Bunnies are cute, but I don't want to look like one

June 29, 2022 9:53 PM

The dentist messed up the appearance of my front two teeth. Should I go back to them and ask to have them fixed, or would it be wise to find another dentist to fix this?

My top two front teeth were knocked out at a young age. I retained the roots and part of the teeth, and now they both have something--a cap?--that about every five to ten years starts to crumble and needs to be rebuilt.

Last year I started to see a new dentist. They are a small practice that gets great reviews. They were fine for the cleanings I've had, and for a couple of other fillings, but there have been minor weirdnesses and frustrations. Things like: I was told I wasn't scheduled for an appointment even though I had the reminder message from that morning on my phone. The dentist started to numb the wrong side of my face for a procedure. But no huge complaints.

My front teeth were starting to crumble, and I scheduled an appointment to see a female dentist at the practice. I'm much more comfortable with women, and I'd liked her and the work she'd done before. This was last week. The day of, a male dentist walked in to do the work. I was surprised by this, but went along with it. After drilling at my teeth awhile, he left the room for the dental hygienist, I believe, to rebuild, shape and polish my teeth entirely by herself (she'd been managing the water and air "wands," or whatever they're called, while he was drilling, so I assumed she was the hygienist). The fact that she was working alone surprised me, as I've had this procedure multiple times, and it's always been a two-person job. It took a really long time and was very physically arduous. She had the water spout thing propped in my mouth the whole time spraying at the back of the roof of my mouth, and I was constantly in danger of coughing. By the time she finished, I was in an altered state of consciousness. I stumbled up to the front desk, where the receptionist told me she'd "lost my info" and would have to bill me.

All of this was weird and unpleasant, but I would have moved on entirely if I didn't absolutely hate the way my teeth look and feel now. After a week, the bite still seems "off" and I'm accidentally clicking my teeth together several times a day in a way that is jarring. Almost worse is the way they look--before, my top two front teeth were even along the edge with the surrounding teeth; now, they are about 1.5 mm too long, giving me a rabbity look. I'm so self-conscious about it that I'm reluctant to smile or have my mouth even slightly open in public.

Do I go back to this practice and explain my dissatisfaction and ask them to fix it for free? Is this even reasonable? The reasons why I hesitate are that my confidence in this place is flagging, I dread the thought of getting back in the chair there, and I'd be worried they'd do something even stranger. Looking back on my appointments now, I get the sense that everyone is very rushed, stressed and distracted. And I hate with the fire of a thousand suns complaining about things like this, especially since the woman who worked on my teeth seemed very nice.

On the other hand, I just quit my job and now is not a great time to pay out of pocket to have this fixed by a new dentist. But then, I'm going to be interviewing for jobs, and the last thing I need is to feel bad about my mouth.

I'm wondering what the better of these two options might be, and tips on navigating either situation would be gratefully received. And if there's anything more permanent I could so that I don't have to keep dealing with crumbling teeth every few years, I'd also love to hear about it.

posted by Sockrates to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

I once went to a new dentist and had a crown put on for a molar, and the crown felt just huge. I felt like it interfered with my speech. I called the dentist to tell him, but he didn't seem to want to cooperate. I didn't have any confidence in him by then, anyway, so I went to my brother's dentist, who had a great reputation, and he was very cooperative and simply ground the tooth down to a more comfortable size. It wasn't terribly expensive to have this done. Perhaps it is something that can also be done to your front teeth. I still see my brother's dentist, who is great. So my advice is to ask friends and acquaintances if they like their dentist, and choose a new dentist based on their responses.
posted by SageTrail at 10:06 PM on June 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

I once had a crown improperly installed by a new dentist. I went back to him twice to try to have it fixed, then found a new dentist and paid out of pocket. I wish I had saved myself the time and pain.

The new dentist reviewed the work and quietly told me it had to be totally redone. He redid it and it was fine.

So, sadly, I’d vote new dentist. Or, possibly give the old dentist ONE chance to make it right.
posted by samthemander at 11:08 PM on June 29, 2022

I have a very similar bridge to you, three of my upper front teeth. When I had it put in my dentist was most concerned about getting the bite-contact right. On that ground alone I'd go back, and say look, the bite isn't right, can you please make it good, and I would expect that as a normal part of medical aftercare.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 12:14 AM on June 30, 2022 [5 favorites]

Seconding Fiasco da Gama - I had a bridge replaced and I had to go back twice to get the teeth ground to just the right height to feel normal and I didn't have to pay -- it's just part of the process. And, as my periodontist likes to say, in the mouth, millimetres are metres, so if there's really a 1.5mm height differential, that's yikes-town!

The only thing I'd be worried about is them going too far in the other direction. So, maybe proceed with caution!
posted by Mrs. Rattery at 4:13 AM on June 30, 2022 [1 favorite]

I had a couple crowns installed recently and the dentist was very clear that if there was any weirdness with my bite or anything felt "off" I should come back to get it corrected. I did in fact do this the next day, and it took five minutes in the chair for them to grind a little more off, which solved the problem completely. There was no cost for this second visit, it's a normal part of the procedure. You should definitely contact your dentist and let them know that your bite is off and that you need to have that corrected.

Your other concerns about this dental office being stressful and chaotic are totally valid, and I would absolutely start looking for other options for the future in your place.

But fixing this crown should be on them since they installed it. If they give you a hard time about this request I would 100% find a new dentist.

You could certainly have it done elsewhere rather than going back to this place, but it would very likely cost you money since that new dentist wouldn't be the one who was responsible for installing it in the first place.
posted by Jawn at 11:55 AM on June 30, 2022