My friends feel that going public with the dental work that
was done to me by these local dentists is a “double edged sword”. They are concerned that I will not be able to
find an honest dentist to work in my mouth and if I do find one, they may be
afraid to work in my mouth and assume the liability of trying to reconstruct /
repair the damage that I am left with.
An honest dentist may be uncomfortable with the fact that I have
publicized what was done to my mouth.
My friends may be right and yes, I will require extensive
dental procedures for the rest of my life due to these dentists performing
excessive, unnecessary and poorly planned dental work in my mouth. In my opinion, these dentists did not allow
me the opportunity to give “informed consent” on their dental work and
acknowledge and accept the risks involved.
I feel that the public has a right to know what can happen
in dental treatments and they need to be extremely cautious. I cannot stress enough the need for “informed
consent” regarding any dental procedure.
Notwithstanding that I may have difficulty finding an honest
dentist to help me with the permanent damage that I have been subjected to, I
do believe that there are some honest, ethical and skilled dental professionals
in
I am so embarrassed and ashamed that I have been put in this
position. It took me more than 1 year to
even start to address the totality of what was done to my mouth. Emotionally, I was damaged and could not
address what I was facing.
I believed what Dr. Tolley and Dr. Blake told me regarding
“future jaw problems and that I needed to fill-in my missing tooth that had
never developed (grown in)” and I trusted them.
I am college educated and have had extensive experience in medical
procedures with my sister (heart transplant in 1985) and my son’s cancer.
My biggest downfall / fear is to have a medical
problem. I practice preventative
healthcare religiously. I do not want to
get sick. I am a single, no family near
and although I have friends that anyone would envy, I value my independence to
the highest degree. I strongly believe
in “quality of life and not quantity”.
I make a living, but I am not rich. A few years back, I was a single mother, I
took full responsibility for my actions, ended up homeless and a woman took me
into her home and heart. She allowed me
to evolve out of this tragedy with grace and dignity. Unfortunately, my son had a malignant brain
tumor and died.
I completely bottomed out financially (no income or child
support) and it took some time to get back on my feet. But I did it and I did not claim personal
bankruptcy.
A few life lessons were learned and decisions made. I do not want to be sick. I spent 6 weeks living in-patient at Hospice
on
I also learned that I need a few dollars in my pocket just
in case. I value and respect money and
spend it wisely.
The last 10 years of my life have focused on preventative
healthcare (diet, exercise and dietary food supplements). I also do not drink, smoke or take
drugs.
Since my dental work has been done I was given Xanax
(anti-anxiety) medication by Dr. Mohaupt to take at night so I would not clench
my teeth over the bridgework. I was
given Hydrocodone (did not work for me and I returned them to Dr. Blake – as
noted in his records) and Percocets for pain (I quarter the Percocets and they
work well. If I take an entire pill, I
throw up).
Before the Percocets, I would take anywhere from 7-8 Aleve
pills at a time for pain daily in my mouth (you should only take 2, but this
would not stop my pain). I took so many
Aleves that my stomach burned and I had a surgeon perform an “endoscopic
viewing procedure” to assess the damage.
I also had to see a cardiologist for panic attacks. If I had to see a dentist or even think about
what these dentists did to me, my heart would race (it felt like it was
pounding out of my chest and I had trouble breathing). The stress from losing my teeth also caused
my hair to fall out in patches (this has happened before when my father and son
died).
I began having adverse reactions to the Xanax and I stopped
taking it (.025 mg before I went to bed– I was breaking it in half) because it
is a “downer” and should not be used on a regular basis. I feel Xanax is an effective drug for anxiety
when you experience it (you need to take it at the time), but you should not
take it regularly.
Dr. Blake gave me my last 18 Percocets in March 2003 and I
still have 4 left as of Ocober 1, 2004.
My ethics are such that I am not looking for favors or a
free ride. I prefer to do the right thing
and hope others do the same. It takes
less effort to be decent, fair and responsible than to be a low life.
