I am not sure about how to handle a pickle I have found myself in. I needed a tooth replacement and chose to have a dental implant. When I woke up from the surgery, my dentist said there wasn’t really enough bone density but he went ahead and placed the implant anyway. Now he wants to remove it and give me a dental bridge instead. Yet, I’ve been charged $3,000 for a dental implant he knew wouldn’t work. First, should I have to pay this? Second, am I stuck with a dental bridge or can I still get a dental implant?
Arthur
Dear Arthur,
I am completely flummoxed as to how your dentist thinks he can get away with this. You are definitely entitled to a full refund. I’m not sure if you are aware of what an implied warranty is, but legally it means that something that is sold has to be suitable to fulfill the purpose for which it was designed. He placed your dental implant knowing it would not be able to sustain the restoration, which is its entire purpose. A refund is a no-brainer in this situation.
However, I think you are entitled to more than that. Instead of simply getting a refund, I want you to require this dentist to pay the cost of having his unethical work repaired by the dentist of your choosing on top of that.
It sounds like your dentist did not do adequate diagnostics before going forward with your dental implant procedure. He should have done x-rays, including a 3-dimensional CT scan which would have shown him ahead of time the bone density needed some work.
As to your second question, you are not stuck with a dental bridge. It is very likely you can still receive your dental implant. Because of your bone density and the need to remove this improperly placed implant, you will also require an additional procedure called bone grafting. This will help build up the bone in your jawbone so you will be able to retain an implant.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.