Dentist Wants to Keep Giving Me Partials
I have always had problems with my teeth. They get chipped, discolored, decayed. It’s a constant battle. My dentist keeps just removing them and giving me partials. I’m frustrated because I’m only in my late twenties. He insists the teeth can’t be saved and the best thing he can do for me is to replace them with partials. Isn’t there at least something more permanent for fake teeth? I thought at this day and age we would get past things like dentures.
Florence
Dear Florence,
There are definitely options for you to have a more permanent, fixed tooth replacement. Two of the best are a dental implant and a dental bridge. My guess is that your dentist is not comfortable doing these procedures so he didn’t bring them up. Removable partial dentures are his comfort zone.
However, don’t push him into doing a procedure he isn’t comfortable with. While almost any dentist should be able to do a bridge, Implants are an advanced dental procedure when, if done incorrectly, can lead to serious problems.
The first thing I recommend you do is get a second opinion about the save-ability of your teeth. Every dentist has a varying degree of interest in saving natural tooth structure. Some will go above and beyond to keep your teeth for you. Others prefer just to remove them. This means while one dentist says a tooth can’t be saved, another might be able to restore it to health.
If they can’t be saved, a dental implant is the next best thing to your own tooth. As I mentioned before, it will be important that you get a dentist who knows how to that procedure. Dental school will not be enough. You will want someone who has great post-doctoral training.
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Dental Implants and Diabetes?
I lost a tooth and need to replace it. I asked my dentist about a dental implant. He hinted that because I have diabetes, I may not be the best candidate for it. I guess that means my best option is a dental bridge, but was hoping to avoid this. Is there any way for a diabetic to get a dental implant with some special procedures?
Carl
Dear Carl,
I am glad you wrote. A dental implant is a great choice for a tooth replacement. Having diabetes does not mean that you cannot have a dental implant, but there are greater risks. You won’t need any extra procedures in order to get it, but it will be important that you have extra diagnostics and careful care and observation throughout the procedure.
You will want to make sure you have someone with a high level of expertise and training in dental implants do your procedure. Dental school is not enough. You want them to have post-doctoral training in placing them as well of a success rate of at least 95%.
The fact that your dentist was steering you away from implants tells me that he is not as comfortable. Do not pressure him into it. This is an advanced procedure and you have more risk factors than most. You do not want him in over his head and you ending up with a dental implant horror story.
It is totally acceptable to go to another dentist to have the implant done, while your family dentist still oversees your normal dental care. If the dentist who you decide on sends you to an oral surgeon for the placement, it is extremely important that your implant dentist determines the placement and not the surgeon. Don’t do it the other way around.
I hope this helps. Don’t short cut the diagnostics.
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Bone Grafting Did Not Work
My dentist has done hundreds of dental implants with great success, but for some reason mine was a bust. He did all these pre-diagnostics, which cost a fortune, then told me I needed some bone grafting done. He’d been training on that, so I went ahead and did that, too, with him. More money. After the required healing period, he went in to do the implant surgery but did not place the dental implant because he said there still wasn’t enough bone. He’s now offering to give me a dental bridge. Here are my questions. First, was he just milking me for surgeries? Second, should I get the dental bridge or go somewhere else to get the implant? Does the bone thing matter?
David
Dear David,
I’m going to start with your last question. Yes, the bone thing does matter. The only way for the dental implant to remain securely in your mouth is for there to be enough bone available to integrate with the implant. This bone is important even for your natural teeth. One of the reasons that people with untreated gum disease end up losing their teeth is because the disease eats the bone that supports their teeth.
As for whether he was just milking you for money, I sincerely doubt it. It sounds more to me like you have a fantastic dentist for two reasons. First, he’s trying to keep up with the developments in his field and learn them in order to serve his patients in the best way possible. You’d mentioned he’d been training on that. All people, no matter what the field, when they are learning a new skill will have failures. That’s what learning is like for everyone. But, he’s learning. That will only end up better for you in the long run.
Second, he has integrity. If he were trying to just take your money, he would have just placed the implant knowing the bone grafting did not work. Eventually, your implant would have failed, but it would likely take a year or more and have been impossible to prove that he was at fault.
As to whether you should get the dental bridge, that is a fine alternative to a dental implant. This is especially true if one of the adjacent teeth already needs a dental crown. Then, you’d be knocking off two procedures at once. You can certainly still get the dental implant if that is the replacement you really want. However, you’ll need to go to a different surgeon to have at least the bone grafting part done.
I know you’re frustrated, and I understand, but it does sound like your dentist was trying his best with a procedure that was new to him and was up front with you when things went awry.
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Antibiotics with a Sinus Perforation
I am a bit frustrated. I had a dental implant placed. Then, it was removed again six months later because the dentist said that the bone never filled in properly. He mentioned that the implant had perforated my sinus cavity, but that it was no problem because this happens all the time with dental implants and that it was only a few millimeters. I worried that I would need an antibiotic, but he told me there was no need. I started having some pain and popping in the nose area. I called the dentist and he told me to take some decongestant. I did that but it didn’t help. In fact, then I developed yucky drainage and a fever. I called back and this time insisted he give me an antibiotic. He relented and wrote me a prescription. That’s when I finally started getting better. Should he have given me the antibiotic to begin with? Also, he said we could try again in a year or I could just get a dental bridge. Do you have a recommendation?
