There is only one holistic dentist in my city. I was excited to find one, but now I am having some regrets. My goals were to get some amalgam fillings replaced with white fillings, as well as replace a metal based crown with an all-porcelain one. I started with the crown because it was aging. When she did the temporary crown, it did not feel quite right but she said that it would fit perfectly when the permanent one came in. That did not turn out to be true. Instead, it was painful when I chewed. I went back a few days later and she said the molar next to the crown was too big. This puzzled me because it is my natural tooth and had no problems previously. She assured me that was the problem and sanded down that tooth. Now, I ended up with a separate problem where the other side of my mouth could come together to chew but not the side with the dental crown. I told her the new problem and she then said it was because I needed orthodontics. I am finding this doubtful because I did not need orthodontics before this. Do you think I can get my dentist to give me a refund?
Carol
Dear Carol,
I am sorry you are having to deal with this. You did not directly ask this question, but I’m going to say the underlying problem here. I don’t think you should stick with this dentist. You can still get the type of metal-free, mercury-free care you are looking for. There are plenty of mercury-free dentists out there who will understand your holistic requests and be happy to accomodate you in any way possible.
As for your refund, you are definitely entitled to that. In fact, I would say her care bordered on malpractice. I would not just ask for a refund, but for her to pay for your bite to be repaired. You will need to get a second opinion with a dentist examining your bite to show that there was damage done. However, based on your description, I do not think that will be a problem. It sounds like you live in a small city. Because so many dentists know one another you will be better served to get the second opinion from a dentist from out of town.
Even then, I would take the additional precaution of not telling your dentist who did the work. Bring the latest x-rays of your bite before the procedure and let him or her look at them and compare that to the current bite. Based on your description, you shouldn’t have a problem getting this dentist to side with you and help you get the funding to get this case repaired.
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