Dentist failed to diagnose gum disease

[yousofunny]

I am in Largo Florida.

In the last year I've seen my dentist no less than 4 times. These visits were for a root canal, a crown, a couple of fillings and of course regular cleaning. On two separate visits I pointed out to my dentist and dental hygienist that I had a loose tooth and the gums above it were receding. The dentist told me not to worry and if the tooth didn't tighten up on its own he would anchor it to the teeth next to it. In regards to the receding gums he suggested I RE-CROWN several of my front teeth (including the loose tooth) at the cost of about $3500.


Now months later I saw the dentist because I was having more problems with the loose tooth. The end result is I have advanced gum disease and a portion of my upper gums were removed due to a major infection. The tooth is loose because I've lost a lot of bone also due to the infection. Bone doesn't grow back. Neither will my gums. I'm told the likely of my having further problems down the road INCLUDING recurring infections and possibly losing some teeth is almost certain.

I've come to find out that receding gums and loose teeth are a clear indication of gum disease. The loss of bone is also a symptom and well documented in my x-rays taken on at least 3 occasions.
The dentist should have caught this when I first pointed out the problem. Instead an infection was allowed to eat away at my gums and bone supporting the teeth for months.

My dentist was more interested in crowns than gum disease not to mention the the fact that the teeth he wanted to re-crown would still be in diseased and infected gums. The infection was bad enough to make me sick for several weeks. The dentist himself said he couldn't believe the amount of pus that came out from under my gums. Sorry to be graphic.


This has effected me a number of ways. First my gums look hideous and I am constantly on guard not to smile too widely or it will show. I have to baby the loose tooth and I'm aware of it's instability every time I bite into a sandwich or slice of pizza. I now worry daily about losing my teeth and future infections. If I loose a tooth I'll need a bridge. If the infection returns I could loose another tooth and need yet another bridge. You can see how future work could generate to a hefty bill. This is money I wouldn't have to spend were it not for my dentists incompetence.

The dentist is a nice man. I liked him. He's got a decent sense of humor and I'm drawn to that. The problem is he's seriously over-booking. One of the staff once told me there have been times when all 8 dental chairs had patients in them and HE IS THE ONLY DENTIST. So he's running room to room doing this on one and that on another and having his staff do most of the prep-work, x-rays etc. He didn't take the time to adequately familiarize himself with my chart and communication between him and his staff is sorely absent. Mostly he failed to diagnose the gum disease early on when it should have been glaringly evident to his trained eye.

I am in Largo Florida. You comments are appreciated.

 

[ellencee]

The conditions/results you describe do not occur in months. If you think your dentist was unaware of your dental health, for what reason do you believe you required numerous root canals and their associated crowns?

Surely, you were aware that you had dental problems/disease and surely if you were not satisfied with your dental care, you could have seen another dentist.

Have another dentist assume your dental care and review your dental history with you.

EC

 

[ellencee]

Due to the frequency of similar dentist-related claims and in recognition of 'where' dental students 'are' in this semester, I offer this tip:
Your university's library has a reserved section in which you will find papers prepared by previous dental students. Ask for the articles, dissertations, case studies, etc. prepared by endodontic fellows. Therein you will find the answers that you seek.
EC

 

[rmet4nzkx]

Due to the frequency of similar dentist-related claims and in recognition of 'where' dental students 'are' in this semester, I offer this tip:
Your university's library has a reserved section in which you will find papers prepared by previous dental students. Ask for the articles, dissertations, case studies, etc. prepared by endodontic fellows. Therein you will find the answers that you seek.
EC

I was wondering why all the dental questions all of a sudden.
Some anti seizure Rx will fix up those gums

 

[barry1817]

dental problems, gum disease

I am in Largo Florida.

In the last year I've seen my dentist no less than 4 times. These visits were for a root canal, a crown, a couple of fillings and of course regular cleaning. On two separate visits I pointed out to my dentist and dental hygienist that I had a loose tooth and the gums above it were receding. The dentist told me not to worry and if the tooth didn't tighten up on its own he would anchor it to the teeth next to it. In regards to the receding gums he suggested I RE-CROWN several of my front teeth (including the loose tooth) at the cost of about $3500.


Now months later I saw the dentist because I was having more problems with the loose tooth. The end result is I have advanced gum disease and a portion of my upper gums were removed due to a major infection. The tooth is loose because I've lost a lot of bone also due to the infection. Bone doesn't grow back. Neither will my gums. I'm told the likely of my having further problems down the road INCLUDING recurring infections and possibly losing some teeth is almost certain.

I've come to find out that receding gums and loose teeth are a clear indication of gum disease. The loss of bone is also a symptom and well documented in my x-rays taken on at least 3 occasions.
The dentist should have caught this when I first pointed out the problem. Instead an infection was allowed to eat away at my gums and bone supporting the teeth for months.

My dentist was more interested in crowns than gum disease not to mention the the fact that the teeth he wanted to re-crown would still be in diseased and infected gums. The infection was bad enough to make me sick for several weeks. The dentist himself said he couldn't believe the amount of pus that came out from under my gums. Sorry to be graphic.


This has effected me a number of ways. First my gums look hideous and I am constantly on guard not to smile too widely or it will show. I have to baby the loose tooth and I'm aware of it's instability every time I bite into a sandwich or slice of pizza. I now worry daily about losing my teeth and future infections. If I loose a tooth I'll need a bridge. If the infection returns I could loose another tooth and need yet another bridge. You can see how future work could generate to a hefty bill. This is money I wouldn't have to spend were it not for my dentists incompetence.

The dentist is a nice man. I liked him. He's got a decent sense of humor and I'm drawn to that. The problem is he's seriously over-booking. One of the staff once told me there have been times when all 8 dental chairs had patients in them and HE IS THE ONLY DENTIST. So he's running room to room doing this on one and that on another and having his staff do most of the prep-work, x-rays etc. He didn't take the time to adequately familiarize himself with my chart and communication between him and his staff is sorely absent. Mostly he failed to diagnose the gum disease early on when it should have been glaringly evident to his trained eye.

I am in Largo Florida. You comments are appreciated.

Law suits for periodontal problems are fast becoming the trend, because the failure to treat, to chart and to refer when necessary is a sign of the benign neglect that is prevalent in the profession, and especially more so when a dentist is so busy that he isn't taking the necessary time to properly document and treat a patient.

the problem with periodontal disease, is that for the most part it is painless disease, and asymptomatic until it reaches a point where the problem becomes acute.

From what you have stated I would hazard a guess that your dentist was not only negligent in your treatment, but could probably be shown to have been in violation of several standards of care that are mandated in treating patients, that would be dependent on if the codes for infection control in your state are similar to those in Ca.

It is reasonable to expect that a patient would think, if not informed that the problems with pain, were caused by the teeth that were treated, treated while ignoring the real problem, which is negligence.

As to a dentist looking to take out a tooth, and then do a bridge on an area of severe gum disease is negligence and way below the standard of care.

The failure to diagnose periodontal disease, is negligence and below the standard of care.

So if you have a dentist practicing in a negligent manner, and you are harmed, and you can document the actual harm, you will probably have a case.

Proving the case would be evident from x-rays, and from chart notations and the lack of periodontal probing and charting, which should be in the chart.

I hope that this helped, but if the problems are as severe as you noted, you will need legal counsel and dental experts to review the chart looking for the areas that I indicated.

Feel free to contact me directly should you have further questions.

[email protected]