I had to replace three front teeth. One of them needed some bone grafting. The extractions are done. He sent me to an oral surgeon for the bone grafting and then provided me with three Maryland Bridges. The problem I am having is the Maryland Bridges keep falling off. Aside from being constantly nervous a front tooth is going to fall out when I am in public, I am beginning to have doubts about this dentist’s ability. Seeing as I am in the middle of this procedure, is it too late to switch dentists? If not, am I overreacting?
Lance
Dear Lance,
You are always allowed to switch dentists, no matter where you are in the procedure. In fact, your dentist is ethically obligated to cooperate with your new dentist and provide him or her with all his notes and the diagnostics, including any x-rays or CT scans that were done. As to whether or not you are over-reacting, I would say that you are not.
First, his choice for your temporary tooth replacements have me puzzled. Why a Maryland Bridge? With a temporary tooth replacement, we want something that can be easily removed AND will not make any changes to the structure of the tooth. A Maryland Bridge has to be bonded to the adjacent teeth. Not only that but a notch is made in those teeth to help secure the Bridge. That does not sound temporary to me. A better tooth replacement while you wait on your dental implants would be a dental flipper. It is inexpensive and completely removable.
A second issue is the fact that he does not know how to bond it on properly. It should not be falling off. This makes me wonder about his skill set. Dental implants are much more advanced than a Maryland Bridge.
A third consideration is how he handles the aesthetics of a case. You are talking about your front teeth. These are the most exposed parts of your smile. You will want someone who has post-doctoral cosmetic training as well.
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