Originally Posted by Silky

Hi Bryanna,

Big laugh about the puffs! I think this prosthodontist drowned in the puffs many years ago. I came in to have him just do the crown on #15 that had been attempted by several dentists, and at this point had a temp on it. He kept having me come back for several months just to see how things were going. After several months he started insisting we have to also do a crown on #14 because the outcome of the bite would be better. I hated to involve another tooth, but I know #14 had a very large filling, and quite a few dentists over the last several years had mentioned it would or could use a crown at any time, so I decided to have him prepare a crown for that one also. #14 needs to fit the opposing tooth just right or it causes throbbing and aching in the opposing tooth. When he put the temp on#14, the throbbing came back which had been under control for the last year. I had it checked out by an endodontist before, and the tooth is fine. When the dentist added the feet and bumps, it held the tooth stable and sits on top of the opposing tooth, so it wouldn't slide or hit the opposing tooth inside of the tooth. The throbbing then stopped immediately. He didn't explain this to me, but I figured it out. But if feels like a porcupine. He also added porcupine to #15 which makes it too big. Would it work to have a crown that sort of sits on top of #14, but have #15 with a shape that is smaller and curved inwards. #15 does not need to sit on top to be comfortable, but don't know if that type of shape works being a different style between the two teeth. So the bite feels right, but the feet and bumps are extremely painful causing tongue irritation. I'm not sure if I should have the new dentist that I'm seeing Monday modify this temp or start over. The bite seems right which is hard to achieve.

The dentist that is caught in the puffs...after 5 months of seeing him , then preparing #14 for a crown like he insisted, adds a new idea to treatment plan of making a $975 bite guard. He now insists that I do this before he will make permanent crowns. He also added that he wants to do a hour and a half appointment of bite equilibrium before he will send for perm crown. They would charge extra for this at a rate of $375 per half hour. They said he might need 3 or 4 appt. like this before he is ready for a perm crown. I could see his reasoning for crowning #14, but not this additional treatment.
A part of #15 broke off. This was the reason to need a crown. It is very flat now because of several attempts by dentists that couldn't eliminate the biting of the tongue and inflammation that resulted from original ill fitting crown attempt. It had no root canal or other dental problems. #14 also had no root canal or periodontal disease. I can feel that he left a decent portion of #14 there after crown prep. I already paid half of the fee for those 2 crowns. The other half would be paid at time of delivery. He didn't need to prep #14 because it already was so flat. I like to stay away from any gold because I have silver fillings....because of the battery effect that could ensue.

Because of all the additional treatment/charges he keeps adding as we go along, I can't have puffy dentist complete the work. Also, he refuses to make changes to his porcupine temps. I said I would pay for a new smooth temp, but he won't do that. He wants it to stay just like it is because he is puffy (lol)......what with all his treatment plans sounds like 2 to 4 months. It takes a month to get a crown in his office once he tells the lab to go ahead. Seems a little too long for me. So I'm trying to figure out what to have the dentist that I'm seeing Monday do for starters.

Carol