Taken for a Ride by a “Cosmetic Dentist”
Posted by writeradmin
I had four front teeth that were bothering me and was hoping to get them fixed with braces of some kind. They were overcrowded and crooked. My dentist said that he could do cosmetic dentistry to fix them so that I wouldn’t have to wear braces for three years. He was going to do a combination of two porcelain veneers and dental bonding. I liked the idea of avoiding a mouth full of metal so agreed to his plan. He did those things and said he reshaped some other teeth, including at the bottom. That I had not agreed to. All in all he charged me $9750 and the results are awful. The teeth are still crooked and the porcelain veneers don’t fit the teeth. There’s a gap at the top of each veneer. I asked him what would give the results he told me and he said that I would need four dental crowns with root canals but it will cost me another $8K. I went to see another dentist. She said that she would have suggested Invisalign for me but now that my dentist has messed with my teeth I’ll need to repair the “makeover” with porcelain veneers. She’s suggesting four porcelain veneers for $4000. No root canals or crowns. I’m so mad. Is there any way to at least get my money back?
Claudia
Dear Claudia,
The first dentist really took advantage of you. I am so sorry. This will end up going in my cosmetic dentistry horror story file. Most people don’t realize that cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty. That means any general dentist can do cosmetic dentistry even without the post-doctoral training necessary to do them either beautifully or properly.
If your dentist had integrity, he would refund your money. I’ll give you some ideas as to how to encourage him to do so. In the meantime, though, I have some concerns about your second dentist.
While she had a great idea of using Invisalign for the original treatment plan, and she is correct about you not being able to do that now, her price on the porcelain veneers is quite low, which makes me wonder about her training and skills. You want someone who has extensive post doctoral training. Look for someone who’s gone somewhere like the Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies or the Dawson Academy. You will also want to make sure that she does a temporary try-in first. You need to get a look of the veneers on your teeth and approve them before they are permanently bonded on. And, the dentist needs to be willing to redo them before they’re bonded on if you want any changes.
As for getting your money back, you may have to play hard ball. Start by telling him you are going to the dental board. If that doesn’t work, then I would contact an attorney. In addition to not giving you the work he promised, he has the problems of trying to tell you that you needed work you didn’t (the root canals), and he did work on you that you didn’t approve (the tooth shaving), which is a huge no-no in the dental field.
This blog is brought to you by Mt. Dora Dentist Dr. Michelle Stillman.