My upper left first premolar cracked last spring, and my dentist couldn’t save it. After four lidocaine injections, my tongue and palate felt like they were burning. My dentist gave me a mouth rinse prescription for the burning. In November, my dentist placed an implant, but it was painful. We waited four months before I got the final crown, and screwing that on hurt, too. Two months later, the implant crown fell off. My mouth has never stopped burning.

My dentist has caused me so much pain that I went to another dentist for a second opinion on the implant. He took an X-ray and said my gums and bone around the implant were infected. The dentist removed the implant and did a bone graft. Now I am waiting for a new implant. I have burning mouth syndrome that won’t ease up regardless of what I do, even with sedation. I probably need some PSTD therapy. This is a nightmare. Can I sue my first dentist or get a refund for dental implant failure, stress, pain, and suffering? I’m not looking for a bunch of money, but the principle matters. I don’t want this to happen to another patient. Thanks. Ahmed

 

Ahmed,

You’ve had some traumatic dental experiences! Your dentist had difficulty numbing your mouth due to your high anxiety level. Burning mouth seems to be associated with traumatic dental experiences. Your dentist’s prescribing a mouth for it is disappointing.

Did Your Dentist’s Procedure Cause Dental Implant Failure?

Dental implant failure can have several causes, but improper procedure is not always the case. Many dentists lack enough post-graduate training for dental implants or cannot manage challenging cases. Although you are experiencing burning mouth syndrome and your dental implant crown fell off, those factors don’t automatically mean your dentist was at fault. You would need a second opinion and a CT scan to identify the cause of your dental implant failure.

We hope you are in the hands of an advanced implant dentist or periodontist (gum, jawbone, and dental implant specialist). You didn’t mention whether your dental implant was loose before your new dentist removed it. Hopefully, a dentist would not have removed an implant that was not loose and possibly could have been saved.

If you want to ensure your new dentist’s treatment plan is on track for your oral health, we recommend consulting a periodontist for a third opinion. Based on the second and third opinions,  you may choose to ask for a refund or tell your previous dentist about the findings if they point to the dentist’s negligence or a mistake.

 

Atlanta periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey sponsors this post.