Monthly Archives: December 2021

Affordable Dentistry

Using a Cheap Alloy Instead of a Gold Crown

I have some sensitivities to metals and other dental materials. When I needed a root canal treatment and dental crown, I specifically asked my dentist to provide me with a gold alloy crown so I would have less to worry about. The root canal treatment turned out fine, but I’ve been having some swelling around the tooth. I asked to see the dental certificate and my dentist told me the lab did not send one. I requested him to get one and it turned out the materials were not what I requested. There was only 2% Gold. The rest was 35% Palladium, 30% Indium, 30% Silver, and 3% Zinc. I suspect this is why I am having some swelling, though my dentist insists there are never allergies to these materials. Am I wrong for being upset about this? I’m beginning not to trust him as the cost for the crown was in line with a gold alloy but I received something quite different. Where do I go from here?

Benjamin

Dear Benjamin,

identalloy certificate

I’m going to say up front that I do not believe your dentist did not receive the certificate. By law, the labs are required to send them and the dentist is supposed to place that in the patient’s chart. It appears he wanted to increase his profits by giving you a cheap substitute believing that you wouldn’t have a reaction. I have learned not to say there are NO allergies to something. Each human body is remarkably unique and there is always the possibility that someone will have an allergy to something, even if very rare.

For a dental crown to be considered a gold alloy, it has to meet two qualifications. First, it must be made of at least 60% of a combination of gold, platinum, palladium, and silver. Yours was above that number and meets the first qualification. Second, it must be at least 40% Gold. Yours was only 2%, which is well below the qualification.

I’m going to suggest you ask him to re-do the dental crown with the materials you requested. If he refuses, tell him you will report him to the dental board. He violated the standard of care in two ways. One by misrepresenting what he provided you and two by not having the certificate (or pretending not to). Then, I want you to find a different dentist. One you can trust.

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Dental Emergency

My Husband is Being Tortured By Our Dentist

My husband had an accident that caused some damage to his chin and teeth, as well as gave him a concussion. We took him to the ER, then the dentist the next morning. The dentist said everything needed some time to calm down. When it did, one of his teeth started turning dark. Fortunately, he wasn’t in pain. Our dentist said she didn’t see anything and only felt dried blood. From there, she gave him a dental crown. Fast forward a couple of months and he was in severe pain. Our dentist then gave him an emergency root canal treatment. She prescribed him 5 days worth of antibiotics then finished up his root canal treatment a week later. Even after the root canal treatment, the pain continued. The dentist provided him with no pain relief medication. After another week she decided to root canal the tooth next to the one she previously treated. That also did nothing. My husband is in absolute agony and I feel like her lack of caring is border line torture. What should we do to get him the help he needs?

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

Man in pain, grabbing his cheek in need of emergency dental care.

Your husband has been through so much and I can tell how much you care about him. Your dentist has made a couple of big mistakes here. First, when the tooth first started to discolor, it needed a root canal treatment right then. I don’t know why your dentist didn’t do one. It makes no sense to me. The dried blood should have been a giant hint that the tooth was dead, even if the discoloration didn’t tell her that.

Next is the way she handled the root canal treatment itself. The way she provided only five days of antibiotics, but waited seven days to close the root canal tells me that she doesn’t understand how these infections work at all. By allowing the antibiotics to run out, she also allowed the infection to flair back up, then she closed the tooth. No wonder your husband was in pain. She never got rid of the infection and closed it up inside the tooth. Then, she did a useless treatment on the adjacent tooth.

Your husband is not being served well by this dentist. I highly recommend that you call an endodontist first thing in the morning. They are root canal specialists and can get this treated correctly. When you call, let them know what has happened so they can get him some antibiotics and pain relief while they get his appointment ready. I’m certain they’ll schedule him an emergency appointment.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.