<p>Thank you, momlove ! </p>
<p>I think I am more upset with the feeling that I, a grown woman and pretty intelligent and in control in the rest of my life let someone put one over me. </p>
<p>As I mentioned in my previous post, it had happened before. About 11 years ago, as a new resident in Chicago, I went to a neighborhood dentist. The initial visit went ok and the check up was good. The dental office had some pretty up-to-date equipment like a Cerac machine - on-lays(large fillings) and crowns are done in office. The dentist had a camera where the state of one’s teeth can be seen on the TV. I mentioned I had some sensitivity in one tooth - to make a long story short, after that I had every single filling in my mouth replaced. After about 8 months of constant dental work, I think my dental bill was about $20,000. I knew some of my teeth had problems - I had 4 root canals done by an endodontist and not the same dentist and I don’t believe two professionals colluded, but to this day, I just don’t believe every single filling in my mouth failed at the same time. I visit a dentist every 6 months religiously and take good care of my teeth. I am sure some unnecessary work was done. </p>
<p>After that terrible experience I now find myself easily suspicious of dentists.</p>
<p>True story that, thankfully, didn’t happen to me but because I handle benefits for large companies, I am aware of it:</p>
<p>A man had four gold inlays placed in four molars. He submitted the bill to the insurance company – oh, maybe it was for ~$3600 (this was about 15 years ago) – and he was reimbursed $55. Not what he expected.</p>
<p>As benefits manager, I had the insurance company tell me what was up. Long story short: Three of the four molars that had gold inlays were what they called “virgin teeth.” Never had a cavity or a filling. On the fourth tooth, there was an amalgam filling that might have needed replacing – but instead, the dentist did another gold inlay.</p>
<p>The insurance company paid for the necessary work. Of course the insurance company isn’t going to pay for work that was absolutely uncalled for. I had the difficult task of telling the man that the insurance company paid the claim correctly and that his dentist was a crook. I didn’t say it in so many words, but he got it. I could hear when the light bulb went on in his head. His comment to me was, “I guess I need to have a serious conversation with my dentist.”</p>
<p>What’s also so awful about this story is that, inevitably, somewhere down the road, this man is going to need to have the inlays replaced, because none of them lasts forever.</p>
<p>^^ I think I am going to go away and cry for a bit.</p>
<p>Ah, munchkin, I just want to knock some dentist/periodontist heads together for you. If only things had been handled correctly, your anxiety would be much, much lower, I would get to the bottom of whether the dentist and Period. actually had the conversation regrading the crown lengthening before the procedure was done. I am not a big one on suing people, but if by some chance the periodontist of the dentist did not take the care and time to be sure they were in agreement over what would be done, and then that was not thoroughly explained to you TO YOUR SATISFACTION, and if in any was unnecessary work was done that you were coerced in to (misleadingly), suing would have to be on the table.</p>
<p>Sorry, I just came on here because I am having major sympathy pain in my upper and lower jaws on the left side. Lots of throbbing. I think I am really ‘channeling’ you pain and worry. And I wanted to check in on you. Please try to control only what you can at this moment. Make yourself as comfortable as possible. Do everything you’re supposed to do to heal up. Try not to stew about what has happened until you are able to pass that along to the dr./period. Still, hang in there!!!</p>
<p>I finally am feeling well enough to open up wide to take a good look at the implant. It looked completely off center - in fact it is kind of jutting out on the inside. :eek: </p>
<p>How on earth is the dentist going to put on the crown properly ??</p>
<p>More Dental Questions and Concerns:</p>
<p>My DD had a cracked filling replaced. She has had issues before with not numbing well and very unpleasant sensation when numbness wears off. She asked to not be numbed, but the dentist (new to her this year in a new town) insisted she should be numbed. It is now 24 hours later, she is still a bit numb on 1 side of her tongue and somewhat on the bottom palate area. Is this something that she should worry about? She called in and they said they would note her chart, but the dentist is not in for the day.</p>
<p>It feels exactly the same as it felt last night at 10PM, it’s not changing a wee bit gradually each hour, it just seems stuck with pins & needles.</p>
<p>Anything she should do? try? be concerned about? he did use 2 units of numbing stuff because when he did the filling a few weeks ago (the one that cracked) she did not numb all the way.</p>
<p>somemom, I think this ^^^ is called paresthesia. (I have no expertise in this area!) Here’s the first link I found. Maybe you can find something more helpful, or someone with expertise in this area will post.
[The</a> Local Anesthetics: Articaine and prolonged numbness and paresthesia](<a href=“http://www.doctorspiller.com/local_anesthetics.htm#paresthesia]The”>http://www.doctorspiller.com/local_anesthetics.htm#paresthesia)</p>
<p>Good heavens, just read the link and it says paresthesia can be treated with Tegretol. Do not look through old posts to see what happened when I took Tegretol for nerve pain in my ankle about ten years ago…</p>
<p>So that made me look for more information. This article looks better - more scientific.
<a href=“http://www.dentistrytoday.net/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=DEE0FBE257744BABB6B7301E4516861A[/url]”>http://www.dentistrytoday.net/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=DEE0FBE257744BABB6B7301E4516861A</a></p>