I paid a fortune for a full-mouth reconstruction three years ago. I had originally only gone there to replace some rotting teeth with dental implants. He told me my bite was off and I needed the whole mouth done. He also said he could keep the cost down by just using crowns on some of the teeth. They didn’t all need dental implants. He said it would take care of the headaches I’ve been getting. I trusted him and went forward with it. Fast forward to now and Almost all the crowns, even the ones on the dental implants, have fallen out. My mouth is nothing but empty spaces and stubs. It is impossible for me to eat. To make matters worse, the dentist who did this to me has apparently skipped the country. What do I do?
Elaine
Dear Elaine,
What an awful spot you have been placed in by this obviously unethical dentist. While it is true that TMJ disorder can be the cause of some migraines, a full-mouth reconstruction is a last resort procedure, reserved for the most serious TMJ cases. It is also one of the most advanced procedures and requires a great deal of post-doctoral training. This dentist obviously did not have the right training. It sounds like he also knew that everything was about to catch up with him.
Obviously, your work is going to have to be redone. Without knowing where this dentist is, it will be impossible to get your money back or any recourse, which is probably why he skipped in the first place. I would start by seeing a reputable dentist with dental implant training and see what work can be easily saved first. Then, you can do a triage of sorts so this work can be done in bites you can afford.
My hope for you is the dental implants themselves are fine and the crowns are the problem. That would be the best case scenario. The good news is, while the dentist who did this to you was obviously unethical, most dentists went into their field because they wanted to help people. That means you should be able to find a dentist willing to work with you on payments for this because of the uniqueness and desperation of the situation.
This blog is brought to you by Enfield Dentist Dr. William Cummiskey.