Dentist's (and others) opinion please-Hygenist Chipped my tooth

[aj88cab]

At my last dentist visit my hygenist was cleaning my teeth and chipped one (front lower, center right). I'm 55, and have healthy teeth. I haven't had a cavity since I was 28. The chip was a sliver along the tooth edge.

My question is should they repair it at no cost to me?

I am scheduled to have the tooth repaired soon. I am torn as to whether to bring the issue of them repairing at no cost to me.

One complication is that I had changed my insurance policy a week before the visit that the damage occured (same company, different policy). The new policy did not include dental (previous policy did). I am not excusing the fact that I did not immediately notice or ask. It was a timing thing, I didn't notice until I got the paperwork. Anyway, once I discovered the error I fixed it. But, technically it will not cover the cost since the damage occured while there was no dental coverage.

It's not going to break the bank if I need to pay, but I guess this is more a question of principle. You break it...you buy it sort of thing. Not sure of the protocol in a situation like this.

So I thought I'd pose the question to the collective wisdom of this forum. Your thoughts appreciated.

[madmmac]

Probably already cracked.

[widgeon13]

I'd try for full coverage by the dentist office and be happy if it was settled at 50/50. That would seem fair to me.

[kimlangley7]

my opinion:

if the hygentist was performing a normal pick and clear - and happened on a unseen crevice in you tooth and it fractured - it was a flaw in the tooth - they just "discovered" the flaw... it was preexisting - they did not manufacture the flaw..

just my .02

[john walker's workshop]

must have been cracked already to get chipped during a simple cleaning. obviously not her fault if it was.

[tfmcmahon]

One issue to consider is wheather the chip is being restored for cosmetic reasons only.If it fairly small and doesn`t bother you from that standpoint,maybe doing nothing other than smoothing it out is a logical way of solving the problem.The incisal edge is a tough place to keep a filling.If it isn`t sensitive and doesn`t bother you ,leave it be.Other wise I would fix it for no charge if i were him,as a PR gesture.

[slodave]

Grab some sandpaper and smooth it out. That's what I did. A dentist confirmed they would have basically done the same thing. I think I used some 400 grit that was lying around.

[RWebb]

use a buffer: "it'll buff out"

[Baz]

Ask your dentist if he was having his car serviced...oil change for example....and the tech scratched the paint.....would he expect the shop to repair the damage at their cost?

[wdfifteen]

We cannot render an opinion without pix of the hygenist.

[herr_oberst]

Was she asking you a question when it happened?

[pavulon]

Nearly every dentist I've known is an extreme cheap skate and a bit odd on top of that...good luck getting one to admit to an issue that might cost them money.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by pavulon

Nearly every dentist I've known is an extreme cheap skate and a bit odd on top of that...good luck getting one to admit to an issue that might cost them money.

+1 .... You've got a better chance getting free food in a Chinese restaurant.

[notmytarga]

Originally Posted by Baz

Ask your dentist if he was having his car serviced...oil change for example....and the tech scratched the paint.....would he expect the shop to repair the damage at their cost?

A more applicable anaology would be a new mechanic doing an oil change on your car and the oil plug is stripped (head/threads whatever) from a prior oil change. Who pays for the new plug or oil pan? You should, but may feel like the new mechanic was responsible because they found the damage.

Sand the tooth down yourself and be happy that you can do DIY denistry.

[dennis in se pa]

It was probably an issue before you got there.

[aj88cab]

Thanks for all the replies...and DIY ideas I got my dremel out and I told my GF that the guys on Pelican told me to just sand it down myself...she looked at me like I had gone crazy...and no I did not!

In reality it will need to be repaired, not just sanded, unless I want a notch on my tooth and gap in my smile. I'll discuss the issue with the Dentist. But they already made comments when it happened that there looked to be a stress line. So plausible deniablity appears to be the game plan.

Thanks again.

[89911]

You would be surprised how many times times the hygienist is actually scraping off tartar from the backs of patients teeth and we have to explain to them that the hard material is not actually part of a tooth?

[cnielsen]

I would venture to say that it would be impossible to chip off a part of a tooth with a scaler. Teeth are VERY hard and even if you tried to chip it, you would need a hammer and a chisel. You had a pre-existing fracture line but...I would still offer to fix it for you...just because. I guess I'm not one of the "crazy dentists".

On another note, your insurance will cover it as they pay on the date the filling is done, not when the chip happened. It is also not cosmetic dentistry.