Hey Steve,

Some "stuff" goes on forever and ever here in our newsgroup.  But the
subject matter isn't always the "same" ...

Do you have a copy of "The TMJ Iatroepidemic"?  If not, would you like a
copy?  I am more than happy to send you a copy.  All you need to do is
send me the address you'd like it to be sent to ...

Webby

Thanks Steven,

Your insight will be very helpful; just the type of response I was
looking for (hoping for more though of course!).

It's helpful to know that another dentist won't be able to tell much
from a previous dentists work.

I would like some comments, if possible, from someone who might know
some of the legal protections for myself in this situation.  What kind
of protection is available; is it an applied contract in the sense
that it's my risk if I go to a dentist and though I may not seek said
services in the future that I am still liable for past services
performed under good faith even if the doctor is (not saying he is)
not up to par in his workmanship.

Any litmus tests that I can present to a dentist before I pay to find
out his work may not be too good?

Again, thanks for your comments on limited one-sided knowledge.

    Not only a GOOD lawyer, you need to find a WILLING lawyer.  Some folks tend
to forget that attorneys, like dentists, actually have to make money to stay in
business.  No lawyer is going to take your case on contingency unless
significant $ recovery is very likely.  I have seen very clear medical liability
cases that involved death of the patient that did not "make the cut" to be taken
on contingency.  By that standard, there are not many dental cases that will
excite an attorney.

  Of course, virtually any attorney will be very happy to do whatever you want
(to whomever you want) if you are willing to pay their fee up front...

Vaughn

Not good; I was just finishing writing all the replies (a long reply)
with all the info and it erased somehow and I couldn't get it back.

So... this is going to be shorter and no longer multi-threaded to each
reply like before.

Quick Replies:

1) I'm not opposed to having a lawyer... the small claims court to
them was more or less a bluff.  I had entertained it once for about 5
minutes during a time of pain but I as well know it would not be worth
it... neither would a lawyer.  If I had to pick one though... for the
amount of money this is for a lawyer would NOT be worth it.  I would
only take them to small claims courts as a counterclaim.

2) I have a good diet; I eat mainly organic and non-GMO foods.  I eat
vegetables, fruit, dairy, bakery, and nuts and I am in good shape. I
don't take prescriptions... never broke a bone... don't take pain
medication or aspirin, rarely drink pop (only juice and tea), don't
smoke, don't drink alcohol. I am 25.

3) I've only had one cavity (at the age of 20) before going to this
dentist.  I've always had healthy teeth. I was never a problem patient
- I tend to want to pay more for a certain option/item/thing because I
like to do things right the first time.  Money was never an issue even
though it all comes out of our pockets.  I never missed appointments
and always paid my bills the day of up until this final issue.

4) Some details may be inaccurate, I'll have to check with my wife:
The original appointment was for a filling in the upper-right-back of
my mouth for the tooth next to the molar.  I was now given the option
to have composite filling (I would have taken that and didn't know it
was an option until after - I thought all dentists give composite by
default nowadays) so it was a metal filling.  I was not warned there
could be repercussions that would result in a root canal. I went home
to discover excruciating laying-on-the-floor-in-feta-position pain
(all the time).  I went back the next day and they said I had to get a
root canal and started the procedure.  When I finally got my permanent
crown on it chipped within a day (not eating hard food) and I had to
go back to get another one.  The latest crown has been fine but within
a week an infection developed within the root canal area.  I went back
within another week to have surgery on the infection.  It's still
puffy in that area today and sometimes, though rarely, bleeds in the
area when I brush my teeth.  I had another small cavity done on the
bottom right back (two away from molar) with metal fillings that gave
me sensitivity to hot and cold foods (primarily cold) for a month but
that has gone away.  Then I had some composite fillings (small) on the
left bottom middle that are still sensitive to pressure and cold
foods.  I had a chip in the upper left back (near the molar) when I
was eating ice cream and drinking tea (I think the contraction-
expansion did it) on a tooth that had a cavity.  That was filled and
that hurts frequently... the pain is with pressure and cold foods.  I
don't eat on that side anymore.  The surface feels rough and I can
feel an edge in the center portion of the tooth. I explained this to
the dentist, along with the pain, a week after it was done and he
ground it down and made sure the bite was ok and said it looks ok.
About three weeks after that was when I had the extreme pain in the
tooth for about a week. Now the top tooth feels ok, if there is a pain
it is a blunt general pain.  The lower teeth have more of a sharp
pain.

Hope that helps!

Good rationalisation but whether you're being paid $1000 or a $1 you
standard of care must be the same. Ask your dental licensing board. What are
you running a Medicaid mill practise?  Medicaid dental is just a racket
anyway to make the politicians look good and give patronage jobs to their
cronies who administer it. It would make better sense to just give the
patient a voucher for a certain sum yearly which can be spent at any dentist
of his choice.Frankly, I wouldn't trust a dentist who would work for 1/5 the
normal fee. He's either inexperienced or a quack and might actually cause
harm if he feels he has to work fast to make any money. He might also
extract teeth (quick money) when the tooth could easily be saved by root
canal and crowning (slow and unprofitable with Medicaid)

Not a crime

or pay with counterfeit money.

Could be if you can prove they knew it was counterfeit ut if you already
mixed it with other cash, forget it.

I wonder about the legality of that, in that if you went to a hospital
would
you be required to pay before an operation? On the other hand would
it be fair to charge an uninsured individual 5 times more before the
operation?