Angels,

I have been saying from the get go that it's complicated but your oral surgeon kept making it seem like there was nothing wrong. Then to make matters worse he scares you into doing the implant. Even now, he fails to admit the seriousness of the situation. It is not in your best interest to keep the implant and just keep taking antibiotics because you can end up with major health issues as well as intestinal problems that can be very difficult to eradicate.

In my opinion, the oral surgeon is caught between his ego and the money he has been paid and doesn't want to admit his role in this nor lose a dime.

Regarding the removal of the implant ... If "he" removes the implant "now" then without question he should reimburse you and your insurance for all the monies he received pertaining to the implant surgery. He also should not charge you to remove the implant. However, if he can convince you to keep the implant for 6 months to a year and then remove it, even though that is not in your best interest, then he can argue about not being obligated to give any financial reimbursement because of the amount of time that had transpired.

If another oral surgeon removes the implant he will need to have...

ALL of your xrays and scans from the other surgeon.
ALL of your chart notes and surgical reports from the other surgeon.
He will also charge you to remove the implant and perform whatever other surgery needs to be done. Your insurance is not likely to cover any of that cost if there is little to no money left in your yearly allowable budgeted amount.

If the original oral surgeon is not willing to reimburse you and your insurance company, irrelevant of whether he is the one to remove the implant, then you will need to write to your insurance company telling them...

**That the implant was placed in infected bone as confirmed by the recent MRI.
**The oral surgeon refused to remove the implant and you had to seek another oral surgeon to remove it.
**You want the insurance to bill the oral surgeon for reimbursement of the money they paid him for the implant and bone graft surgery. This will put money back into your insurance account to be used for other dental work.
**You then want the insurance to consider paying the fee for the removal of the implant by a different oral surgeon.

The reason the ENT is suggesting that you stay with this oral surgeon is not because he thinks he's going to do right by you, but because he knows that any other surgeon is going to be hesitant to get involved in this case. Why? Because there is a chance you may have to consider taking legal action against the original oral surgeon. Especially if he is not willing to reimburse you and your insurance company.

Another oral surgeon will be able to remove this implant. Having the xrays, scans, charting and surgical reports are all very helpful and necessary as they give the history of what has taken place and the particulars related to the bone graft materials and type and size of the implant that was placed. However, the surgeon will not know the extent of the infection until he gets in there.

An infection disease specialist should get involved as I mentioned to you in a previous note because this is a difficult infection to manage. However, treating the infection while keeping the implant could be detrimental to your health in more ways than you know.

Angels, I would be hesitant to have the original surgeon do any further surgery. He has built a shaky history with you and just does not seem to have your best interests before his own ego or wallet. That's how it looks to me and I've seen it many times before.

Bryanna







QUOTE=Angels31;1220594]Hi Bryanna,
This is a little more complicated than I thought. The ENT just called me and told me he spoke to the oral surgeon. He said the oral surgeon does not want to take the implant out and thinks we should just treat this with antibiotics. I have been on so many antibiotics and it isn't helping. The ENT is recommending that I have the implant taken out. He said that the oral surgeon is out of his comfort zone with this bone infection. So they are sending me to an infectious disease doctor to take care of the bone infection. But the ENT says that it will be easier to treat without the hardware of the implant. He said if it was him, he would take the implant out. Now I did voice my concern about the oral surgeon and he suggested I stay with the same one because he knows what he did when he put it in. My guess is that the 2nd oral surgeon doesn't want to get involved. This is a giant mess and all I want to do is feel better. Do you have any advise? I have a call into the oral surgeon now.[/QUOTE]