I had dental implants placed and have just now gotten the implant crowns that goes with them. Not only do they not match the teeth next to them, but it hurts every time I bite down. My dentist insists that they look fine and that the pain is just a period of adjustment that will go away. But what if it doesn’t? I’m more miserable now than when I had just a dental flipper, which was a lot less money by the way!
What do I do?
Kartik
Dear Kartik,
I have bad news and then good news for you. First, the bad news. Your dental work looking unattractive is not usually a reason to get a dental refund according to the dental board. The standard of care is functional. However, dentists that care about the quality of their work, as well as the satisfaction of their patients, would not say, “They look fine,” when their patient is unhappy. Worse, you say there is an obvious mismatch in color. Your dentist had to notice this too and he just doesn’t care.
Now for the good news. Hurting when you bite down is not normal. You may be wondering why that is good news. Because that means your case is not functional and your dentist will either have to redo it or give you a refund. My recommendation is you go to a true implant dentist. This is simply a general dentist who has a lot of post doctoral training in dental implants. It is even better if that dentist is qualified to do the surgery himself (or herself) as well. Have them look at your case and give you a second opinion. Don’t tell them who did the work. Just tell them about the pain you are experiencing and let them diagnose the issue. This way you can know whether the implants are placed okay and the dentist just placed the crowns incorrectly or if the implants themselves will have to be replaced.
If the implants themselves have to be replaced, do not just ask for a refund. Instead, ask him to pay for the replacement costs because it will require an additional procedure, known as bone grafting. This is because you will lose bone needed to support the implants during their removal process.
I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville Dentist Dr. David Potts.