I had a dental implant placed. The procedure itself was a bit of a nightmare. Even just the Novocain was something I do not want to repeat. It felt like the shot went through my jaw completely. I also had trouble getting numb. Since the appointment, I have had horrible burning on my tongue and the inside of my mouth. Every follow up appointment and new part of the procedure I told him that I was still having the burning. At first he said it would pass. Eventually, he told me that it was probably a case of thrush and gave me a prescription, but that did not do anything. A few weeks after that I started feeling bad and the crown fell off. I went back and he put it back on. Then, the dental implant started feeling loose. When I went in, he told me that I had an infection and the implant needed to come out. Now he wants me to get a dental bridge instead. Yet, he’s not offering me any money back on everything that went wrong. Can I take him to court?
James
Dear James,
Let’s start with the burning mouth issue and trouble getting numb. Often times, people with some amount of dental anxiety will have trouble getting numb. Don’t feel bad about that. The good news is there is a solution for that issue, which is quite simple. Going to a sedation dentist will allow you to take a medication that will completely relax you. This will keep your body from burning off the numbing medication too quickly.
This could also be connected to the burning you are feeling. While we don’t know definitively what the cause is for burning mouth syndrome, there have been several dentists who have made a connection with those symptoms following a traumatic dental appointment, which yours would certainly qualify as being.
As for taking him to court, it does sound like your dentist made quite a few mistakes here. First, there is the problem with the injection. Then, the misdiagnosis of thrush, the crown falling off, and the failed dental implant itself. That being said, the only way to get anywhere in court with this is to prove he is at fault. For that, you will need another dentist to testify on your behalf.
I’d start by getting a second opinion from a dentist with post-doctoral training in dental implants. Don’t tell them who did the work. Just ask them to take a look at things and give their opinion. If needed, your dentist is ethically obligated to provide all diagnostics and notes.
This blog is brought to you by Hilton Head Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
