I went to a dentist who advertised treatment for TMJ pain. When I went, he said my case was one of the most complex cases he’d ever seen. He suggested a full-mouth reconstruction, which he did with a mixture of dental crowns and dental implants with crowns. I trusted him. I spend over $30,000 on this. Since then, almost all the crowns have fallen off. My mouth is a bloody mess whenever I even try to eat. I’ve stopped. I’ve been on a liquid and have lost too much weight. I kept trying to reach the dentist with no success. One day, I just went down there unannounced and found out that particular dentist has fled the company. When I asked for a refund they told me they’ve filed for bankruptcy. I am out all that money and cannot even eat. What do I do?
Melissa
Dear Melissa,
What an absolute disaster. I am sorry you have had this experience. While most dentists have good intentions, even if they make an error, this one was obviously a swindler. With him fleeing the country, it will be unlikely you will be able to recoup any money. Obviously, you cannot live like this. The first thing I would do is get the dental implants themselves looked at to make sure the only problem is the crowns falling off. If they are stable, then it will be time to get the crowns replaced or rebonded.
If you still have any of the dental crowns, bring thtem with you. It’s possbile they can be re-attached with the proper bonding technique, which will save you a lot of money. I am also going to suggest that you explain what happened to whatever dentist you end up with. I am willing to guess more than a few of them will be willing to let you get the repairs done and pay this out as you can. You are in a tough spot that was brought on by no fault of your own.
For the benefit of others reading this, I am going to suggest any time you have a major treatment suggested, whether medical or dental, you make certain to get a second option before deciding. The second opinion dentist needs to be chosen by you and not your dentist.
This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.