[Exodus]

Already posted this on someone elses reply - still learning about this list

I have Sjogrens/Severe Xerostomia/Neuropathy and bruxism. In fact, that's why my teeth were extracted decades ago - before splints were invented - because I woke up every day with sore teeth and aching head/neck. I begged them to extract - now - 40 yrs later - I'm reaping the consequences of that action.

After having a crowns removed (lower canines) I had a root canal on one and new crowns placed - that's all gone relatively well The new upper and bottom partial were delivered in January. Adjustments have been ongoing weekly ever since . . . yikes

This dentist belongs to the biological dental organization linked to in Bryanna's sticky, and goes to great lengths to use the most natural products as possible. Problem is that she has mostly dealt with people who have "normal" saliva - I've had parotid gland removal due to Sjogren's tendency toward non-hodgkins lymphoma - she has never had this many adjustments on one patient and is running out of patience. She has adjusted both under the partial and the bite several times.

She sent me to the lab yesterday and to my shock, instead of smoothing out the rough edges under the partial, they made it worse and had an extremely negative attitude on top of it . . . telling me that there was no way I could live without denture pain and that I shouldn't expect to ever eat meat or salads.

Scary part of that is that my doctor is threatening to send me for IV iron because of the GI issues caused by the supplements . . . as you may or may not know . . . Sjogrens robs most moisture from the body, including that in mucous membranes and GI tract. Without TMI (too much information) bathroom visits can be excruciating.

Dentist reminded me again today when I called to report what happened at the lab . . . "all these adjustments weren't included in the cost projection" . . . they've made $6300+ on me and my part after insurance has been over $3400. . . I read someone's post on here suggesting to go to another dentist to finish adjustments and send the bill to your regular dentist. I'm not sure if it was a joke or not, but if the person who wrote it reads this . . . Could you please let me know if you were serious or not and if this is standard operating procedure

[Bryanna]

Hi Exodus,

I replied this post under your other thread.

With regard to the fees you have been charged...
NO dentist should ever charge a patient to adjust their denture. It is not your fault that the partial is not fitting comfortably. At this stage your dentist should be discussing all other options with you including the fabrication of a new partial if necessary.

Don't let her bullying tactics defer you from seeing her. She has the obligation to make every attempt to satisfy or refer you to someone else.

Bryanna

Originally Posted by Exodus

Already posted this on someone elses reply - still learning about this list

I have Sjogrens/Severe Xerostomia/Neuropathy and bruxism. In fact, that's why my teeth were extracted decades ago - before splints were invented - because I woke up every day with sore teeth and aching head/neck. I begged them to extract - now - 40 yrs later - I'm reaping the consequences of that action.

After having a crowns removed (lower canines) I had a root canal on one and new crowns placed - that's all gone relatively well The new upper and bottom partial were delivered in January. Adjustments have been ongoing weekly ever since . . . yikes

This dentist belongs to the biological dental organization linked to in Bryanna's sticky, and goes to great lengths to use the most natural products as possible. Problem is that she has mostly dealt with people who have "normal" saliva - I've had parotid gland removal due to Sjogren's tendency toward non-hodgkins lymphoma - she has never had this many adjustments on one patient and is running out of patience. She has adjusted both under the partial and the bite several times.

She sent me to the lab yesterday and to my shock, instead of smoothing out the rough edges under the partial, they made it worse and had an extremely negative attitude on top of it . . . telling me that there was no way I could live without denture pain and that I shouldn't expect to ever eat meat or salads.

Scary part of that is that my doctor is threatening to send me for IV iron because of the GI issues caused by the supplements . . . as you may or may not know . . . Sjogrens robs most moisture from the body, including that in mucous membranes and GI tract. Without TMI (too much information) bathroom visits can be excruciating.

Dentist reminded me again today when I called to report what happened at the lab . . . "all these adjustments weren't included in the cost projection" . . . they've made $6300+ on me and my part after insurance has been over $3400. . . I read someone's post on here suggesting to go to another dentist to finish adjustments and send the bill to your regular dentist. I'm not sure if it was a joke or not, but if the person who wrote it reads this . . . Could you please let me know if you were serious or not and if this is standard operating procedure

[Exodus]

Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi Exodus,

I replied this post under your other thread.

With regard to the fees you have been charged...
NO dentist should ever charge a patient to adjust their denture. It is not your fault that the partial is not fitting comfortably. At this stage your dentist should be discussing all other options with you including the fabrication of a new partial if necessary.

Don't let her bullying tactics defer you from seeing her. She has the obligation to make every attempt to satisfy or refer you to someone else.

Bryanna

You also wrote:

I am familiar with Sjogrens disorder. Most dentists have patients who have this condition, so it's not uncommon at all. However, dentists are often not the most tolerant people in the world and they don't always go above and beyond for their patients. But it sounds like she has tried to do what she can with this partial. I know this is not what you want to hear but sometimes, the patient is not a good candidate for a partial denture and if the appliance cannot be adjusted any further, then you may be one of those patients. Have you tried altering your eating habits to foods that are less chewy? Has she offered to make a new partial out of different material?

Bryanna

Yes - she suggested a soft reline - which I've already had several years ago . . . it lasted less than a month. Plus . . . I'm sure I would be expected to pay for this reline . . . and after what happened at the lab last week, I REALLY don't want them working on anything else that goes in my mouth.

I've been going to this dentist since October 5th - the crowns and root canal took until after Christmas because she & the wonderful (not) lab she uses only work 4 days a week, and she's really booked out. I have had the partial & upper denture since January 10th or so and have been there at least every week since sometimes more than once . . . to save you counting . . . October was more than 6 months ago.