Avery
Dear Avery,
I’m glad you wrote. There is an even bigger issues here that we’ll get to in a moment. First, I want to answer the question you wrote with. Not giving you an antibiotic at the beginning is not a problem. He’d want to wait until there were signs of infection. That being said, there was some sign there when you began having pain. I am glad that you had the courage to put your foot down when the fever developed. At that point, you should not have had to insist.
Now, let’s get into two huge issues I see here. First, the perforation of the sinus cavity. While it does happen sometimes, I wouldn’t say that it happens all the time, at least not with skilled dentists who do proper diagnostics. However, JUST a few millimeters is misleading. In most cases in life, a few millimeters is no big deal. In dentistry, however, a few millimeters is HUGE. He should not have made light of that.
When you have dental implants placed, it is important to have some 3-dimensional diagnostics done, such as a CT scan to avoid what happened to you, among other potential serious problems.
A second issue is the fact that your bone never integrated with the implant. This is why it had to be removed. In a way, you are fortunate that it did not integrate because if it did, your infection could have gotten into the bone and been very serious.
As for whether you should get a dental implant or a bridge, I would recommend a dental implant unless the adjacent teeth needed crowns anyway. If they do, you can knock two problems out with one procedure. If they don’t need a crown, it seems a bad idea to grind those teeth down if you don’t have to.
That being said, I would make sure you had a good explanation for why the bone didn’t integrate before you move forward.
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Painful Dental Implant Failure
I cracked an upper tooth and my dentist said it could not be saved. The best option he proposed was a dental implant. When he did the shot for the Novocaine I am convinced something went wrong because it felt like he hit my brain. Ever since them my whole palate has been burning. I mentioned it to the dentist and he told me some burning was normal after a procedure. I’d returned several times when the pain and burning didn’t subside. He then diagnosed me with with thrush and gave me a prescription. That prescription did absolutely nothing. My mouth burns constantly. I did some research on my own. I know… the old Google Medical Degree. However, I found something called Burning Mouth Syndrome and it fits my symptoms exactly. Is that a possibility?
That wasn’t the end of my troubles. When he placed the crown for the dental implant he had some trouble and had to press down extremely hard. It was excruciating. A couple of months later and the crown fell off. I was out of state helping my mother after her surgery. I went to a dentist there and they told me that the dental implant was infected and needed to come out. He did the surgery and removed the implant, then suggested a dental bridge in its place, which I did after some healing.
All totaled, I’ve been to the dentist almost twenty times and now have no dental implant to show for it. I’ve contacted a couple of attorney’s hopting to sue for damages to recoup my money. No one seems interested in the case though. What do I do? I’ve spent thousands.
Lana
Dear Lana,
Let’s start with the burning mouth syndrome. I do agree that this is a strong possibility. One of the causes of it is anxiety from a traumatic appointment, which you certainly had. Your problem in getting a lawyer likely lies in the fact that dental malpractice suits do not bring in a lot of money. Even if you had a lawyer take you on, then you would need an expert witness on your side.
I do think some mistakes were made. First, was the misdiagnoses about thrush, which frankly was laughable. Then, there was the crown falling off. I’m a bit sceptical about the infection. You didn’t mention anything about pain in the implant itself or a fever. These are common signs of an infection, plus I think the implant would have started to loosen.
I haven’t examined you, but based on your description of how the implant was placed, it sounds like your dentist placed too much force on the implant. That could have damaged the bond between the implant and the surrounding bone, leading to later implant failure.
Placing dental implants is an advanced procedure that requires post-doctoral training. Not many dentists invest in that training and there are countless dental implant horror stories to demonstrate that.
Unless you can get another dentist to diagnose why the dental implant failed along with some proof it will be hard to get money back on the implant itself. The misdiagnosis on the thrush and the crown falling off are easily proved. That would get you at least a partial refund.
I am sorry this happened to you.
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Alternatives to Dental Implants?
I had an accident that caused me to lose a tooth. I was hoping to get a dental implant for it, but my dentist said I wasn’t a candidate because it is a front tooth. I was disappointed but need to find a replacement for this tooth. What are my next best options?
Corinne
Dear Corinne,
I am sorry to hear about your accident. Given what you’ve said, My first suggestion is that you find another dentist. You can absolutely get a dental implant on a front tooth. My guess is your dentist does not do dental implants because he doesn’t have the training. It is a procedure that he would have needed to get post-doctoral training in. Rather than send you to a dentist that could do the procedure, he lied and said you were not a candidate. Not the best dentist for you.
I would like you to get a second opinion from someone else. In most cases, if you are in good general health, then you should be a fine candidate for dental implants. There are exceptions, of course, which is why I want you getting a second opinion.
If for some reason it turns out you are not a candidate for a dental implant, you do have other options. Your next best option is to get a dental bridge. Though, that does require the two adjacent teeth to have dental crowns placed on them. Your false tooth will be suspended between the two crowns. Like the dental implant, it is permanently placed.
I would not give up on the idea of the dental implant yet. Get that second opinion.
Whichever procedure you end up with, you may want to consider teeth whitening first, depending on how satisfied you are with the current color. Once your dental implant crown is made, the color is permanent and will not respond to whitening. If you have the bleaching done first, you can match your new crown to the color you’ll be proud to keep around.
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