- Joined
- Jun 18, 2011
- Messages
- 2
Good afternoon,
I just posted this in the patient forum but I'm rather distressed, and saw much more activity here- a well as other patient requests- so I thought I'd post here as well. My apologies if this is the incorrect board.
I've been dealing with a 'tooth' problem for the past few months. Perhaps two and a half months ago, I was on vacation (recently off a plane, which I hear increases infections,) when I started getting severe tooth pain in my bottom front right tooth. The following day, I made an appointment at the local low-cost medical center in Arizona (I'm from NY) and she noticed there was an abcess in my gum, and she gave me antibiotics, took x-rays and insisted that I go see another dentist ASAP.
The antibiotics immediately made me feel better, and I went about making an appointment for my arrival back in NYC. Thus, shortly after my antibiotics ran out and I was back in NYC, I made an appointment at the local dental school (I'm a law student... I'm poor.)
There, they refused to see the other x-rays and insisted I start anew. Regardless, I brought the x-ray myself and, after the student dentist didn't see anything wrong, I showed him these and he decided that they would have to look further at the tooth. He was graduating so referred me to another student dentist and an appointment was made for about another week from then.
It turned out that the appointment that was made for the next week couldn't fit into the other student's schedule so we had to reschedule for another week still. She looks at my teeth and determines that there's an infection in the root, that one tooth is dead, and that I will need two root canals on my front teeth. (Note, I keep asking if it's in the root why does it appear to be in my gums? She insists that the infection has blistered out from the inside of my teeth.) Also, they say that so long as it doesn't hurt there's no rush. Thus she makes an appointment with me for another week to get a cleaning and see another associate in order to verify her treatment plan.
My next appointment, I end up getting a cleaning and not seeing the other associate. She says that he looked at the x-rays and her plan is fine. Again another appointment has to be made to actually start my root canal(s).
Finally, this past Thursday, I make my initial payment for the root canal and go to sit in the chair with my student dentist. Again, I state the issue with my gums (that they seem to be infected and ask if the root canal will really help this,) and she says that it would. Just to be safe she wants to double-check my teeth as she wants to start with the 'dead tooth.' This time, while checking my teeth, she uses the same forceps but the (I assume it's a dipped-in-something-cold) cotton ball that she uses is MUCH bigger (the one from before was about the size of a gnat, this is about the size of a fly) and I feel the cold on both of my teeth. Thus, they're both alive. She calls in two professors.
The professors immediately realize that there's an issue with my gums. They poke and prod and determine that I must have a bacterial infection under my gums that just become noticeable/emerged during my plane trip. Not only that, the bacteria's been eating at the covering to my nerves under my teeth (again, I don't know the lingo,) but I'm going to need a gum flap, thorough cleaning, and then some protective barrier is going to be put in place there. The professor says that it's an 'emergency,' asks me my availability 'this week' and then tells my student doctor that I'd need to make an appointment 'today.'
I sit in my chair for about a half an hour and then my student doctor comes back and says the woman that she needs to talk to is busy but that she's call me later to make the appointment. I don't get a call, so I email her. She responds the next day and says that person was busy all day, so she'll try again that day and if not talk to the professor periodontist. Again, I get no call or further response.
Now it's the weekend, and I've gotten no call for the emergency visit that I'd need to schedule 'that day,' for over three days. Here are my big questions:
1. Should I trust the new diagnosis? I'm assuming I should because it was done by professors and not students, and I don't hold any ill will out to my student doctor, but I was in a chair to have two unnecessary root canals...
2. Is the fact that I had waited two months to get the diagnosis from the professor detrimental to my teeth? It appears from what I'm reading on the internet that the condition is pretty bad, but has this time of misdiagnosis aggravated it?
3. Were the actions of the school staff reasonable in this situation? Is it normal not to call the dentist I saw in AZ? Is it normal to have bacteria in your gums and have it misdiagnosed as needing two root canals? Is it normal, when there is bacteria, to schedule 4 appointments, wait two months, be misdiagnosed, and then be told that you need to come back for an 'emergency gum flap' that you have to hound them to schedule?
I understand that I went to the dental school, and that delay is a part of the nature of the beast, but I'm worried that this delay could have done my teeth more bad than good. I'm worried that I already paid them for part of my root canal, and I'm worried that I'm now going to have to pay them for a gum flap that I might not have needed if they diagnosed earlier. I'm studying for the bar and this situation is getting rather traumatic for me.
Unfortunately, given the price of the operation, going to another dentist is not a good option for me.