I strongly believe that living in
It is everyone’s legal and ethical right to give “informed
consent” with respect to any medical or dental procedure being done to him or
her.
I can assure you that an individual with 50% mental capacity
would not have allowed these dentists to perform these procedures on them if
they were given the opportunity of “informed consent”. If all the pros and cons had been explained
this dental work would never have been undertaken by anyone.
In my opinion, the dental procedures that were done to
myself were done strictly for these dentists’ monetary gain and for no other
reason. I am now condemned to a life of
pain and suffering, physically, mentally and financially in order for these
dentists to make a living.
What happened to the do no harm on a patient? In my opinion, these dentists need to mislead
patients and perform
excessive work in order to pay their bills and support their lifestyles.
I had a c-section with my son. I am cut from pelvic bone to pelvic
bone. My incision bulges on the left
side and I have a lot of internal scar tissue.
The internal ridges were causing me pain when I did “belly postures” in
yoga. As well, I am not “too pretty”
with my pants off. I made an appointment
with a well-known Plastic Surgery Group in
I met with 3 surgeons and they explained that in order to
repair this damage, it would require extensive surgery (removal of scar tissue,
tummy tuck and reconstruction). They
explained that the surgical risk was serious.
They strongly advised me to take the time to really consider the risks
and advised me to not do the postures in yoga that hurt me. I took their advice and choose to not do this
surgery. These professional surgeons did
their job and allowed me the right to make an “informed consent”.
I also use Retin-A Gel for acne on my face. I am well aware of the “increased” risks of
skin cancer in using this product. I
always wear a hat and sunscreen and if I do get skin cancer, I cannot blame
anyone other than myself. I am aware of
the risk and I accept responsibility for it.
Do these dentists that performed these excessive and
expensive dental procedures on myself care?
No. Dr. Blake had the nerve to
say to me “it is your fault that you broke your 5- unit bridge and fractured
your teeth. You grind your teeth and you
cannot help it”. In my opinion, Dr.
Blake is a greedy, manipulative and sad excuse for a human being. There was no humane or ethical treatment shown
towards myself nor was any thought given to my future dental care or possible
end result.
I did some research on the Palm Beach County Clerk’s website
(www.pbcountyclerk.com). Dr. Blake went
through a divorce a couple of years ago and the records I printed out from the
website show between alimony and child support he has come up with $5,000 +
/month. He even had to pay his ex-wife’s
attorney $20,000 in legal fees. In my
opinion, I cannot imagine Dr. Blake making enough money filling teeth or single
tooth crown restorations to cover this.
He needs the income from multiple unit bridgework and dentures.
Let’s face it, dental health is improving and there will be
fewer and fewer patients requiring dentures.
If at age 33 I was a teeth grinder “bruxism”, this would
have shown as wear and tear on my teeth and should have been considered in any
dental treatment / procedure (informed consent / pros and cons of dental
treatment).
A dentist never told me “you grind your teeth”. These remarks were made after this 5-unit
bridge was installed.
Note:
I did have 2 bite guards made (not by Dr. Blake’s office) – upper and lower out of plastic (they were not the thick acrylic splints). I preferred wearing the upper.
The splint/bite guard that I wear at night now is very thick
and uncomfortable. You cannot close your
mouth together. The pain in my jaw from
TMJ is unbelievable and I am afraid not to wear it because I do not want my top
teeth falling out. Now my top teeth on the upper left have dropped down because
I had not been given an upper orthodontic appliance.
It took me 1.5 years to commit to allowing Dr. Blake to
install a 5-unit bridge in my mouth at a cost of $4,800. Dr. Blake even sent a letter to Dr. Tolley
telling him I could not afford this bridge.
Dr. Blake never told me that filing down 4 healthy teeth for
his “elaborate bridge design”, which was being done to prevent future jaw
problems that I could end up with a root canal.
I actually ended up with 2 root canals.
