Do you think I have a bad dentist?

Question

I moved here about three years ago and had to find a new dentist. I have never had a lot of trouble with my teeth until now. I have always gone to the dentist regularly. When I started going to him, he told me that I needed 3 root canals and crowns. I trusted him and let him do it. I have been told by others, since then, he should have sent me somewhere else to have that kind of work done. All three teeth that he worked on have gotten infected, one broke off at the gumline. He said the root canals "didn't take" - "broke up". I am beginning to wonder if I really needed that kind of work done anyway. My question is, do you think I probably just had a bad dentist? OR (just another thought I had, it's far fetched but......) Is there a chance that my body is rejecting whatever the material is that they used to do the work? Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else? I am so embarrassed.

Answer 1

I would say that your Dentist probably took advantage of you. I am a practicing dental hygienist and usually when a Dentist does a root canal they will then place a crown over it to protect the tooth. After a root canal the tooth becomes very brittle and can break just as your did. The crown protects the tooth essentially. I would question the office why the root canal did not "take" and if something can be done for you. I don't think that your body is rejecting the material used to fill the canals. It is called gutta percha and is well tolerated by the body. It sounds like this Dr. is inept and doesn't really care about his patients well being. I would fight for my money. There not cheap procedures.

Answer 2

I am the queen of teeth problems! I've had 11 root canals in the past 3 years - they all "took" - BUT I had them done by an endodontics specialist - he does nothing but root canals. I would never NEVER trust a DDS to do it. I would definitely get another opinion. It will be worth the money. Let another check out what has already been done and don't give your opinions or concerns - so the new guy can come to his own conclusion. This way hopefully the new dentist won't capitalize on your discomfort & displeasure. If you have to, go to another! I went to 3 before I decided on one. I thoroughly researched their licenses online and "popped" in their offices to see what I could see!

P.S. My crowns, which are actually bridges, have given me trouble, though, but that's not the fault of neither my dentist nor the endodontist. I just don't handle crowns and especially bridges well - you have to take extra special care to floss them, especially my bridges, which require special "threaders" in order to get up under them.

Toothaches are the most horrible pain in the world. I feel for you and wish you the very best. if ever I can help...
BTW, my teeth still need about $10K worth of work done - I'm probably going to have implants done. Yuk! Thank goodness for Novacaine & Nitrous Oxide!

Answer 3

If your dentist is confident about his work then he would offer to re do the work for free. If not, then yes, you got a bad dentist and I would haul buns to another fast. Ive never heard of a root canal not taking as all it is is deadening of the nerves and putting a crown on the now dead stub. Talk to him about re doing the work. You will get your answers then and will know exactly what to do. Good luck.

Answer 4

hello ,
you had a bad time if not a bad dentist . i, am myself a dentist can not predict that a dentist will do something to do harm to you{his bread & butter}. Look everybody does his best to his capabilities but.............but everybody,s capibility differs. But on my own part i think there must be some more facts . the judgement can be delivered only on seeing the before & after X-rays & your history card .
Now i suggest you should go back to your dentist & also take asecond opinion. & only then finalize that whether he is a good or bad dentist
Regards
Dr Thind
www.thind.com

Answer 5

Ok, always get a second and even a third and fourth opinion before you get that kind of work done. There are dentists who will tell you that you need work done on your teeth that you don't need, simply to make more money off you. It sounds like this one was both greedy and incompetent.

Answer 6

Get a second opinion from a dentist that someone you know well refers you to. There is nothing wrong with doing that, and it will tell you if you needed all of this work or not, I'm thinking that you didn't, but have someone look who's had the training.

Answer 7

HELLO MD,
HEARING YOUR STORY MADE ME REALLY WONDER ABOUT THIS DENTIST'S COMPETENCE? MAYBE HE USED YOU TO "PRACTICE DENTISTRY" ON. IF THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED, IT IS PATHETIC!
SO NOW WHAT DO YOU DO?
TRUSTING THIS DENTIST FOR FURTHER WORK WOULD NOT BE WISE. SEEING DENTISTS IN A TEACHING UNIVERSITY WOULD BE GOOD. THESE ARE PROFESSIONALS WHOSE REPUTATION IS BASED ON GETTING IT DONE RIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE. MY SECOND
CHOICE WOULD BE TO GET RECOMMENDATIONS FROM PROFESSIONALS SUCH AS PHYSICIANS, NURSES, ETC. TO LEARN WHOM THEY WOULD SEE.
AS A PATIENT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO RECEIVE INFORMED, WHAT IT MEANS IS YOU MUST HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS OF THE PROCEDURES TO BE DONE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT TO A SECOND OPINION.
I, PERSONALLY CAN NOT COMMENT ON WHAT YOU'VE SAID NOW. I HAVE NOT SEEN YOUR CASE BEFOREHAND I CAN'T SAY WHETHER OR NOT YOU NEEDED THE WORK DONE. I CAN NOT EVEN COMMENT ON THE MATERIALS USED FOR YOUR ROOT CANALS.
PLEASE DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED. THIS MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED TO ANYONE - UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS YOU.

Answer 8

Check with the state dentist examiners board to see if he has any complaints lodged against him. I personally feel you are in bad hands.

Answer 9

i could ask approximately him with the human beings interior the waiting room. If no person is conscious i could get irritating. you could continually google him and BBB him to work out if there are any courtroom situations against him or general comments.

Answer 10

Go see someone else soon before you lose all of your teeth. It sounds like he doesn't know what he's doing.