I recently had a 7-unit permanent bridge {cuspid to 1st bicuspid} supported with implants placed in my mouth with temporary cement. Within 1 hour they fell out. I went back to the office and the dentist recemented them with permanent cement without telling me. I had not even seen what they looked like in my mouth. Now a couple of days later I am seeing that my smile is not normal because the teeth are too long. Also the teeth are very dry and not very smooth. I went back and complained and the dentist said there is nothing he can do. Removing them would destroy the bridge and pull out the implants. Is it true that nothing can be done to fix this? Shouldnt the bridge have been been put in with temp. cement for a week before it was permanently cemented. Is he liable for anything? He insisted on being paid in full before he started the work.
– Lynne from New York
Lynne,
I hate having to respond to these e-mails of patients like you who are so disappointed in how your dental work looks, because there really isn’t a whole lot you can do. And now you have this entire smile that cost you many thousands of dollars, and you don’t like it.
What your dentist told you is partly true. He said that removing the bridge would destroy the bridge and pull out the dental implants. I would put an “or” in there – it can be removed by destroying the bridge OR pulling out the implants. And maybe that’s what he actually said. It could be removed just by grinding off the bridge. That would destroy the bridge, yes, but it wouldn’t pull out the dental implants. And while I’m sure he doesn’t want to do that, he certainly could do that.
Should the bridge have been put in with temporary cement for a week so that you could see what it looked like before it was permanently cemented? That depends on whose rules you’re using. For your sake, yes, that would have been nice. But you have to realize, Lynne, that to the vast majority of dentists that isn’t necessary, because the appearance of the bridge in your mouth simply isn’t that important. The dentist looked at it, it looks fine to him, and so it gets put in.
Could you get this dentist to fix this now? Probably not. You have no leverage. If you threatened to sue, for example, this dentist would have dozens of other dentists who would back him up and say that the bridge was fine – there is no problem with it. You would be battling against the collective opinion of the entire dental profession, because to 90% of them, how this bridge looks to you isn’t that important.
On the issue of the teeth in the bridge not being very smooth, you might be able to get that fixed. Depending on how smooth you mean, the dentist might be able to polish those. Dry off the teeth and try to mark them with a pencil. If the pencil leaves a mark, then the glaze that should be on the teeth is gone. This would be considered a legitimate, functional complaint by most dentists, so you should be able to insist that the dentist fully polish these so they won’t take a pencil mark. There are special diamond polishing wheels and pastes that will be required to do this. A lot of dentists won’t know how, but they can easily look it up or talk to their dental supply representative to get these polishing instruments.
Your dentist, like most dentists, is an engineer and not an artist. If you want a beautiful smile, you need to go to an artist. And that’s the biggest purpose of this website, to educate people on the differences between a cosmetic dentist and an engineer dentist. A true cosmetic dentist would never have dreamed of permanently cementing this bridge in your mouth without you having a good look at it. And then if there was any hesitation in your voice when you talked about how you liked it, the cosmetic dentist would address all those issues before permanently cementing it.
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.