Root canals cause the treated teeth to become brittle, which make them
more susceptible to fracturing. I just
recently found out that another tooth that was part of his elaborate bridge design
has died from the trauma of the bridge breaking. It is abscessed and a root canal may save it
or it may need to be removed. This is
still being determined.
You don’t suppose Dr. Blake accidentally overlooked this
risk of root canals or God forbid considered that with the natural movement in
my jaw that the bridge could actually break?
Root canals were never even mentioned before he performed his “dental
treatment”. He now claims to the Florida
Department of Health that he had “extensive discussions with me regarding the
risks involved and that I probably would end up with root canals”. This is not true.
I told Dr. Blake that I could not afford $4,800 for his
“bridge”. If he also told me “add
another $1,800 for root canals” can he convince anyone that I agreed to
this?
In fact, if the risk for root canals was so imminent as per
Blake’s letter to the Department of Health, why did he not send me to an
Endodontist for a consultation prior to exposing me to this risk and prior to
installing his elaborate 5-unit bridge and destroying 4 healthy teeth (2 teeth
fractured when his bridge broke and were removed and 1 tooth has died and also
abscessed from trauma)?
Dr. Blake left me in temporary teeth for 7 months while he
perfected his 5- unit bridge. No one
should be left in temporary crowned teeth for 7 months. They do not fit properly and do cause loss of
bone around the teeth. As well, every
time Dr. Blake removed my temporary crowns to try on the porcelain crowns, my
bite needed to be adjusted again.
I saw in my file from Dr. Blake’s office that he wrote a
letter to Dr. Tolley on May 24, 1999 stating “my teeth would be difficult to
prepare for a fixed partial denture…… teeth #21, 20, 19 are mobile and need to
be stabilized with a fixed splint for at least 3 months….” (Copy of actual
letter under Blake’s name).
Note: I was never
copied on any of these letters nor did Dr. Blake or Dr. Tolley discuss these
letters with me?
This was the first I had even heard this terminology
concerning my teeth. In my opinion, this
letter was fabricated after I reported these dentists to the Florida Department
of Health between Dr. Blake and Dr. Tolley.
If Dr. Tolley received this letter, why did he not give me a copy or at
least discuss it with me. Keep in mind,
these dentists know each other well and refer patients regularly. In my opinion, they certainly never had my
best interest in the forefront.
Dr. Blake did tell me “the orthodontics were not finished –
the teeth were not rotated properly”. If
there was even a 5% risk factor in performing bridge work in my mouth, I had
the right to know it and give an informed decision to either participate in his
“recommended dental treatment” or not.
If in fact my teeth were still mobile 6 months after the
braces were removed (Dr. Tolley and Dr. McCrannel made the decision to remove
them 1.5 years after installation), maybe that was a good indicator that they
should not be performing “bridge work”.
Another retainer could have been made or they could have re-installed
metal braces to stabilize the teeth. Dr.
Blake never said to me during consultation that my “teeth were still
mobile”.
Stabilizing my teeth (if that was the problem) should have
been done with a retainer or metal braces, not a 5-unit bridge. That would have been in my best interest,
rather than filing down 4 healthy teeth with a procedure that carried
significant risk.
Dr. Blake installed his “elaborate 5-unit bridge 1.5 years
after he wrote this letter to Dr. Tolley.
Were my teeth stabilized then? I
did not see any letters concerning this in their files.
I want the public to know what was done to myself and what
my future entails. Why “informed consent
is vital and how important and critical it is to treat with honest and competent
dental professionals that will explain all aspects of any dental procedure (the
good,
the bad and the worst case scenarios).
It is vital that you get detailed informed consent in writing.
I am a survivor and I will survive this. I do not want anyone else in this situation. I will put a face on dental greed and bad
dentistry.
