A fun dental visit.

[stevej37]

I wonder if she had insurance to cover it.

Woman sues dentist after 4 root canals, 8 dental crowns and 20 fillings in a single visit

https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-sues-dentist-4-root-202806428.html

[RNajarian]

I teach dental ethics at a Dental Hygiene program here in CA.

Without seeing the diagnostic information (x-rays, charting, models, etc) I would venture to state the patient has a pretty good case. 32 different procedures all done in the same day!

A crown typically takes 1/2 - 1 hour to complete, a root canal 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Fillings, say 15-30 minutes each.

So at least the patient received full mouth anesthesia and was in the chair for 13 hours?

How much anesthesia did the patient really receive, there IS a limit.

I would love to see post treatment x rays/ photos.

It is customary to only do one quadrant at a time.

Stories like this give dentists a bad reputation

[masraum]

Hmmmm...

"I let my teeth rot in my head, and now I'm blaming the Dentist that had to deal with it."

Because that's what I get out of the article. I think the whole "all of her teeth had to be replaced with implants" sounds like a load of blödsinn.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

I teach dental ethics at a Dental Hygiene program here in CA.

Without seeing the diagnostic information (x-rays, charting, models, etc) I would venture to state the patient has a pretty good case. 32 different procedures all done in the same day!

A crown typically takes 1/2 - 1 hour to complete, a root canal 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Fillings, say 15-30 minutes each.

So at least the patient received full mouth anesthesia and was in the chair for 13 hours?

How much anesthesia did the patient really receive, there IS a limit.

I would love to see post treatment x rays/ photos.

It is customary to only do one quadrant at a time.

Stories like this give dentists a bad reputation

Per the article

“Katie required a slow, thoughtful, careful and measured response to her disease. Trying to fill every hole in every tooth in her mouth in one visit is not only the antithesis of what was indicated, it is not humanely possible to achieve in an effective or constructive manner,” Goldstein said, adding that it is “inconceivable” to address 28 teeth in 5 1⁄2 hours.

I will say that I have had 2 fillings done with no anesthetic because they were very small and required minimal drilling. So, maybe many/most of her teeth had very small issues.

Still, 4 root canals and 8 crowns sounds like a lot. But, what gets me is the "significant injuries" and "disfigurement". And per the article, the dentist used too much anesthesia. My guess is that the woman was a pain in the ass and pressured the dentist into doing a bunch of work at once. It could be that the dentist is a hack, or it could be that he allowed himself to be pressured by the patient into doing something that he shouldn't and now the person that pressured him is suing. It could go either way, and there's really no way to know.

[RNajarian]

Again without the benefit of the diagnostic information the best we can do is speculate here.

In CA a full mouth denture implant case (4 upper implants and 4 lower implants both securing a denture) may cost as much as $30,000, or more.

Sometimes restoring existing teeth is more cost effective.

Regardless, 32 procedures in one sitting and administering 15 carpules of anesthetic is not the industry standard.

[stevej37]

I've had two cavities filled at the same time...no problem.
I've also had root canals and crowns at separate times.

I can't imagine having all she did at the same time.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

When I had my 24 crowns and 8 veneers done, I think it was 4 crowns per visit and all 8 veneers in one visit though I'll ask my old dentist now retired what he did. It was pretty painless and easy.

[stevej37]

She had no implants done.

[RNajarian]

4 crowns in one visit isn’t unusual. Some bridges use 2 abutments (connections) on each side of the gap where teeth are missing. If the crowns are in one quadrant or sextant, minimal anesthesia is needed and you can complete the four crowns in about 2 hours.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

She had no implants done.

Correct.

A Minnesota woman has sued her dentist after receiving four root canals, eight dental crowns and 20 fillings in a single visit that she says led to her disfigurement.

I'd read the following quote and missed the "if" at the beginning. I thought it said that she'd already replaced all of the initial work with implants.

If all of Wilson’s teeth end up having to be removed and replaced with implants, Goldstein said “all of the work that was done and all of the expense associated with it will have been for nothing."

[stevej37]

Wondering if Meth had anything to do with her dental condition.

[Alan A]

Does it matter? He agreed to provide a service for payment, and is now being sued for allegedly failing to exercise proper care while doing so.

[JackDidley]

First time I got a root canal it was 2 in one sitting. Around 3 hours in that chair. Never again. I was used up by the time it was done.I can not imagine any more than that in one day.

[john70t]

The crowns are nothing. It's just bonding new material to existing. No bacterial gets into the bloodstream. But leave a crown off or a tooth missing and the other teeth will lean in to fill the gap. Maybe it's better to do it all at once.

The 4 root canals at one time might be a potential health problem.
Usually the root is rotten and mostly dead already.

The 20 fillings might be small and lightweight. Or not.

Sounds like Ms. Meth Mouth got a lot of work and doesn't want to pay the bill.
My dentist can buzz through any procedure like nothing: Small talk. Bam. Done. And he's gone. No problems after.

[stevej37]

The most lengthy procedure I've had done was bridge work.
I believe it took an hour and a half for one bridge.

The bulk of the time was waiting for the tooth to be formed in the downstairs machine.