Hi Bryanna,

Thank you for such a thorough and informative response.

It's interesting to learn that I don't have a "roundhouse," which is what the supervising dentists at Columbia Graduate Dental School prosthodontic clinic called it. I made a horrible mistake going there. It took five years for them to get it right. Or, maybe they didn't get it right after all. It was sheer hell going there every two weeks, but that's another story.

This time around I have enough funds to pay a non dental plan private practitioner. From what you wrote, I believe there must be lots of decay underlying the failing bridge. When I accidentally chew on it, it's quite painful.

So if there is extensive decay/infection, I think my problem is to find someone who is top notch. The plan dentists are OK for routine stuff but maybe not for more complex cases.

My question: should I go back to the plan doc to see what he recommends and then try to find someone with possibly more expertise who can offer a second opinion?