Furious with my dentist!

Sugarbear

:mad:

Ok, I'll start off by saying i never really liked my dentist in the first place...always thought she was a bit laid back or whatever, but i'm completely boiling up at this point.

I'm on disability allowance so i've always been entitled to free dental treatment, and have been with my dentist for around 5 years. 3 years ago she performed a root canal treatment on my front tooth as it had been cracked from childhood and was beginning to give me problems (i had always had caps on it) And last year i asked about getting a crown done. She quoted me €1,000+ and I decided that I'd save up and look around.
I went privately to a different dentist last week to get a check up and see how much a crown with their practise would cost, and here's where the shocking part comes into play...she basically told me that my previous dentist had botched up my root canal, that there was a ball of infection in my gum which could crack the rest of my remaining tooth and that i had lots of small cavities that needed to be looked at ASAP. She said i wouldn't be able to have a crown fitted till i had retreatment of the root canal (which is going to cost €400) and that I would have to have most of the small cavities filled in. On top of that the newest filling i had done on my bottom molar was extremely high and uneven and was cutting my inside cheek, she had to file it there and then.

I hope i haven't ranted too long...I'm just basically really ticked off about all of this...It's not like i expected top-notch dentistry when on the medical card but this is ridiculous....Has anyone got any similar stories or advice? I feel like taking some action, but i'm not sure what my rights are given that the treatment i have received has been under the medical card

The crown should be fitted asap after a root canal. The tooth is severely weekened by the root canal proceedure and is likely to crack. Thats what my dentist tld me anyway.

sudzs

That's awful Sugarbear... get onto the Dental Council of Ireland and complain.

eth0_

Of course, there's absolutely no way you are to blame for the infection, and it was in no way related to the fact you didn't bother getting the tooth capped (a procedure recommended for exactly this reason) for THREE YEARS. :rolleyes:

Sugarbear

eth0_ wrote:

Of course, there's absolutely no way you are to blame for the infection, and it was in no way related to the fact you didn't bother getting the tooth capped (a procedure recommended for exactly this reason) for THREE YEARS. :rolleyes:

I'm sensing some sarcasm here.....I only asked for advice. If you read my post again you'll see that i already mentioned that I have been getting caps on my tooth since the root canal, so i don't see how the infection is my fault? My dentist never bothered to mention that a crown was needed after a root canal, hence the reason i'm so ticked off :rolleyes:

Deleted User wrote:

The crown should be fitted asap after a root canal. The tooth is severely weekened by the root canal proceedure and is likely to crack. Thats what my dentist tld me anyway.

That's great your dentist told you that, my dentist merely suggested a crown would look better, she never explained that it would be risky not to have one done...If only i had known all of this information beforehand.
I think i will take Sudzs advice and see what information i can get from the dental council of Ireland.
All advice and stories still welcome!

marco_polo

eth0_ wrote:

Of course, there's absolutely no way you are to blame for the infection, and it was in no way related to the fact you didn't bother getting the tooth capped (a procedure recommended for exactly this reason) for THREE YEARS. :rolleyes:

Very helpful post. Did you ever stop to think that not not everyone has a spare €1500+ just lying around for dental treatment.

Anyway it is recomended that that teeth are crowned so they do not break due to being weakned by the root canal, not because of infection risk. Often front teeth do not need to be crowned after a root canal as they are not subjected to the same pressure levels as molars.

Big_G

First off, a crown is necessary due to the risk of infection; a crown is a sealing restoration. It is correct to say that this is usually more important on back teeth than on front teeth. It is also correct to say that the amount of tooth structure removed during a root canal treatment necessitates protection for the tooth from fracture with use of a full coverage restoration (crown), also generally more important on a back tooth.

Whenever I am treatment planning I tell every patient that needs RCT that they will need a crown, except in the most minimal of cases in anterior teeth because that is the standard of care. This is especially indicated in teeth that have had previous failures of root canal treatment or repeated fracture of fillings in/on the teeth.

I wonder did your new dentist use the word 'botched' when describing your root canal. I would find that highly unlikely, and highly unprofessional - your new dentist does not have all of the facts at hand, and did not have pre-treatment x-rays available. Short of the RCT looking absolutely ridiculous, this situation is difficult to believe. Bear in mind that root canal treatment is only 93% successful (depending on your definition of success, but that is a more academic discussion) and there are failures! Especially in the absence of a permanent sealing restoration such as a crown or in anterior teeth a correctly bonded white filling.

tabatha

im just wondering, i have 2 root canals on two of my front teeth (its was done at the back of them, is this where they always do them?) anyway, i never had crowns done on them as i was never told anything about it. i never knew u needed crowns until i read some of the posts on here. i have been to a few dentists since and never was it mentioned to me that i needed it done. i just had an xray last week of these teeth and i was told that they were perfect and the dentist that did them did a great job. i asked him about crowning them as i had read on here that you needed crowns on root canals and he said i didnt need them that they were fine. i am really confused now!

lola_run

Go to another dentist! Don't just stay with the same dentist for five years if you're not happy with services. If you need a crown, I'd recommend you go to one of the continental European countries such as Germany or Hungary. In Ireland, most dentists and GPs for that matter are interested in only one thing: money. That's been my experience and many of my friends. Surely we're not all unlucky!

Big_G

I'm sorry you've gotten that idea.

Let me just educate you about the issue of money in Ireland. Things are expensive here! Including all of the materials that go into dentistry (being some of the most expensive and highly marked up items one can purchase in this country relative to other countries).

