Very unhappy with dental treatment.

SallySunshine

I have just had some new replacement dentures made and am so uhappy with them I'm going back to see the dentist.

What is the likely outcome of this?
I have never felt comfortable with many of the procedures throughout the appointments.
Any queries were brushed aside with platitudes.


I felt patronised, told everytime that I would have to compromise with what I wished for, which were whiter, neater teeth.

The new dentures look like joke teeth, have a huge overbite with large spaces between the top front 6 actually giving me a blood blister under my top lip.


If these new ones had been my natural teeth I'm sure I'd have been prescribed a brace!!!

Cooper18

I'm so sorry you're having a terrible time with your dentist. :-( Hopefully someone will be along to advise you shortly.

But I just wanted to ask - and please don't think I'm rude - why did you stick with this dentist if you weren't happy with them?

harrys_nan

I had a partial denture made (for the front of my mouth.
The colour match was so wrong, he wanted me to have lily white dentures, I wanted them to match my own teeth, 3 times I rejected his choice and in the end he sent me to where they make the dentures and I picked out the colour I wanted, even the guy that was making them said how stupid the colour was that the dentist was trying to make me have.
So I say go back again and tell them your not happy, You have paid the money,your entitled to having them made right, which they sound like they are wrong.
Is there another Dentist you can see if the 1st one will not do anything about them?

SallySunshine

Cooper18, this was my first time at this dental practice.

Harry's nan, you were lucky, I was never given choice to choose the shape of teeth, apparently they didn't possess a chart, which I thought was rather strange, so not really a good start!

I got the feeling from the first appointment that it was a production line, always 30min wait, and then felt rushed.

I have an appointment next week so will have to see what happens.
Im tempted to get another opinion from another practice but as I am a NHS patient they probably would not see me without charging for a private consultation.

welshdent

I'm out at the moment so can't write much. Normally I wouldn't complete a denture until my patient and I are both happy. The wax try in stage is when the appearance assessment is made. Regards the blister. That's actually very common. I usually have to make the odd adjustment to the acrylic after a recipient has had them fitted. Normally a few days of normal use highlights some sore areas. Bear in mind they are at the end of the day just lumps of plastic and no replacement for real teeth. I find making dentures and managing expectation to be one of the hardest parts of my job. What people expect and what can be delivered are not always compatible sadly. However appearance and bite should really be addressed along the way. You would need to see the dentist that made them. They have a responsibility to you for them as they received the fee and paid the bills for them. Another dentist at the practice would not be overly willing to give you a free replacement for something they had no part in. If you went to another practice you would need to pay again. Best bet. Write down what you are having problems with and what you are unhappy with and discuss with your dentist. You would be amazed what can be done with simple adjustments. From bit to fit. Give them the chance to correct the problems.

SallySunshine

Welsh dent,
We are not talking about sore spots etc, I'd even bought a tube of Bongela in readiness, I'm used to managing new dentures over the last 35 years.

however when the dentures didn't fit, it was mentioned that my bite had altered in the last week!!!

The blister under my top lip was caused by the big space between my two front teeth! Gone now that I've reverted to my original dentures.

It would have been interesting to see what another dentist would make of the new set, especially if he didn't know I'd just had them made.

Fire_Fox

Neater whiter teeth is not what the NHS is there to provide, if you want that you will need to go private. You might be best concentrating on the fit and the fact they look like joke teeth otherwise you are diluting valid complaints with aesthetic desires.

welshdent

SallySunshine wrote: »

Welsh dent,
We are not talking about sore spots etc, I'd even bought a tube of Bongela in readiness, I'm used to managing new dentures over the last 35 years.

however when the dentures didn't fit, it was mentioned that my bite had altered in the last week!!!

The blister under my top lip was caused by the big space between my two front teeth! Gone now that I've reverted to my original dentures.

It would have been interesting to see what another dentist would make of the new set, especially if he didn't know I'd just had them made.

If the blister is there with the new but not the old then it sounds like something is rubbing which can be adjusted however not being able to see you I can not say with any certainty. IF you arent happy there really is only 2 things you can do. See the original dentist and ask them to adjust or if they can not be adjusted, re made ... or see a different dentist, even potentially if they are in the same practice and pay for another set. If you really can not get the first dentist to fix them satisfactorily then you may be able to be refunded ... however not going back will rule that out.

Blackpool_Saver

what a sad story, I hope you don't accept this :-(

SallySunshine

Well, it's hardly a life and death situation.

Buy a pair of shoes or a dress, decide you don't really like them or they don't fit, exchange/refund or flog on ebay.

Not quite the same situation here though, got to look o.k. or stick them in a drawer and write off over £200.

Some dentists really care, others don't.

Will sort this out but interesting replies anyway.

welshdent

Have you gone back to the dentist? You may be surprised what can be done. I had a patient that I had fitted some dentures for and didn't see again for 2 years. When they came back I asked if they were ok and angrily they said no. Dentures apparently didn't fit and were rubbing. 2 years they had avoided me for. 1 minute later after some acrylic grinding they looked at me sheepishly saying they felt fine now. That's all it took but they sat and stewed on it for 2 whole years.