One star because I can put zero!
On August 29th, I visited the dental office due to pain in my chipped tooth. I had been dealing with the pain for several weeks and decided it was finally time to see a dentist. Upon arrival, I was taken for x-rays, and shortly after, moved to another suite. The staff asked the reason for my visit, and I explained the ongoing pain, wondering what could be done as it was getting worse the longer I waited.
The dentist reviewed my x-ray and pointed out the source of the pain. I assumed, like her, that it was from my chipped tooth. She informed me that I needed a root canal to alleviate the issue. I was hesitant because I knew that if my insurance didn't fully cover the procedure, it would be an out-of-pocket expense. She brought in a billing specialist to go over the costs. At the time, I could only afford monthly payments of $131, with a $300 down payment, totaling $1,400. Although I was upset, I realized I couldn't endure the pain any longer or risk an infection. I agreed to the payment terms.
The dentist numbed the area and began the initial work. I put on sunglasses as she proceeded. Before leaving, I scheduled the root canal and follow-up, as root canals are only done on Tuesdays, and mine was set for September 17th. Over the next two weeks, I took the prescribed medications but continued to feel significant pain. During this time, I was taking both Tylenol and Ibuprofen 800. I even told my husband that the pain hadn't subsided.
On September 17th, I completed the necessary paperwork and underwent the procedure. Everything seemed fine, but by evening, as the anesthesia wore off, I began questioning why I was still in pain. I told my husband I didn't notice any improvement and was still uncomfortable.
On September 18th, I went in for the follow-up, where they were supposed to place the final crown and cement it. This time, I wasn't numb, and under the light's reflection, I noticed which tooth they were working on. I mentioned to the assistant that the pain wasn't coming from the back tooth but rather the chipped one. My gut told me they had worked on the wrong tooth. I felt like crying, I was so upset. I asked the assistant which tooth they were crowning, and she confirmed it was the last tooth. I told her they had treated the wrong tooth--the pain was from the chipped one, not the far back tooth.
The dentist then entered and explained that both teeth needed a root canal. I told her that while both may need treatment, I specifically came in for the pain in my chipped tooth and made that clear during my initial visit.
I asked what could be done to fix the mistake, and she said I would need another root canal on the chipped tooth. I was at a loss for words, I was so upset because nothing like this had ever happened to me before. She said they would go ahead and cement the crown on the other tooth and asked if I wanted to schedule the root canal for the chipped tooth. I replied, "No, I won't be scheduling that here after this." The only thing they could do was clean up the chipped tooth and prepare it for another dental office to handle the root canal. read more