Before my dental implant was placed, my dentist told me that everything was okay and ready to go. When I woke up from the procedure, he told me that there was not enough bone structure for the implant to last long. Here is the part that puzzles me. He placed it anyway. He’s now recommending that I remove it because it is going to fail and then get a dental bridge. Should I have to pay for the implant if it is being removed? Plus, I’m guessing there is going to be another fee for the removal procedure. I was really looking forward to a dental implant and getting a dental bridge feels like a step down. Is there any way to still get an implant or is that too big an ask?
Greg
Dear Greg,
I’m baffled as to how your dentist thinks this is acceptable in any way. Here are my problems with the treatment you’ve received. First, if he’d done adequate diagnostics before the procedure he would have known that there was not enough bone and suggested you have bone grafting done in order to ensure you have a successful procedure.
Second, once he was in there and realized that there wasn’t enough bone, placing the implant anyway was unethical. What he should have done was close you back up and let you know what was going on. From there you could have either moved forward with some bone grafting or got a dental bridge instead, depending on which tooth replacement you decided to go with.
To answer your question, no, you should not have to pay for a procedure he did knowing it would not work. That would be like someone selling you a refrigerator that salesman knew would not keep food cold. You’d definitely get your money back for that, right?
Unless there is something else unusual going on, you could still get a dental implant. I would not allow this dentist to do it, though. It does not feel like you are in the best hands. I would ask for a full refund and look for a dentist with post-doctoral training in dental implants. As an aside, these days you can even get metal free dental work, including for implants.
This blog is brought to you by a friendly dentist in Lexington, KY Dr. James Williams.