A plumber or electrician will charge up to E150 for a call out at which they diagnose a problem. Dentists won't often get that expensive, and that would include a cleaning and x-rays. The plumber or electrician does not have to pay for staff, malpractice insurance, lab fees or continuing education. They were paid to learn their trade, dentists were not. There possibly is no more complex, demanding and stressful field to work in than healthcare. Also there is no risk for the plumber or electrician of a job not being there that they have just been called to. It is frequent for many dentists that patients don't show up, for which most dentists get no pay and have lost that time also.

Too many people (and some dentists) think of dentistry as a consumer service. It is not!! It is surgery!! Would you consider going to a clinic in Eastern Europe for other types of surgery even (or in some cases, especially) if it meant costing a fraction of the price. I know I wouldn't.

Get this - you're paying for a highly complex, specialised and expensive (in terms of costs for the dentist) procedure in most cases in dentistry. So people who complain about price - go to eastern europe for dentistry. It means the specialists in this country get more work when your mouth needs to be properly fixed.

lola_run

Big_G wrote:

I'm sorry you've gotten that idea.

Let me just educate you about the issue of money in Ireland. Things are expensive here! Including all of the materials that go into dentistry (being some of the most expensive and highly marked up items one can purchase in this country relative to other countries).

A plumber or electrician will charge up to E150 for a call out at which they diagnose a problem. Dentists won't often get that expensive, and that would include a cleaning and x-rays. The plumber or electrician does not have to pay for staff, malpractice insurance, lab fees or continuing education. They were paid to learn their trade, dentists were not. There possibly is no more complex, demanding and stressful field to work in than healthcare. Also there is no risk for the plumber or electrician of a job not being there that they have just been called to. It is frequent for many dentists that patients don't show up, for which most dentists get no pay and have lost that time also.

Too many people (and some dentists) think of dentistry as a consumer service. It is not!! It is surgery!! Would you consider going to a clinic in Eastern Europe for other types of surgery even (or in some cases, especially) if it meant costing a fraction of the price. I know I wouldn't.

Get this - you're paying for a highly complex, specialised and expensive (in terms of costs for the dentist) procedure in most cases in dentistry. So people who complain about price - go to eastern europe for dentistry. It means the specialists in this country get more work when your mouth needs to be properly fixed.

Everyone has had a different experience, I'm sure. In fact, I was mainly referring to continental European countries such as France, Belgium, Luxembourg or Germany, all of which have top class dental care in the public system. Of course, you can come across bad dentists only in it for the money anywhere but the service is just so much superior in the countries stated above. I once had a dentist in Ireland (a highly trained, expensive, but good one) comment on how well a dental job was done. When I told him I had it done in Germany, he simply replied: "Ah, thought it was too good to have been done here". Straight from the horse's mouth!

sudzs

Everyone has had a different experience, I'm sure.

True true! Over the years I've seen several different dentists in Ireland and sorry to say the bad outnumbered the good.

Half blind dentist who left me with decay for years because he couldn't see it.

Sedation dentistry where there was no recovery room. I had to sit in the waiting room lolling and dribbling until I came around.

Most recently a botched filling which was never smothed resulting in 4 return trips to a recently "qualified" dentist and it still is not right.

Poor hygiene, cups of rinse lined up on a shelf exposed to the air.... drill bits sitting open to the air... various bins with no lids...

Are you telling me I should be paying through the nose for that kind of service or surgery as Big G likes to call it!!! :eek:

And just to add, I don't know where anyone would get the idea that electricians or plumbers or any other tradesman does not have to pay for insurance.

Big_G

Do they have to pay E3000+ for their insurance every year? Nope.

Also relatively, I doubt you are paying through the nose for that kind of treatment, if you went to a practice where they were doing none of those things and following proper protocols, you would be paying a hell of a lot more, because it costs more to provide the higher levels of service.

sudzs

Are you really suggesting that if people hunt around and find a shoddy rundown unhygienic practice they'll get their treatment at a cheaper price??

My word! Is that the state of Irish dentistry Big G?

(and actually I did pay through the nose for all my treatment, good and bad!)

Mezcita

Think Big G is talking a lot of sense here folks.

Pay up and get the work done. As for this business about horror dentist stories, ask your friends who they go to and go there.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Have to agree with Big G - well said. Also I think that the real problem from the op is that the medical card does not pay for quality dentistry and most essential crowns. White fillings will work for a time but in time infection will track down into the root canal and reinfect it. While it is often a good precaution to wait for a few months to make sure the root canal is successful waiting 3 years for a crown is not wise.

I think that money should not be your driving factor in health care. If it is you will be attracted to dentists who also have money as their only goal in their working life. Quality dentistry takes TIME and because of this it can be expensive especially in Ireland for the reason Big G claims.

Big_G

sudzs wrote:

Are you really suggesting that if people hunt around and find a shoddy rundown unhygienic practice they'll get their treatment at a cheaper price??

My word! Is that the state of Irish dentistry Big G?

(and actually I did pay through the nose for all my treatment, good and bad!)

You can get your tooth pulled on the street in India for about a euro, no hygiene, no service, you may want to try that, it might satisfy your desire for cheaper dentistry. So to answer your question that is the state of dentistry and wider healthcare the world over. And everything else for that matter. You get what you pay for, generally speaking. There are a few who buck the trend, but they don't tend to last very long.

Also you only think you pay through the nose, I know of a particular dentist who famously does gum surgeries for every below the gum white filling and charges between E1200 and E2000 per. Also recently heard CDN$3000 for a single rooted root canal treatment. So we're not the worst, maybe not the best either. But since when was Ireland the cheapest for anything?