I was excited to find a holistic dentist in my area. I’ve wanted to get rid of some metal dental work as well as switch out some mercury fillings. My old dentist was adamately oppossed to removing the dental work because he insists there is nothing unsafe with it. Unfortuanately, my experience with this dentist was not optimal. In replacing the crown he suggested we use a CEREC machine which would mean that I would not have to use a temporary crown. That sounded good so I agreed. Usually a dentist does a try in, but this dentist didn’t and just bonded it on. It did not feel quite right, which I mentioned. He sanded it and sent me on the way. The next few days were miserable. It felt like there was a sharp pain every time I bit down, but not because of the new molar but the molar in front of it. For some reason, it was hitting way sooner than the new tooth and was causing pain. I went back and explained this so she sanded that tooth down too. I didn’t understand this because it was fine until I had this new crown put in. Then my front teeth started hitting my bottom teeth and I noticed they were turning crooked. None of this was an issue before the crown. I asked her about my bite changing and he said that our teeth move as we age and suggested I get orthodontics. It just seems weird that this happened so suddenly. I decided to get a second opinion. This dentist said that my crown didn’t fit my bite properly and needed to be replaced. He suggested I either replace the new crown with a proper fit and add material to the other molar she sanded unnecessarily or just get everything fixed with Invisalign. Should I get any money back from this dentist now that I have to spend more money to fix it? Also, I never got my silver fillings replaced, but I’m afraid to use this dentist again. Is it possible to get a holistic dentist who does good work? Or maybe I am misreading this and the problem is the CEREC machine. I don’t know.
Lewis
Dear Lewis,
The problem is not the CEREC machine. Generally, this is more precise because it is milled by computer. It sounds like the holistic dentist you used is not as skilled as other dentists. This is not a dig on Holistic Dentists. In fact, holistic dentistry is not a specialty with any special training. It is a philosophy of treatment. Like any group of dentists, some will be better than others.
This, however, is bordering on incompetence. I do believe you are within your right to get a full refund. Instead, however, I would ask them to cover whatever costs you will incur in getting this fixed. You may need more work than you did before seeing this dentist.
You do not have to go to a holistic dentist in order to have metal-free work done. If you are talking about a crown on a back tooth, you can get a zirconia crown, which is strong enough to handle the bite forces back there. Any dentist should know how to replace a dental crown without causing the problems you’ve had.
As for replacing the silver fillings, you will want to be careful who does that. Because the majority ingredient is mercury, it has to be removed with caution. There is a sanitary removal procedure which will protect you from swallowing any mercury or inhaling any mercury vapors. Mercury-free dentists know this procedure.
This blog is brought to you by Enfield Dentist Dr. William Cummiskey.
