AboutJoel S. Teig, DMD, FABOMS Expertise I am a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon and I am available to answer questions related to tooth extractions, implant insertion, facial recontruction, facial and oral tumor removal, TMJ dysfunction and various successful treatments, including surgery if all else fails, and occlusal discrepancy requiring orthognathic or jaw surgery.
Experience Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon practicine for over 20 years. Assistant Clincal Professor and State University School of Dentistry.
Organizations American Dental Association, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Education/Credentials BA
DMD
Awards and Honors National Honor Society (OKU), Philadelphia County Dental Society, Mosby Book Award, Oral Surgery Honors, Summa Cum Laude
Question About 4 months ago I had all my teeth extracted except for the 5 lower front teeth.
Since then. I have large bony ridges, and even pointy attached pieces of bone start to stick out. My general dentist had performed Alveoplasty on my upper eft and right quads numerous times. Each time he has charged me between $180-$386. I'd say I've spent well over $2500 on Alveoplasty.
This last time he performed Alveoplasty it didn't go well. I have excruitating pain onmy front upper are where my canine use to be. The dentist opened up the healed over socket. He said it hadn't healed like the other sockets. He said he saw a tiny tunnel in the bone and was wondering if I had a underlying infection that was draining out.
He said he only went in a little bit and reopened the area...cleaned it out...said he felt I should see an oral seurgeon and get them to do more exploring while Im under IV Sedation. (I am already scheduled for Sedation next week when I'm having the oral seurgeon extract my remaining lower 5 teeth.
But now...the oral seurgeon is saying my dentist should be finishing his work and be responsable for dealing with my pain...problems in the area, since he was the doctofr that initally did the Alveoplasty.
Yet, my dentist is refusing to work on it further and says the oral seurgeon must now deal with me.
Great, so I have paid over 7 times for Alveoplasty....only to be brushed off to oral surgery, sho now won't adress the area I am having excruitiatig pain in.
What do I do? Why would the upper canine area start hurting like it is? It has been over a week since the dentist worked on the area, and the pain isn't improved. If I lay down at all, it throbs and shoots a kife piercing pain. Just talking shoots pain. But it is localized pain. Doesn't shoot anywhere else...
Oh, and the oral surgeon also is saying that the entire upper (where I paid 7 times to be done) is not done properly and he wants to charge me $1700 to do it all while I'm uner IV Sedation.
I'm at my wits end...any information you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Regards
Leslie
Answer Leslie - You have been abused by a unethical dentist. He kept charging you and did nothing to really ,because he did not know what he was doing. You have been mistreated and now the surgeon, knowing that what he finds if he attempts to correct the problem created by the dentist may really kick up a "bag of worms". The surgeon most likely can help, but he is worried that the work done by your dentist might put him in a bad medicolegal situation if he takes over for your dentist.
My suggestion, and it may sound a little weird, is to tell the surgeon that you will not hold him responsible for anything bad that occurs from where the dentist already worked. I know this sounds a little funny, but the surgeon just doesn't want to get caught in a problem created by your dentist.
That is my best suggestion. I wish you well and hope you feel better soon.
