You are not my dentist, etc. . .
Shouldn’t a dentist take impressions of your teeth before removing the surface for crowns?
Why would a dentist create temps that looked nothing like the original teeth?
The long version:
About 20 years ago I had veneers placed on teeth 4 to 13. I have an overbite so the mamelons never wore and at my request the veneers had them to match. They also matched my tooth color which is naturally very yellow due to thin enamel with the dentin showing through.
Fast forward to last year. Everyone has super white teeth. Everyone gets bleaching from the dentist or the pharmacy.
My veneers were starting to chip around the gum line and my gums have receded so I decide I wanted 4 to 13 super white crowns. I also decided to get crowns on 22 to 27 for cosmetic reasons and 19, 20, 28 and 29 existing crowns needed to be replaced.
I shopped around. Pretty much every dentist in my area did only porcelain over metal and the teeth looked like blobs of opaque white without any shading or shine and metal showing at the gum line.
August 2012 I went to a dentist who was highly recommended by a work friend. I told the dentist I wanted to replace the veneers with crowns but not have mamelons and have crowns on 22 to 27 the following year (2014). I said I wanted super bright shiny white; not opaque cheap looking teeth. He said I needed braces too. I agreed teeth 23 to 26 were very twisted and crooked but I had managed to smile with confidence every day after I got the veneers.
I was told my upper crowns and braces would be $22,000 with a 5% discount if I pre-payed. I agreed to the braces with the caveat that I must have my permanent crowns in place by 12/31/13 at 5PM. I paid.
I only needed braces for 42 weeks. Finally on 10/10/13 I had the appointment to prep 4 to 13 for the crowns. He gave me novocaine. He removed a tooth surface, took an impression, made and placed a temp, repeat. This process took over 8 hours and necessitated numerous additional shots of novocaine. 4 and 5 and 11 and 12 were one unit each with the other 6 separate teeth.
After a couple of days the novocaine and swelling finally diminished enough to open my mouth. To my horror teeth 6 to 11 looked nothing like my teeth They were over 1/4 inch longer, 1/8 thinner and severely angled out from the gum line.
11/26/13 He placed permanents 4, 5, 12 and 13. And made new temps for 6 through 11. He placed the temps, added material, drilled material, added material and drilled again and sanded and on and on and on for six hours. I was advised to go home and call in 7 to 10 days to make the appointment for scans photos and impressions to send to the lab for the permanent teeth.
I got home looked at my mouth. OMG! These were still long horse teeth that stuck out on an even worse angle. I immediately called to advise they still were not right still not shaped at all like my original teeth.
12/02/13 He admits he never took impressions of my original teeth. They took scans for the invisaligns and for the crowns lab. He said the lab would send him a wax mock-up he could use to make temps.
12/05/13 He places one solid unit temp of 6 to 11 which is a bitch to floss above. Finally though it is shaped like my original teeth only no mamelons.
12/12/13 More impressions with and without the temp in place. More photos and a video of me talking for the lab.
Before I beat the crap out of this dentist and my ex-friend from work I want to know if this situation is unreasonable.
My smile is really important to me because I never went to a dentist until I was 16 and could take myself. I paid for all the fillings and everything else I needed due to never being given or even told about a tooth brush let alone floss.