need advice deal with my dentist

[michaerlscai]

I had a crown redone with a general dentist. He didn't do a good job and polished it so thin there is a hole in the metal in the back of the crown. As a result it feels rough. I only find this out after I went to a different dentist. The dentist never acknowlwdged any problem with his work and is resistant to redo the crown and our relationship soured after the work turned out subpar.

I only paid 299 for the crown because insurance covered some but if I go to a different dentist to redo the crown it would cost me 1500 as quoted because my insurance won't pay for the same crown again..

If I have the guy redo the crown, we already dislike each other and I really have no confidence on his ability or professionalism

What's the best way out if this?? Is there anyway to get him to pay for the redo, because 299 really won't cover redoing his butchered job.. I'm in southen california

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

You bite your tongue and allow him to fix it again. A burr usually takes a few minutes to grind unless the filling need ground and redone. Butchered job? Seriously? A dentist is trained to ask periodically throughout the procedure whether you are okay and at the end how everything feels.

 

[michaerlscai]

You bite your tongue and allow him to fix it again. A burr usually takes a few minutes to grind unless the filling need ground and redone. Butchered job? Seriously? A dentist is trained to ask periodically throughout the procedure whether you are okay and at the end how everything feels.

I wish it was that simple, unfortunately i already went back for multiple polishing.. turnout it was polished too much it put a hole on the metal under the pocerlain, as a result no amount of more polishing will fix it.

so I'm between a rock and a hard place here, it's either having him redo the job which he is very reluctant to do and i have lost confidence in his ability, or go to a different dentist a pay 1500 and not sure if it's going to turn out ok, but is there anyway to make the dentist pay some of the cost of redoing it?

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

The amalgam filling should have been completely removed, not resurfaced. The mercury vapor is not good for your brain. If that is how he did it I would seek a malpractice attorney as it appears he only did half the job and charged for the entire job. Think of putting bondo over rust.

 

[michaerlscai]

I called the dentist today and the office manager said they will refund me the money I paid for the crown and refund what the insurance company paid, so I can start fresh with a different dentist to get the work redone. Basically they don't want anything more to do with me, it's at least a partial success for me and I have to give them some credit for offering a compromise. Maybe they see a lawsuit coming or something. Although I don't know how the insurance would work, would they pay for the crown again because dentist refunded all the charges?

 

[ShyCat]

I called the dentist today and the office manager said they will refund me the money I paid for the crown and refund what the insurance company paid, so I can start fresh with a different dentist to get the work redone. Basically they don't want anything more to do with me, it's at least a partial success for me and I have to give them some credit for offering a compromise. Maybe they see a lawsuit coming or something. Although I don't know how the insurance would work, would they pay for the crown again because dentist refunded all the charges?

No, insurance will not pay again. You will have to use the money that was refunded to you by the first dentist to pay the second dentist.

 

[michaerlscai]

No, insurance will not pay again. You will have to use the money that was refunded to you by the first dentist to pay the second dentist.

They are going to send me a check for what the insurance and I paid before.. so this might work. It's a good gesture from them, still I'm looking at additional out of pocket cost because new dentist is not in network.

 

[ecmst12]

If they refund the insurance company's payment to them, then yes, they will pay for the new dentist. If they send the full refund to YOU, then you pay the new dentist.

 

[michaerlscai]

so I got a check from the dentist, they sent it in certified mail with signature required.. in addition there is language like 'by accepting this check, you agree to not hold the dentist or the office responsible for any further responsibility'
I'm kinda annoyed it came in certified mail with signature required and also with that language in the letter.

The dentist scewed up on the job, there is a hole on the metal on the crown, so this is should be just for refunding me for a failed job. If he cracked the tooth or did any further damage I found out later, of course he is responsible..

can he legally make himself not responsible if I cash the check? what if I found out there is further damage to the tooth when i go to a different dentist to have the crown redone? should I not cash the check instead?. when I talked to the office manager, she offered a check and never mentioned any condition over the phone..

 

[ecmst12]

I would suggest you not cash the check if you're not willing to accept that amount as settlement in full.

 

[Driver100WM]

so I got a check from the dentist, they sent it in certified mail with signature required.. in addition there is language like 'by accepting this check, you agree to not hold the dentist or the office responsible for any further responsibility'
I'm kinda annoyed it came in certified mail with signature required and also with that language in the letter.

The dentist scewed up on the job, there is a hole on the metal on the crown, so this is should be just for refunding me for a failed job. If he cracked the tooth or did any further damage I found out later, of course he is responsible..

can he legally make himself not responsible if I cash the check? what if I found out there is further damage to the tooth when i go to a different dentist to have the crown redone? should I not cash the check instead?. when I talked to the office manager, she offered a check and never mentioned any condition over the phone..

Did you tell your concern to the dentist's officer manager about this release of responsibility about accepting the refund check? Has your insurance paid for re-doing the same dental work by another dentist?