[Koko2]

My tooth was damaged during a dental surgery for another tooth, but the dentists say it's because I need to brush and floss better. I haven't said anything, but I'd like to tell them my belief that they damaged my tooth. I didn't have any dental problems for about the past thirty years until the one tooth, and then the other tooth that was damaged.

I'm sure they would be very reluctant to pay for repairs or implant for the tooth, and I doubt it's very easy to sue a dentist. I feel bad about it, but the bottom line is they damaged it, so they should pay for it. But I want to be a good patient and all, or it will be difficult to get dental care in the future. They're one of the only low-cost dental options around these parts.

[Yoda]

If they did xrays before the surgery I would think the presurgical damage or lack of damage would be apparent on the film. You could ask for the films and take them to another dentist. Not sure what I would do. Best of luck.

[gma45]

You can always file a complaint with the dental board in your state. They will review your complaint and you might have to go before the board with the dentist to solve the problem and make him pay if he was responsible. I would first do as Yoda suggested and get a second opinion so you know if it was something he did or something that just happened. I have seen this happen before patient go's in for one tooth problem and another problem arises with another tooth especially if you have not been to a dentist in awhile. I hope everything works out for you. Tooth problems can really be a pain in more ways than one.

[Koko2]

It's almost 100% certain that the dental surgery damaged other teeth. Before the surgery, no dentist ever noted any damage to the teeth, other than the one that had surgery performed on it. After the surgery, I've had multiple dentists note damage to multiple teeth, but they say it's because I need to brush and floss more. Dentists stick together, so I doubt I can get a second opinion that pinpoints the surgery as the cause of the damage. Hygienists have been reluctant to discuss pocket measurements post surgery. I had no dental problems for several decades until this, and because of the intensive nature of the surgery, I believe when gum tissue was removed, it caused my other teeth to shift and change my bite since now I can't fully close my mouth without collision of a top and bottom tooth, and the damaged tooth does slightly move if I press on it with my finger, so it probably has shifted forward a bit, changing my bite.

Before the surgery, the dental surgeon did extensive sensitivity tests to the row of teeth and only the one tooth was identified to have any issues. After the surgery, I noticed a large rivet on another tooth while moving my tongue along its top. I could feel the divot and the sensitivity to contact it was causing. My dentist called it a "fracture". This tooth would massively fail any sensitivity test if one were to be performed post surgery, although before surgery they hammered away on it during the sensitivity tests without any pain. The same tooth was described by another dentist before surgery as such a nice healthy tooth that it would be a "shame" to remove the top from it to install a bridge. The dentist was surprised by the one problem in the one tooth because the rest of my teeth and history were so good.

I went to a beauty school for a haircut years ago, and requested the hairstylist to leave my bangs alone. She proceeded to cut my bangs off leaving me with one inch bangs, so I had to wear a ball cap for six months before getting my hair cut again. So I had reservations about going to a prestigious dental school for low cost surgery. People said the dental school would be better quality than a beauty school because they have to worry about a lawsuit. I can't see myself suing a dental school after all of the electronic paperwork they have you sign before surgery. Plus what I said above about needing future low cost dental care, and not wanting to be branded as a problem patient.

Their decision tree was flawed, recommending a risky surgery as "gentle" over an almost certain surgery that supposedly cost more money. So I wound up having to get both surgeries, and it has cost me as much as getting it done in one appointment at a private dentist in the first place, but they continue to make me travel a long distance, at great cost, and it's been very expensive, and I'm unemployed and do not have any money. They have benefited from all of my appointments, gaining photos for their class study, but I haven't benefited from any savings, and the expense will continue to balloon in the future as the damaged teeth need surgery.

[Perna]

It is hard to know with dentistry; that's why I don't go to cheap dentists (and only do cheap haircuts because I know it will grow back).

If you had not been to the dentist in 30 years, do not know your own mouth/teeth very well, medically, as a result, I don't know that you can show/prove much of anything; it's very very unlikely that only one tooth would have problems in that many years. I don't know what problems you are discussing either; if you are going to a surgeon, that's not just run-of-the-mill dentistry to fix a cavity or something, that's probably related to your gums and bones/jaw and they don't have single problems; if you have problems with your mouth structure; individual teeth can seem great but will fall out or need root canals all the same.

[Koko2]

But I've been going to the dentist regularly my whole life.

Where did I say I have the money to go to a private dental surgeon?

Get lost. I don't like your comments, on my first thread or any other since.