Should I Stay with the Holistic Dentist if She Messes Up

I go to the only holistic dentist in my town. I was very excited. But, I’m beginning to wonder if she knows what she’s doing when it comes to the regular dental care stuff. I needed a dental crown replaced because I didn’t like that mine was metal based. I also needed to get my amalgam fillings replaced with composite so that there was no mercury in my mouth. When it came to the crown, she wanted to use her CEREC machine which can do it in one appointment. I liked the idea of not needing a temporary crown so I agreed. She started by having the computer take a scan of my teeth and crown. She had mentioned the crown was rather large, but I didn’t really think anything about that at the time because it had never bothered me. When the crown was placed, she bonded it on without checking the fit. Maybe she was just really confident with her new machine. But, whatever the reason, it didn’t fit. It was way bigger than my other teeth. Because she’d bonded it there wasn’t really anything she could do except file it down and send me on my way. It never felt better so I went back. She said the teeth around it are too high now and sanded those down. That also puzzled me because those teeth never bothered me before this crown. After she did that, my whole jaw started bothering me. I asked what the next step is and she said orthodontics. That’s another $6,000. I’m starting to think she doesn’t do quality work and won’t admit it. Where do I go from here if she is the only dentist that is holistic in my area? I want to get rid of these mercury fillings still.

Manny

Dear Manny,

This sounds like an awful experience. I am sorry you had to go through that. Based on your description, your dentist violated the basic standard of care. Beyond that, it sounds like her poor job on your crown led to her doing damage to other, healthy teeth. You are entitled to a full refund on this and if she gives you trouble with that, I think you could win that, plus some, in a lawsuit. It’s going to take some work to fix your bite and if you don’t get it fixed it can lead to some TMJ disorder.

I’m going to suggest you find a different dentist. While there may not be another completely holistic dentist in your area, there are dentists who are willing to work with patients on their holistic concerns. If you have chemical sensitivities or prefer things to be metal free, just let the dentist know. There are quite a few dentists who would be willing to work with you. Start by looking for a mercury-free dentist. Although they may not advertise as a holistic dentist, they do care about what goes into their patients’ bodies and will be able to work with you. In addition to that, because they are mercury-free, they probably already know and practice sanitary amalgam removal, so you will be safe getting those switched over.

As for the problem with your same day crown, the machines used for these, produce much more accurate results. However, like all computers, they are only as good as the programmer. If your dentist did not input the right information, it cannot mill the right crown.

Get that refund and go to a mercury free dentist in your area to get this fixed and the rest of your work done.

This blog is brought to you by West Seneca Dentist Dr. Carl Embury.