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Drake & Wallace Dentistry

Archives for January 2022

Dentist Ruined My Mouth and Skipped the Country

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I had a full-mouth reconstruction done. I regret this very much. Starting six months after the procedure, the dental work began failing. First, it was the crowns. Then, a few of the dental implants fell out. I am now left with a mouth full of failed dental work. I was having the hardest time getting any recourse from the dental clinic and now I’ve found out that the dentist has left the country, probably permanently. What do I do?

Gina

Dear Gina,

an image of implant of overdentures

 

I am sorry you are facing this. Obviously, this particular dentist was a crook. Unfortunately, if he stays out of the country you will not have any recourse to get your money back. All you can do at this point is to try to get your bite back as best you can. A full-mouth reconstruction is not only a very advanced procedure, it is also quite expensive. You did not mention the reason for this procedure. Often it is done because of serious TMJ Disorder.

However, given that your dentist swindled you, I wonder if it was necessary at all. I want you to see a skilled dental implant dentist. Look for someone with post-doctoral training in placing dental implants. Have them look at what you have that is salvageable and go from there.

To make these repairs affordable, I would have your dentist triage the most urgent work so you can prioritize everything. This way, you can get the most important work done first and slowly get the rest repaired as you can afford it.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentist Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Bleeding Between My Two Front Crowns

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I had six dental crowns placed. Between my front two teeth I’ve been having some type of reaction. The gums are inflamed and bleeding. I asked my dentist for the alloy certificate, but didn’t see any alloy composition on it. The certificate said something like GC LiSi Press. I have tried researching this but literally cannot find anything on this. Can you tell me anything about what is in this so I can figure out what type of reaction I am having?

Eliza

Dear Eliza,

a porcelain crown being placed over a prepared tooth

Yes, It is a GC LiSi Press. The reason you can’t find any alloy on the certificate is because an alloy only is only for metal based crowns. You have a metal-free crown.

I honestly do not think this is an allergic reaction for a couple of reasons. First, I can’t imagine that your other four crowns are made from a different material. If you were allergic to anything in the crowns it would affect all of the gums by your dental crowns, not just two of them. Second, Press is a high-density lithium disilicate. There are no documented cases of any allergies to this type of dental crown. Third, bleeding is not a symptom of an allergy. What it is a symptom of is gum disease.

What this tells me is food and other types of bacteria are getting trapped there. What I’d like you to do is to floss in the area. It could be a matter of not flossing enough. Or, there could be a margin overhang. If there is a ledge under the gum that catches your floss that would indicate a problem that your dentist needs to fix. If that is not the issue than I will suggest something like a WaterPik to make sure you are getting that area thoroughly cleaned out when you brush and floss.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.