I had an implant bridge placed and something feels off. The right side of my mouth the teeth line up correctly, but on the other side they don’t. It wasn’t like this before the dental implants. Is this okay or does it need to be changed?

Adrian

Dear Adrian,

No, this is not okay. Your teeth should come together properly on both sides of your mouth. If it doesn’t, it can lead to TMJ Disorder. You’ll want to get this re-done. One of the problems with implant dentistry is that it isn’t considered a recognized specialty. Any dentist can do it. But, it requires some advanced, post-doctoral training. Because dentists don’t always invest in that advanced training, it has become the leading procedure facing malpractice lawsuits.

One issue that leads to this is when a dentist uses a surgeon instead of doing that part himself. If there isn’t proper communication or the surgeon tries to determine the placement of the dental implants himself, it can lead to problems, such as yours.

What I’d like you to do is get a second opinion from a dentist with real training. They can give you an idea of what is going on with these dental implants. If it is a treatment error they can help you secure a refund and get it done properly. Though, whenever you have to redo dental implants it will require an additional procedure known as bone grafting to build back up the bone which is lost in the process of removing the implants. If that becomes necessary for you, I think your dentist should pay for that procedure.

Best of luck to you.
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