Dental: filling turned to root canal to crown

[b0z]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

This is the situation. My friend went to a dentist for a regular cleaning.
The dentist suggested to change one of her fillings (of a tooth that was fine and was not hurting her) to replace it with a white filling.

She agreed. Had it changed and shortly after she started having pains in that tooth.
she went in for a second time to have it fixed. It still was hurting her a lot.

The third time she went to the dentist, she was told she will have to get a root canal done,
and now she is being told that she will need a crown as well.

neither the root canal nor the crown are covered by her dental plan.
the cost of it exceeds $2000.

is there a case here to be made that she should not have to pay for any of that.
the tooth was fine, it was not something she went to the dentist for in the first place.

thank you for any input on this..

[barry1817]

Originally Posted by b0z

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

This is the situation. My friend went to a dentist for a regular cleaning.
The dentist suggested to change one of her fillings (of a tooth that was fine and was not hurting her) to replace it with a white filling.

She agreed. Had it changed and shortly after she started having pains in that tooth.
she went in for a second time to have it fixed. It still was hurting her a lot.

The third time she went to the dentist, she was told she will have to get a root canal done,
and now she is being told that she will need a crown as well.

neither the root canal nor the crown are covered by her dental plan.
the cost of it exceeds $2000.

is there a case here to be made that she should not have to pay for any of that.
the tooth was fine, it was not something she went to the dentist for in the first place.

thank you for any input on this..

It becomes interesting to see what the x-rays and diagnosis were.
It becomes interesting to see what the post treatement x-ray would show.

It becomes interesting to understand the skill of the dentist and how the composite restoration was placed.

It becomes interesting to get the exact comment about the reason for changing the filling, and to note that while an amalgam filling might contain mercury the plastic fillings contain carcinogens, and I would be interested if the patient was informed of this prior to treatment.

Wonder why, if the filling was discolored it wasn't just polished and made to look like new, if the filling was acceptible.

There is a lot to go on and more info is needed, which would include answers to the questions posed

[ecmst12]

I would love for you to post even ONE documented case where someone contracted cancer due to a filling.

A crown is a necessary part of a root canal procedure; you can't have a root canal without a crown.

OP is posting 2nd and 3rd hand info for a 'friend'. I find it much more likely that the dentist wanted to replace the filling because signs of decay were seen underneath it, and he offered to use the white filling instead of the ugly metal since it had to be replaced anyway, might as well make a cosmetic improvement at the same time. Patient would not have to experience pain in order for decay to be present.

So dentist replaces filling, thinks he got all the decay but was wrong; root is affected and root canal is needed. This does not, from the VERY limited amount of information posted, appear to be all that out of the ordinary.

[b0z]

OK... well i got a little more information now.


My friend was in about 6 months ago in for the cleaning.
The cleaning was done. This is when the Dentist suggested
she should change 2 of her dark fillings to the white ones because
"you can see them in your smile line".
Those are exact words from the dentist.
She was not told that there was anything wrong with the fillings.
It was a cosmetic thing.
She was not explained the difference in the types of fillings other than that one is dark and the other is white.

Now recently, one of the teeth started hurting her. She went in twice and is now
in the process of getting the root canal done.


Sorry about the confusion. My original understanding was that all the work was done recently. and that the tooth started hurting immediately after the filling was changed.

[seniorjudge]

What is the malpractice you are claiming?

[b0z]

Originally my understanding was that:

Dentist suggested to have the fillings changed purely for cosmetic reasons.
Day or after the work was done the tooth started hurting and eventually
needed the root canal.

The malpractice i was trying to claim is that, the tooth was fine, she suggested to do work on the tooth for cosmetic reasons and in doing so caused the root canal problem.
the root canal was not needed originally. now it is.

the root canal is not covered by the dental plan, so this money now would have to come out of my friend's pocket.


EDIT: i wasnt trying to make a case to sue for damages, but rather avoid the costs brought on by the root canal.



I'm guessing things change a lot because the tooth started hurting a few months after the filling was changed.

[seniorjudge]

Do you have a second dentist who will testify in court that the first dentist's work caused the need for a root canal?

[b0z]

would i need a second dentist if the pain started immediately after the filling was changed?

[seniorjudge]

Q: would i need a second dentist if the pain started immediately after the filling was changed?

A: Yes, to prove causation.

[ecmst12]

I don't see how replacing a filling could cause decay to spontaneously form.

[barry1817]

Originally Posted by ecmst12

I don't see how replacing a filling could cause decay to spontaneously form.

I have seen dentists turn a routine small filling into a large root canal because they were not competent. It isn't causing spontaneous decay, it's drilling in a manner that either harms the pulp by the heat generated by the drill, or by actual harm by violating the pulp chamber.

[barry1817]

Originally Posted by ecmst12

I would love for you to post even ONE documented case where someone contracted cancer due to a filling.

A crown is a necessary part of a root canal procedure; you can't have a root canal without a crown.

OP is posting 2nd and 3rd hand info for a 'friend'. I find it much more likely that the dentist wanted to replace the filling because signs of decay were seen underneath it, and he offered to use the white filling instead of the ugly metal since it had to be replaced anyway, might as well make a cosmetic improvement at the same time. Patient would not have to experience pain in order for decay to be present.

So dentist replaces filling, thinks he got all the decay but was wrong; root is affected and root canal is needed. This does not, from the VERY limited amount of information posted, appear to be all that out of the ordinary.

I can't document a single case either where the amalgam filling was a cause of harm to the patient but activists are pushing an agenda that will do away with silver fillings, due to the mercury in them. Surprises me that they haven't gone after the new light bulbs that have mercury in them.

Yes you can have a root canal and not need a crown. I have seen many, I have dealt with many dentists that have done so, and it depends on the extent of the access and decay in the tooth necessitating treatment.

I don't ask who is posting, but reply based on the information given, with the caveat that one needs to have the chart to see what was written and what the dentist saw and documented.

What is the damage to a person that had a filling replaced, and the dentist turned it into a root canal and a crown. There is time in chair and discomfort, there is the cost of the root canal, the post and crown, and the potential for having to replace a crown down the line should it not be done properly. That is a cost of a few thousand, which when a person hasn't budgeted for can be a major hit on a person's budget, especially if they have children and expenses.