Thank you for any help you can give.
I just posted this in the patient forum but I'm rather distressed, and saw much more activity here- a well as other patient requests- so I thought I'd post here as well. My apologies if this is the incorrect board.
I've been dealing with a 'tooth' problem for the past few months. Perhaps two and a half months ago, I was on vacation (recently off a plane, which I hear increases infections,) when I started getting severe tooth pain in my bottom front right tooth. The following day, I made an appointment at the local low-cost medical center in Arizona (I'm from NY) and she noticed there was an abcess in my gum, and she gave me antibiotics, took x-rays and insisted that I go see another dentist ASAP.
The antibiotics immediately made me feel better, and I went about making an appointment for my arrival back in NYC. Thus, shortly after my antibiotics ran out and I was back in NYC, I made an appointment at the local dental school (I'm a law student... I'm poor.)
There, they refused to see the other x-rays and insisted I start anew. Regardless, I brought the x-ray myself and, after the student dentist didn't see anything wrong, I showed him these and he decided that they would have to look further at the tooth. He was graduating so referred me to another student dentist and an appointment was made for about another week from then.
It turned out that the appointment that was made for the next week couldn't fit into the other student's schedule so we had to reschedule for another week still. She looks at my teeth and determines that there's an infection in the root, that one tooth is dead, and that I will need two root canals on my front teeth. (Note, I keep asking if it's in the root why does it appear to be in my gums? She insists that the infection has blistered out from the inside of my teeth.) Also, they say that so long as it doesn't hurt there's no rush. Thus she makes an appointment with me for another week to get a cleaning and see another associate in order to verify her treatment plan.
My next appointment, I end up getting a cleaning and not seeing the other associate. She says that he looked at the x-rays and her plan is fine. Again another appointment has to be made to actually start my root canal(s).
Finally, this past Thursday, I make my initial payment for the root canal and go to sit in the chair with my student dentist. Again, I state the issue with my gums (that they seem to be infected and ask if the root canal will really help this,) and she says that it would. Just to be safe she wants to double-check my teeth as she wants to start with the 'dead tooth.' This time, while checking my teeth, she uses the same forceps but the (I assume it's a dipped-in-something-cold) cotton ball that she uses is MUCH bigger (the one from before was about the size of a gnat, this is about the size of a fly) and I feel the cold on both of my teeth. Thus, they're both alive. She calls in two professors.
The professors immediately realize that there's an issue with my gums. They poke and prod and determine that I must have a bacterial infection under my gums that just become noticeable/emerged during my plane trip. Not only that, the bacteria's been eating at the covering to my nerves under my teeth (again, I don't know the lingo,) but I'm going to need a gum flap, thorough cleaning, and then some protective barrier is going to be put in place there. The professor says that it's an 'emergency,' asks me my availability 'this week' and then tells my student doctor that I'd need to make an appointment 'today.'
I sit in my chair for about a half an hour and then my student doctor comes back and says the woman that she needs to talk to is busy but that she's call me later to make the appointment. I don't get a call, so I email her. She responds the next day and says that person was busy all day, so she'll try again that day and if not talk to the professor periodontist. Again, I get no call or further response.
Now it's the weekend, and I've gotten no call for the emergency visit that I'd need to schedule 'that day,' for over three days. Here are my big questions:
1. Should I trust the new diagnosis? I'm assuming I should because it was done by professors and not students, and I don't hold any ill will out to my student doctor, but I was in a chair to have two unnecessary root canals...
2. Is the fact that I had waited two months to get the diagnosis from the professor detrimental to my teeth? It appears from what I'm reading on the internet that the condition is pretty bad, but has this time of misdiagnosis aggravated it?
3. Were the actions of the school staff reasonable in this situation? Is it normal not to call the dentist I saw in AZ? Is it normal to have bacteria in your gums and have it misdiagnosed as needing two root canals? Is it normal, when there is bacteria, to schedule 4 appointments, wait two months, be misdiagnosed, and then be told that you need to come back for an 'emergency gum flap' that you have to hound them to schedule?
I understand that I went to the dental school, and that delay is a part of the nature of the beast, but I'm worried that this delay could have done my teeth more bad than good. I'm worried that I already paid them for part of my root canal, and I'm worried that I'm now going to have to pay them for a gum flap that I might not have needed if they diagnosed earlier. I'm studying for the bar and this situation is getting rather traumatic for me.
Unfortunately, given the price of the operation, going to another dentist is not a good option for me.
Thank you for any help you can give.