I had a root canal done and then a permanent crown placed in the Schaumburg, IL, area, around 2013.
Now my dentist here in Dallas evaluated that the crown was a mess, I ended up replacing the crown now. Upon reaching out the office in Schaumburg the office told me there is no was even a single penny will be refunded for something that was done in 2013. I told them it is based upon a dentist review not my opinion.
– Meredith from Texas
(See Dr. Hall’s answer below.)
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Meredith,
I agree that expecting a refund on an 11-year-old crown is a little much. You got 11 years of service out of the crown, so I think it was worth it. But let me add a couple of additional comments related to your question.
The way you put the opinion of your Dallas dentist, that the “crown was a mess,” raised a red flag with me. If that is the terminology that your dentist used, I’m suspicious. There’s a sense of professional courtesy in the dental profession to be gentle with our criticism of another dentist’s work. Yes, there is an obligation to the patient to be honest about work that needs to be re-done. But there are gentle ways and harsh ways to criticize. Some dentists, however, purposely exaggerate problems with previous work as a way to persuade you to re-do their work. Fortunately, it’s a small minority of dentists who do that, but there are some. And then, if it truly was “a mess,” why did it take 11 years for it to give you any trouble? A poorly done crown will either hurt, or fall off, or will leak new decay within a couple of years or so. Now, I’m not saying that your crown was fine, I’m just saying that maybe it was or maybe it wasn’t.
I’d also like to address the question of longevity of dental work. How long should you expect a crown to last? Dental insurance companies have established a standard. They expect a crown to last at least five years, and if it doesn’t they won’t pay benefits to replace it. If a crown doesn’t last that long, it would be reasonable to expect some concession from the dentist that placed it, maybe even free replacement. But a well-done crown in the mouth of a patient who takes good care of their teeth could last much longer than that. I have several crowns in my mouth that are over thirty years old, and I expect them to last for many years yet. But I had one crown that lasted only about five years, and I didn’t even mention it to the dentist that did it.
There are too many variables to expect a dentist to place a warranty on dental work. An important factor is how well a patient takes care of the work. If they are a frequent snacker, even quality work can develop recurrent decay around the edges.
– Dr. Hall
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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