Almost three and a half years ago I had a full mouth reconstruction done with a mixture of dental crowns and dental implants. It cost me close to $40,000. Now the crowns are falling off and some of the implants themselves are loose. Every time I called their office it went straight to voicemail. My mouth has become unliveable. I can’t eat anything and have stumps for some teeth and nothing for others. I finally just showed up at the office and there was no one there. No one. I asked the business next to them and they told me that they just didn’t show up one day and then a week or so later the police came around asking for them. I have no idea what to do from here.
Katie
Dear Katie,
I am sorry this happened to you. Let’s start with legal recourse. Obviously, without a dentist to hold accountable there is no way to get a refund, but I would get a dentist to document everything so if he does show back up you can take him to court.
Now, we’ve got to get this situation with your mouth dealt with. You didn’t say how many crowns versus dental implants you had. I think you need to see a dentist with significant dental implant training and have them look everything over. The loose dental implant could be a loose crown if that is still on it. Hopefully, that is the case. Dental crowns being re-bonded will cost you a lot less money than if you have to completely replace the dental implants.
If you have failed implants, you will need a bone grafting procedure before you can even replace the implants. This will build up the bone that is lost from the implant failure. Once that has healed, you will be able to restart the dental implant process.
Be careful who you go to in order to document this case and repair it. Dental implants are such an advanced procedure that can have serious consequences if done incorrectly. Look for someone who has post-doctoral training in implants specifically. Without that, you are at risk again.
This blog is brought to you by Hilton Head Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Bonnie Rothwell.
