Improper procedure for crowns on front six teeth
 

My son who was 21yrs. old had a broken front tooth and some cavitys on other front teeth. We went to a dentist to be evaluated and were told that he would need crowns on all 6 upper front teeth. Trusting that this would be the best procedure for the issues we had the work done. The cost of the work was over $9,000. With this being said, within 2 months of having the crowns done, several of the crowns broke off. The first time the crown broke the dentist replaced crown at no charge. Second time charged us $800.00 and the third time we were told that we would have to pay the full amount to replace or pay $300 and they would super glue the piece of crown back on. Well this didn't sit well with me and we declined both options and went to my dentist for a second opinion on why these crowns kept breaking. I also had the dentist who did the crowns send original w-rays and all documentation of all work that was done on my son to my dentist to review. We come to find out that the crowns that were put on were metal crowns and super bulky and not fitted correctly and they would all need to be replaced. I contacted the original dentist and told them all six crowns needed to be replaced and I wanted to have the work done at my dentist and i would like to be reimbursed for the original work. Waited and waited for them to return my calls and didn't call me back for over 1 1/2 months. When they did call back they wanted to reevaluate my sons crowns and were not open to reimbursing me. I voiced to them that they needed to reimburse me or I would get an attorney involved and had the documentation from my dentist on the terrible work that was done. My dentist & original dentist spoke on the phone to compare notes and i received a phone call stating they were willing to reimburse me for all expenses but I would have to sign off on a statement that said they were in no way at fault nor was their work and they would not be financially responsible for any future work relating to these 6 teeth. Since then, my son needs several root canals on two of the front teeth, due to the teeth being filed down so small that the roots are compromised and causing infection. My question is, seeing that we're not done fixing what was done wrong and I will have more dental expenses.. do I sign off and take the money and deal with the expenses moving forward or not sign off and try and legally get this resolved? I've also attached a photo of his teeth when the origial crowns were removed.

Hi KCast,

This photo was taken exactly when? Meaning, did the new dentist remove the crowns an immediately take the photo before doing anything else to these teeth?

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,
I took the picture right after the original crowns were removed. I watched them remove the original crowns. New dentist did nothing; just removed crowns.

Hi KCast,

If this photo was taken immediately after the initial crowns were removed and there was no trauma caused during the removal of them, then you may have reason to be upset with the dentist who did the crowns.

#1) It is obvious from the extensive and severe gum irritation that the crowns on 5 out of the 6 teeth did not fit well.

#2) The preparation of the teeth also appears to be very rough and ill prepared. Prepped teeth are suppose to look smooth and somewhat symmetrical to each other.

Cannot be sure from this photo, but it appears that there may be decay on the mesial of #8 (his right front tooth). Sometimes what looks like decay is really a darkening of the tooth from trauma or an old filling. Perhaps that is the tooth that had the root canal? If the dark spot is soft, then it is decay.

Porcelain fused to metal crowns are generally not done on front teeth because they are too bulky and do not have an esthetic appearance. These crowns USE to be done all the time but many dentists have gotten away from them and now use an all porcelain or zirconium crown. These materials are thinner, light in weight and appear very natural looking.

Was the decay very extensive on these teeth prior to doing the crowns? Was he ever given the option of doing porcelain veneers instead of crowns? If the decay was not extensive, veneers might have been an option.

What caused the crowns to break? Usually front crowns will not "break off" unless they are hit with a bottle or eating utensil or some other trauma. If they were too long, the porcelain may have chipped or the teeth would have hurt.

As for the original dentist wanting you to sign a release form rendering him not responsible ..... I would seek legal advice on that. His original xrays and any follow up xrays are imperative tools in this case, so make sure you have a legible copy of all of them.

I can tell you this, your son will need further dentistry on these teeth especially if he has had root canals as those teeth will be chronically infected and ultimately need to be removed. So replacement of them will be very costly as it would be either a long span bridge or dental implants.

This is a sad situation indeed. The issues here will be.... what condition were the teeth in when he saw the original dentist... what options were given at that time .... how/why did the crowns break..... whomever told him to have root canals did they also offer the option of removing the teeth and if so what replacement options were given... are there any other extenuating circumstances (chronic illness, lifestyle) that should be taken into consideration in this case.

As a mom, I can feel your pain with this. Before you make any decisions on signing that form, please seek legal help.

Keep us posted...
Bryanna

Moving forward w/an attorney
 

Hi Bryanna,
I just wanted to give you an update on our situation. I've gotten an attorney involved and we're moving forward with asking for a larger settlement than the original $5900.00. I'll keep you posted on how things proceed. And thanks again for your feedback, very much appreciated!
Take Care,
Korey

Settlement
 

Hi Bryanna,
I hope this message finds you well. Well we're finally settling on this issue. The amount the dentist's insurance is paying us is $18,000. This will cover my out of pocket and leave a little left for future root canals Nick might need on the front 6 teeth. Thanks for all your feedback, much appreciated.
Korey

Hi Korey,

I am glad you finally got the financial aspect of this case settled.

However, I urge you to think twice about doing any root canals on his teeth. I know it would seem drastic to remove the teeth but root canaled teeth are always diseased. There are systemic consequences associated with root canaled teeth. So please do some research on that.. okay?

Thanks for checking back with us!

Bryanna