I’ve been crying for two days over what I feel is a no-win situation. I had to get my two front teeth crowned. My dentist tried it but realized himself when he went to put them on that he didn’t have the right skill set to do front teeth. I was grateful for his integrity. He sent me to a prosthodontist, which was supposed to be some kind of crown specialist. The first set he did were too opaque and looked like the teeth were chalky so I asked him not to bond those on. He agreed. When I came in for the next set, he asked if I would prefer some sedation this time. Admittedly, I was a bit wiggly and uncomfortable in the chair the previous time. I agreed, feeling this would be my permanent set anyway. I sort of remember them asking whether or not I thought they were okay, but have no recollection of what I told them. After I was fully awake at home I looked at them and was appalled, they are obviously darker than my natural teeth, making my smile look ridiculous. When I called the office, he insisted I approved them and that I was being “impossible to please” because I said the first set is too white and this set is too dark. He will only “fix” them if I pay again for a new procedure, but even then he is only giving me a choice between the two colors he’s already done. Is there any way to get a smile I won’t be ashamed of?
Lauren
Dear Lauren,
There are a few mistakes in how your case was handled. The first was sending you to a prosthodontist for a cosmetic heavy procedure. Dental crowns on back teeth are a walk in the park because you just have the get close to the natural color. Front teeth are a completely different story. Because the light hits them directly, all the subtle variances in shading and opacity are very visible.
While a prosthodontist does have specialized training in crowns, that training is not sufficient on the cosmetic side of things. In fact, they tend to blow off their patient’s feelings because they consider themselves the experts. That is the opposite view a true cosmetic dentist will take. What matters to a cosmetic dentist is whether or not you think they are beautiful.
The second error is the dental sedation. You were under no condition to give either approval or disapproval. I’m trying to give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn’t do that intentionally. If there is a legitimate need for sedation because of anxiety, there is a work around by having your dentist do provisionals first. These are temporary crowns you can “test drive” for a few days, which gives you a fair chance at knowing whether or not you can trust the results when sedated.
What you need now is to get another dentist on your side to try and help you get a refund. If your dentist will look at them and agree they are poorly done, he is in a good position to pressure the prosthodontist for your refund. As a specialist, he is somewhat dependent on your dentist feeding him clients.
Getting this fixed is a matter of going to an AACD accredited dentist. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country and will have the skills to give you two stunning crowns on your front teeth.
This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.