Dodgy Dentist?

[systemben]

I had a crown put in 2 years ago, no problem with it at all, went to the dentist a couple of weeks ago to have a filling on the other side re filled and within two days I was in agony with the crowned tooth. Ended up at the emergency dentist who said that I was only biting on the crown and that they had set the filling on the other side too low and the crown was too high.

 

Went back to my dentist who said that the two teeth had nothing to do with each other, that the problem with the crown was that they didn't do the root filling properly and there was still bacteria in there that had caused the abscess, not the fact that I was biting on one tooth. I said did that mean that the root treatment for the crown wasn't done properly in the first place? her response was that it wasn't a good job but then there's no guarantee that they'll get rid of the problem and root treatment is never 100% effective. Her solution is to pull the tooth. She did file down the offending crown and since then I haven't had an issue with it although she's given me a prescription for antibiotics and says that the tooth needs to come out.

 

My problem is that surely if bacteria was left in the root then wouldn't I have had problems before now? bacteria by very nature breeds and the tooth has been fine for 2 years, why then does it start causing problems right after I see her? Also if the treatment they did on the tooth wasn't a good job then surely they could remove the crown re drill the tooth and do the root treatment again? after all I paid for root treatment and a crown.

 

Normally I wouldn't mind but I don't trust my dental practice one bit, I've had 5 dentists in the last 18 months one of which tried to give me a crown for a chipped filling that wasn't chipped, I've turned up for my sixth monthly checkup to find the dentist is on holiday and they have no record of my appointment even though they made it for me.

 

They feel like a bunch of cowboys but where do I go for help?

[Red smartie]

Contact your local Primary Care Trust (PCT) - you will find them listed under your local Strategic Health Authority and sometimes in Yellow Pages. Ask to speak to the Dental commissioner - they have a list of dentists and also investigate complaints and will be able to respond quicker than PALS as they hold the purse strings. Ask to be examined by the Chief Dental Officer for your area - that will give you an explaination of what is wrong with your teeth independently. Also register your complaint with the Dental commissioner and also with PALS - that way they have to investigate it for you. If they have lost details of your treatment and you were a NHS patient your local PCT will have details of the treatment as they pay for NHS work.

[MARTIN3030]

Good Info RS.