Hi Bryanna,
Have made an appt w/Dr T for 3.2.09. Hope I'm doing the right thing. Slept the best & longest I have for over 2wks after making the appt., so guess I have my answer...
Nonetheless, the only recommendation I have for Dr. T is from an on-line contact w/a Mark Birnbach DDS when researching difficult dental cases. Have U ever heard of him? He says has known Dr T for yrs & he w/be honest and qualified to answer Qs.
Otherwise, I have only the conversn Dr T & I had. He not only talked to me like a Human Being, but seemed to make sense. However, they all did @ 1 point! So? At least I'm doing something, & 5 hrs avg sleep/nite for me is a disaster in the making, guaranteed.
Have to tell U, the stories U tell re corners cut on sterilizn, material quality et all inclusive of insurance is SCARY!! I have to wonder how else I've been affected medically. The story of a Kimberly B??? being infected w/AIDS by her DDS maybe 10yrs ago? comes to mind. At one time I trusted Dr. R implicitly. I unf/fortunately am still learning way more than I ever tho't needed to know abt dentistry. But, trying to move fwd!
I do have radiographs from Dr. H, collected in anaticipn of the current events; & when trouble became evident. Supposedly printed w/quality images etc and redone to insure that. I did have the prob U mentioned w/Dr S sending me w/digital, reduced images on a plastic sheet, his ofc mgr insisting they were quality & all that was nec to tell any DDS TX. Of course they were not. Dr. H redid them, w/o mention of email poss.
Dr. T does not have email cap or I would have asked Dr H's ofc to email me rads & then fwd'd them on. Dr. H does not have to know why; they do know I w/be filing w/ Dental Bd re Dr. R. W/still ask for them by email for future ref and "my recs;" then I'll have them PRN.
Can get around Dr. H that way! Thanks for telling me abt email saving quality. Otherwise I would've taken their word that reprinting for quality purposes by receptnst did in fact work.
Dr. T's ofc has said w/re-do rads PRN.
Shall I take Dr H's notes to Dr. T (or are xrays enuf)? Her notes were often disparaging, & unf not always true. Otherwise, I'm inclined to take my own timeline as U suggested prev w/various TXs on x dates. He does know I had a prob w/her.
U didn't answer the Q re bonding. I'm presuming there are different qualities of this material as well? Dr. R's bonding on #6 was failing w/in 9 mos.
I'm hoping if the metal begins to show on #9 upon reductn it can be bonded.
FYI: Recent EOB from ins co did indicate High Noble Metal was billed for paymt. Whether or not it was really used??? I don't know. Depends on integrity of both Dr. H and the lab she used.
How much do U think HNM matters? I'd like to wk w/what I have if I can; reducing re-dos as much as poss!
Remember Dr T does not use PFM at all. That's the material used in most of my dental wk. Hopefully that doesn't mean he can't help...?
I hope 3 wks after seating is not too long to "save" the crown if nec. He didn't seem concerned @2wks.
HOPE HOPE HOPE Dr T works out!!!
Pls let me know what U think meanwhile abt above.
THANKS SO MUCH!!!
NAM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Hi NAM,
Yes, perhaps it would be wise to see Dr T. He can only understand your situation when he sees it. I should have mentioned this to you before, but previous radiographs could be very helpful if you have them or can get them before you see Dr T because it will tell the history of treatment very clearly. Even radiographs from when all of this originally started would be good. It is important for the radiographs to be of excellent quality or they will be useless. It is not uncommon for a dental office to copy radiographs that end up in very poor quality which render the copies completely useless. Some offices use a 2 film packet instead of a 1 film packet when taking xrays which means that both films are of the same quality, this is the only time when it's ok to accept "duplicate" films. Some offices only take digital xrays. This can be a problem when duplicating them because the copies generally come out undignostic unless a quality printer and paper are used to duplicate them. Digital xrays can be emailed directly to another dental office which saves the quality of the xrays. I know more to think about!!! :-(( Dr T may also suggest new radiographs...... I would not be resistant to this in the least.
With regard to DDS participating in insurance plans or not.....
I've been in dentistry for 30+ years which means I started out when there was no dental insurance and patients paid in full. My experience has without a doubt shown me that..... dentists who belong to HMO insurance plans or restricted fee schedule insurance plans, definitely skimp on their materials and sterilization practices. They get paid per quantity of dentistry, not quality. They are restricted in some circumstances to abide by the insurance companies on what they can and cannot do. If they go outside of the what the insurance has deemed their boundary of care, they either have to submit ficticious claims or risk a financial penalty. They also use inferior quality materials and dental labs because they are not being compensated well enough to make a profit on their work if they used a higher quality. The public would be flabbergasted at how the insurance run dental practices perform their dental care and the lack of sterility is beyond comprehension. But that's a whole other topic!!
Please let us know what Dr T has to say..........
Bryanna
Thanks SO MUCH for caring.
I have talked by phone /w a 7th DDS, and of course that is a 7th DIFFERENT opinion. He is app the "fmr director for LV Institute of Advanced Dental Studies" and therefore well qualified; but who knows?
He feels POSSIBLY the crown on #9 could be reduced to balance the gum line. Of course he would have to see it first.
Dr "T" was aghast that:
1. PFM crowns were used in anterior crowns. Says they are incompatible esp w/diabetic's tissue + w/cause irritation.
2. Electrosurge was used instead of lasers. He says electrosurge allows the tissue to move (and it did move).
AT LEAST HE WAS WILLING TO TALK TO ME!! I felt the need to ask up front if this type of dentistry is w/in his realm of comfort; and he actually took the time, called me back and TALKED to me like a human being!
Dr H was extremely reluctant; and left most initial explanations to her receptionist and later issues to her (now fmr) tech. Anything Dr H explained was w/extreme irritation.
***=My Responses Below...
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