I'm going to rate this practice a 1 out of 5 stars based on a recent experience. Six months ago, I experienced a small crack on a recently installed crown. I sought Dr. Graybeal's advice on repair versus replacement given that the crown was only installed two years ago. After a quick assessment, he quickly repaired the crown and I happily walked away knowing that I didn't have to pay for a new crown.
However, that's when my problem started.
Shortly afterwards, I started experiencing extreme sensitivity on the repaired tooth. I went back to Dr. Graybeal three subsequent times for evaluation on the repaired crown. Each time he brushed off my concern as simply inflamed nerves (pulpitis), and that it was temporary and will eventually go away. To ease my concern, he even shaved a little bit off of the crown on each of the visits so that my teeth aren't touching, thus causing further inflammation. After six months of non-stop sensitivity/pain, I finally asked Dr. Graybeal last month to provide me with a definitive solution that will make the pain/sensitivity go away. No more brushing aside my concerns. No more shavings off of the crown. I needed a real solution.
He suggested a crown replacement would solve my problem once and for all. Given my frustration from the prolonged sensitivity/pain, I asked him straight up if replacing the crown would absolutely fix the problem. He said yes and I quickly scheduled the crown replacement. The first problem I encountered after the procedure was that my gums near the temporary crown began to swell and became extremely painful while eating. Come to find out, the cement used for the temporary crown seeped into my gums during the procedure which then caused the swelling. Similar to experiences I've had in the past, I believe Dr. Graybeal rushed through the procedure and didn't inspect/clean the gum area properly after installing the temporary crown. To make matters worse, the sensitivity/pain never went away and was still present two weeks after the crown replacement. At my wits' end, I went back to Dr. Graybeal demanding answers. Upon seeing me, he immediately said that the pulpitis is now irreversible, and the only fix is to do a root canal. So two weeks earlier, Dr. Graybeal was 100% sure that a new crown would solve my problem. Two weeks later, and after spending close to $2,000 on a new crown, he is now 100% sure I need a root canal. I felt misled. After six months of agony, Dr. Graybeal knew the pulpitis was irreversible. The proper recommendation was to consult with an endodontist on a root canal procedure rather than charge me for a new crown that ended up doing absolutely nothing. I did end up consulting with an endodontist, and the endodontist basically confirmed my suspicion. The endodontist said that after two months of continuous pulpitis, my dentist should've asked me to look into a root canal procedure because the problem has become irreversible. Giving me false hope for six months is irresponsible. Suggesting that a crown replacement would fix the problem after six months of pulpitis is just straight up deceit.
Dr. Graybeal's practice has been around for decades. He should know better than to do something like this to a loyal patient. I would consider carefully before visiting this practice. read more