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Drake & Wallace Dentistry

Serious Dental Incompetency

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Can you help me figure out how to handle a situation with my dentist? I had a dental implant placed. Everything seemed to go fine. Then I had the crown placed. It wasn’t long before something felt loose. I called my dentist. He thought it would be possible the dental crown was loose so had me come in so he could re-bond it. He struggled to get it off and used a special tool. While the dental crown did come off, so did the implant. Did he make a mistake here? He said I could try again for the implant in a year and gave me a temporary dental flipper. What do I do?

Madison

Dear Madison,

dental implant diagram

I am having trouble registering the amount of dental incompetency this required. I hear of stories like this, but they are usually from overseas dentists. Not here in the U.S. When a dental crown is loose, it will come off without any issues. He wouldn’t have needed a special tool. This is basic dentistry 101. When it didn’t come off, he should have recognized the crown wasn’t the problem and did an x-ray on the dental implant.

Because it came off, it was obviously the problem from the beginning. And even with a special tool, if it was in good condition, it would not have come off easily. A successful dental implant integrates with your bone, making them as difficult to remove as healthy teeth.

Obviously, your dental implant did not integrate with the bone. This can happen for a few reasons.

  • Not enough bone support. It is possible there was not enough bone there to begin with. Though, if your dentist did proper diagnostics, he would have known that ahead of time and taken steps to correct that issue.
  • An infection. Implant fixtures will come loose if there is an infection. I don’t think this was your issue, though I can’t be certain without examining you. My reason for doubt is an infection often indicates with pain.
  • Pre-mature loading of the implant. If your dentist put the dental crown on before the implant had fully integrated with the bone, the excess weight would cause the implant to come loose.
  • Improper placement. Finally, it is possible your dentist simply placed the implant incorrectly.

Where to Go From Here

Your dentist needs to take responsibility for fixing this. However, the case is a little more complicated now. You will need bone grafting done. Then, after that is healed you will be able to re-do the dental implant.

My suggestion is you ask for a full refund or to have this dentist pay for it to be done correctly by another dentist of your choosing. You paid to get a tooth. You not only didn’t receive one, but his action further complicated your chances of a successful outcome.

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

Crown for a Naturopath

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I’m a big believer in natural medical care, including dental. For the first time in my life I’m having some problems with my teeth. I had to get a filling. It wasn’t too hard to find a metal-free filling. However, I’m trying to find a crown for a back tooth. My dentist insists I need a metal-based crown. I really don’t want that. Do I have an option?

Ellen

Dear Ellen,

metal free crown drawing

Metal-free Zirconia Crown

It used to be that you couldn’t get metal-free anything. Then, we finally got composite fillings. You’d think dentists would have jumped on these quickly and rushed to learn the technique. Fillings without mercury. That seems like a no-brainer. Yet, there are still dentists who insist on amalgam fillings. Don’t ask me why.

Fortunately, things are changing. These days you can get metal-free dental care for just about any procedure if you go to the right dentist.

In your place, I’d do an internet search for a metal-free dentist. There are a lot of options for metal-free crowns. On front teeth, you can just get an all-porcelain crown. These look more natural and will never develop a gray line at the gumline the way metal-based crowns will.

However, all-porcelain crowns aren’t strong enough for back teeth, which is likely why your dentist is saying no. However, there are options now.

For something strong, I would recommend you get a zirconia crown. These hold up very well against biting forces. In fact, they’re nick-named ceramic steel. They’ll do just fine on a back tooth.

Metal-free Still Doesn’t Whiten

Just be aware, just like any dental work, the color you get them when you have them made is permanent. While it’s very stain resistant, teeth whitening will not work on it. Even professional whitening only works on natural tooth structure.

If you plan on bleaching your teeth at any point, you’ll want to do it before you get your crown made.

I hope this helps.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.