I went to my dentist about getting some dental implants. He has placed quite a few of them so I felt comfortable with the procedure. After some initial diagnostics, he said everything was good to go. Then, I had the procedure, after which he told me that after he was in there he realized there really isn’t enough bone for them to last. Yet, he put them in any way. Now he is suggesting that we remove them and I get a dental bridge instead. Can he do this? Part of me feels like I should get a refund.
Luke
Dear Luke,
No, he can’t do this, nor will you have to get a dental bridge. When a dentist places a dental implant, there is an implied warranty that he believes it will stay in. He has already admitted that he knew it would not hold together but placed it anyway. He can’t do that. Essentially he did a surgical procedure on you knowing it would fail. If he had told you that, I sincerely doubt you would have gone through with the procedure. Not to mention that any type of medical procedure always carry risks with them.
Additionally, this was completely preventable. You said he did some initial diagnostics. That is what they were for; to see if you had enough bone support and were a good candidate for dental implants. Either he didn’t do adequate diagnostics or he has no idea how to interpret them. Either way, it is essentially malpractice.
In your place, I would tell him that you want him to pay for the bone grafting that is necessary for you to have a successful dental implant procedure and the dental implants and procedure as well, with the dentist of YOUR choice. Then, I want you to find a dentist with post-doctoral implant training and a high success rate.
If he agrees to that there is no need to take this any further. If he doesn’t, then tell him you will speak to an attorney and you will likely get all of that plus more for your time as well as the risk and trauma he put you through. What your dentist did is inexcusable.
This blog is brought to you by Hilton Head Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
