist, preferably an AACD accredited dentist, to look at them and share their opinion about the appearance. There are some more tips that you can find here.

I also think the dentist who referred you has some responsibility to make this right as well. If your teeth look bad, he or she could pressure the dentist into replacing them. After all, much of his patients will come from referrals. He should want to make sure your dentist is comfortable recommending him.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Smile Makeover Gone Wrong

November 14, 2020 by writeradmin

I went to a dentist because I was finally in a position to fix my teeth. My four front teeth are overcrowded and misaligned. My dentist told me using smile makeover techniques with cosmetic dentistry I could fix my teeth without braces. In total, he did dental bonding, two porcelain veneers, and some tooth shaping. He also said he shaped some lower teeth, which we never actually discussed. I wish he hadn’t done that because it added to the price. I paid a total cost of $9.3K. When it was “finsihed”, there really wasn’t much of a difference. My teeth were still misaligned and I didn’t feel like it was prettier in any way. I asked how it was possible to get the teeth to look like he said they would. He told me I’d need to do four root canals and dental crowns, of course, there is a significant additional cost. I wasn’t too keen on that so I went to see another dentist to see what they thought. Their solution was to just whiten my teeth and then do four porcelain veneers. There cost for that was only $7K. I like that idea. Is there any way for me to recoup my original $9.3K?

Camille

Dear Camille

I am sorry for what you have been through. We are going to file this in one of the many cosmetic dentistry horror stories people write to us seeking advice. One of the problems you are facing is that there isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. On top of that, dentists are not taught much in dental school about doing smile makeovers.

The dentist who did your smile makeover obviously hasn’t invested much in his cosmetic dentistry training. Nor has he given you the smile he told you that he would provide. I think you have a good case for a refund. Before we get into that, I want to make sure the next dentist you see to repair this is qualified.

My suggestion is that you look on the mynewsmile.com website. They prescreen cosmetic dentists who wish to be listed. They cannot purchase their way on. Instead, they have to demonstrate their technical skills, training, and artistry. Anyone they list will give you a stunning smile.

The second dentist was on the right track. You do not need root canals or dental crowns. Please don’t let anyone do that to your teeth. Porcelain veneers are sufficient and will give you a beautiful result with an artistic dentist. The teeth whitening makes sense too if your smile is wider than the number of veneers you are getting. It also helps your bottom arch to blend.

Tips for Getting a Dental Refund

With some dentists, who care about patient satisfaction, you can simply ask for a refund when the work done wasn’t what was promised. However, some dentists are more stubborn than others. While I always recommend simply asking first in order to give them an opportunity to do the right thing, you do need some tips in case they don’t.

First, let them know you are doing them a favor. Often, a dentist will not know that written requests for a refund have to get reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank. It helps to educate them and give them an out by saying something like the following.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for you. This is why I am making an oral request, instead of a written one which would have to be reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.”

If he still doesn’t comply, here are my recommendations:

Make a written request, explaining your reasons so it is on record.
Write a negative online review, which puts them in a position of needing to respond in order to save their reputation.
Complain to the dental board. With a legitimate complaint, the dental board can make life quite difficult for dentists. He’ll want to avoid this, so let him know it is your next step. That may spur him on.
Go to a lawyer. Often just the letter from the lawyer will be enough. With a legitimate complaint, the dentist’s malpractice insurance will encourage him to settle.

Best of luck. Make sure you get an expert cosmetic dentist to fix this.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Bone Grafting Failed

November 7, 2020 by writeradmin

I am not sure what to do. I had planned on getting a dental implant. My dentist has placed many of them for other people so I felt okay going to him instead of a dental implant specialist. When he first attempted the surgery he had to stop and told me he thought that I needed some bone grafting done for the dental implant to work. I went along with his assessment. He did the bone grafting and then after the appropriate period, we went in for the second attempt at the implant surgery. Again he informed me that there isn’t enough bone and we weren’t able to complete the procedure. Now his suggestion is I get a dental bridge. I am finding myself wishing I had gone to a specialist. Is it too late for me to get this implant? If so, is there a better option?

Misty

Dear Misty,

The first thing I will say is while there isn’t a recognized specialty in dental implants, there are dentists who have invested in more training and have more experience than others. While you were able to get the care you needed with your family dentist. You have two great things going for you with this dentist.

First, he appears to be a dentist who is taking his field seriously and is consistently learning new skills. This is a great quality for a dentist. They will not just be stuck in a rut. Instead, their patients will benefit from their learning all the latest advancements and procedures in the field.

Second, your dentist has integrity. When he saw the potential for failure in the first attempt, he stopped the procedure in order to give you your best chance of a positive outcome. Then, after you followed his advice, but it didn’t work, he admitted it. Some dentists would have just placed the implants and not said anything about the bone grafting not working, in order to save themselves embarrassment. Then, a year or so down the line, the dental implant will fail and you would never know the real reason behind the failure.

Would this have happened if you had gone to a more experienced implant dentist? No. But, every dentist that is starting a new skill has some failures.

You can still get a dental implant if you still want one. It will require you to have the bone grafting rebuilt before you move forward.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.