Can't remember if I said this or not, but I also have Burning Mouth Syndrome off & on that is exascerbated by rough spots rubbing on my tongue plus the severe Xerostomia. They had carved away my old partial to accomodate the new crowns and the rough spots really triggered the BMS & Xerostomia.

I go back tomorrow at noon and have to fight for every appointment slot I get as she has several rooms and rotates between 3+ patients allowing her techs to do alot of the drilling and procedures I've never known techs to do before now, but when you have dentures, you don't go to dentists as frequently

I don't any of this, but am way too far into it to stop now. I am not at all confident, however, that she can really ever fix this. Besides wanting someone who used natural chemicals & products, I liked the idea that she was fairly close to home - 15 mi round trip versus 60 miles - with these gas prices and my fixed retirement income - well . . . I'm sure you understand.

Anyway - I'm considering a prosthodontist recommended by a friend . . . apparently, he fixed a denture that she couldn't even chew on one side of for 5 years. The only thing is that once insurance has paid for an entire denture, they won't pay again for several years. I've already had to take 1/2 the interest out of my little CD to pay for my share of this one that makes sores. The other issue is that she made the teeth really long, and I made the mistake of choosing too white of a shade . . . so with the two combined, I'm pretty self-conscious

It took a high number of adjustments with the last dentist, too, but this current dentist was not at all careful with the wax try-in and opened my bite quite a bit, so I'm not surprised it's not been smooth. I remember thinking at the time that she was shoving the teeth around from the way the lab had set them and rushing quite a bit through the process. It felt more like 'seat of her pants' rather than precision.

It's the number of adjustments that she's fussing about - and I for one don't love going there once or twice a week myself . . . I have an intellectually/developmentally disabled daughter who takes alot of my time. With the autoimmune issues, two recently replaced knees and a compromised lumbar spine - it's all I can do to be out of my home every day of the week. You'd be surprised at how few people have ever heard of Sjogrens.

My stomach is churning every time I go there - feel nervous already even though it's not until tomorrow. You can see, I took to heart what you said about not worrying about long posts . . . thank you, if you actually made it this far.

Any other input will be appreciated, Bryanna . . .

[Bryanna]

Hi Exodus,

After all of these months of continuous adjustments, if your dentist cannot get the new denture to fit properly and comfortably, then she is obligated to make you a new denture or refund at least half of the cost of the denture so that you can go elsewhere. Believe me, she will still make a profit on this denture even if she were to reimburse you half of her fee. She cannot leave you in a situation where you cannot wear your denture.

Perhaps a visit to the prosthodontist that you spoke about would be worthwhile in that it would give you a second opinion on the overall fit of this denture.

You do present with some extenuating circumstances.... however, no two people are alike and it is the dentist's obligation to treat each one of her patients as an individual. I think you have been very tolerant and I can imagine the anxiety and stress this has caused you. Hang in there the best that you can .... consider a consult with the prosthodontist.

Keep us posted ...ok..

Bryanna



Yes - she suggested a soft reline - which I've already had several years ago . . . it lasted less than a month. Plus . . . I'm sure I would be expected to pay for this reline . . . and after what happened at the lab last week, I REALLY don't want them working on anything else that goes in my mouth.

I've been going to this dentist since October 5th - the crowns and root canal took until after Christmas because she & the wonderful (not) lab she uses only work 4 days a week, and she's really booked out. I have had the partial & upper denture since January 10th or so and have been there at least every week since sometimes more than once . . . to save you counting . . . October was more than 6 months ago.

Can't remember if I said this or not, but I also have Burning Mouth Syndrome off & on that is exascerbated by rough spots rubbing on my tongue plus the severe Xerostomia. They had carved away my old partial to accomodate the new crowns and the rough spots really triggered the BMS & Xerostomia.

I go back tomorrow at noon and have to fight for every appointment slot I get as she has several rooms and rotates between 3+ patients allowing her techs to do alot of the drilling and procedures I've never known techs to do before now, but when you have dentures, you don't go to dentists as frequently

I don't any of this, but am way too far into it to stop now. I am not at all confident, however, that she can really ever fix this. Besides wanting someone who used natural chemicals & products, I liked the idea that she was fairly close to home - 15 mi round trip versus 60 miles - with these gas prices and my fixed retirement income - well . . . I'm sure you understand.

Anyway - I'm considering a prosthodontist recommended by a friend . . . apparently, he fixed a denture that she couldn't even chew on one side of for 5 years. The only thing is that once insurance has paid for an entire denture, they won't pay again for several years. I've already had to take 1/2 the interest out of my little CD to pay for my share of this one that makes sores. The other issue is that she made the teeth really long, and I made the mistake of choosing too white of a shade . . . so with the two combined, I'm pretty self-conscious

It took a high number of adjustments with the last dentist, too, but this current dentist was not at all careful with the wax try-in and opened my bite quite a bit, so I'm not surprised it's not been smooth. I remember thinking at the time that she was shoving the teeth around from the way the lab had set them and rushing quite a bit through the process. It felt more like 'seat of her pants' rather than precision.

It's the number of adjustments that she's fussing about - and I for one don't love going there once or twice a week myself . . . I have an intellectually/developmentally disabled daughter who takes alot of my time. With the autoimmune issues, two recently replaced knees and a compromised lumbar spine - it's all I can do to be out of my home every day of the week. You'd be surprised at how few people have ever heard of Sjogrens.

My stomach is churning every time I go there - feel nervous already even though it's not until tomorrow. You can see, I took to heart what you said about not worrying about long posts . . . thank you, if you actually made it this far.

Any other input will be appreciated, Bryanna . . .[/QUOTE]