I had a pretty bad dental experience where I feel I was taken advantage of or just treated by an incompetent dentist. I began having some pain with cold food and drinks. The tooth was also sensitive if I touched it. I had just moved to this city and didn’t have a dentist who advertised as an emergency dentist. It was one of my lower first molars. I told the dentist this. He did an exam and x-ray and decided my big problem was an impacted wisdom tooth, that he thought should be removed, but agreed to do a filling on the first molar. Not long after that my tooth started hurting like crazy. He again said I should get the impacted wisdom tooth out, but adjusted the filling. I got the wisdom tooth out by an oral surgeon and was given an antibiotic and pain medicine. I felt better for a bit and then when the medicine wore off the pain came back worse than before and my mouth was swollen. I went back in and he gave me more antibiotics. By then, I’d given up and ended up in the ER the next day. They told me my first molar was abscessed and I needed to get a root canal treatment done right away. I went back to the dentist who referred me to a root canal specialist. But they couldn’t see me for several weeks. I ended up just going back to the oral surgeon who suggested we pull the tooth. After all this I am out quite a bit of money and a tooth, which I think could have been saved if he’d listened to me to begin with. Is there any way to get some of this money back from this dentist?
Kevin
Dear Kevin,
At each stage of reading your story, I became more and more flabbergasted. I find it hard to believe this dentist actually graduated dental school. I think not only should he refund you for the ER visit and the oral surgeon, but he should also pay to have a dental implant placed where you are now missing what was very likely a saveable tooth.
Let’s go step by step his errors so you can point the problems out to him and, if need be, get an attorney. You have a great case if you go that route.
First, your initial visit where you were showing pain and sensitivity to cold should have told him right away that the pulp is inflamed and you need a root canal treatment. Some dentists don’t like doing root canal treatments. Fine. Then, refer you to an endodontist. I have zero clue why he would place these symptoms with your wisdom tooth. It makes no sense.
Second, he gives you a filling for what should have been obvious deep decay.
Third, he gives you antibiotics, which tells me he suspected an infection. As a dentist, he should have known that antibiotics only hold a dental infection at bay, they do not cure it. You have to go to an ER unnecessarily. They tell you there is an infection.
Fourth, once he’s told what the true diagnosis is by someone who is not even a dentist, he finally refers you to someone who can do a root canal treatment. However, he leaves you in pain this entire time. He could have given you immediate relief from the pain by simply drilling a small opening into the infected tooth. That would have taken away your pain while you waited for your appointment. Instead, he leaves you in agony while you’re supposed to wait weeks! I don’t think so.
Now, in desperation, you’ve lost a tooth.
Show him this post if you must to try and get the compensation you deserve. If he fusses about it, you have a great case and can even win some money for pain and suffering.
I’m sorry you had to endure this. I assure you not all dentists who treat emergencies are this incompetent.
This blog is brought to you by Enfield Dentist Dr. William Cummiskey