(You can click on the menu to the left on Each Dentist Name
for records, receipts and correspondence)
1996 -- Dr. Tolley
– General Dentist
I went to Dr. Tolley to have a single crown repaired on a
front tooth. The prior dentist had a
temporary crown fabricated that was too short and needed to be replaced and the
metal pin had been broken. Dr. Tolley
sent me to Dr. Mohaupt to remove the broken metal pin.
Dr. Tolley did a beautiful job in repairing my tooth.
Although, his crown has certainly taken a beating now with
the splint / bite guard I have to wear at night in order to keep my top teeth from
falling out.
1997
Dr. Leonard Tolley recommended several times (every time I
went to his office) that I needed to have the space on the lower left jaw
filled in. He insisted that I would
have problems with my jaw as I aged if the space was not filled in– I was 33
years old at the time
He said I needed braces first to close the teeth together
and create 1 large space
Note: this was not
done for cosmetic purpose – you could not see it
I was not having any problems or pain and was not bothered
by the space – I could eat and no one noticed it and I never felt it was a
problem. This particular tooth had never
grown in (genetics?).
In my opinion, Dr. Tolley
knew that I was the type of person that was very concerned about my teeth (I
clean my teeth every 3-4 months) and played on this by making me fearful for my
jaw. This bridge would have netted him
approx. $3,000. Unfortunately, I was not
smart enough to figure this out.
He referred me to Dr. McCranel’s and Dr. Esser’s Office for
the braces.
Sept 1997 – Dr. Tolley & Dr. McCrannel
Dr. Tolley and Dr. McCrannel spoke and Dr. Tolley told him how
to move the teeth for his 3-unit bridge.
The lower braces were installed to move teeth back and front and create
one large space – Approx. $3,000.
I am not completely excusing Dr. McCrannel for his
involvement in moving my teeth, however, I did hear Dr. Tolley tell him how he
wanted the teeth moved so he could install the 3-unit bridge.
I have now been told by
other dentists that the teeth should not have been moved the way they were
(rotations were not completed), if at all.
The braces were not necessary and I should not have been subjected to
this work (forget the pain and suffering of having my teeth moved).
December 1998 – Dr. McCrannel
The braces were removed and a retainer was made.
Dr. Tolley informed me that he was “not comfortable in trying
to install a bridge here” after he had me do this work with the braces in order
to prep for the bridge.
In my opinion, Dr. Tolley was not qualified to be undertaking
or orchestrating this type of reconstructive work nor qualified to be
instructing an orthodontist on how to move my teeth. It is obvious that Dr. Tolley did not have a
clue on what he was proposing or how to achieve it.
In fact, he had models of my mouth (which I paid for). You would think that some thought was given
to how the teeth would be positioned after the braces were removed and how a
bridge would fit and function in this new space? I would have been better off taking my models
to a carpenter for a projected end result.
A carpenter would have had the skill to be able to project a finished
product structurally.
I saw 3 dentists for restoration work (Dr. Tolley recommended
Dr. Blake)
I saw another 2 dentists (1 oral surgeon) regarding a dental
implant (I was not a candidate because of bone loss and location on jaw – too
difficult to work with and the nerve in my jaw is too close and I could lose
permanent sensation in my jaw)
May 19th and
He recommended a 5-unit bridge -- $4,800
I told him that I could not afford this (he sent a letter to
Dr. Tolley telling him this)
I even told Dr. Blake that if this is what I need (bridge) I
might have to have it done in
Dr. Blake also emphasized that as I aged, my jaw would have
problems with this space open and that my teeth would keep moving
He also said a 3 unit bridge would not work – it would not
have enough support and would break
I did ask for a removable appliance
Dr. Blake did not recommend any kind of removable appliance
nor did he suggest just leaving the space alone
He also did not advise of any risks associated with this
type of extensive bridgework or the liability of filing down 4 healthy teeth
“don’t worry – I do this all the time” is what he told me
It took me 1.5 years to commit to this bridge (I kept
wearing my retainer at night). I was
worried financially and I was concerned about filing down 4 healthy teeth.
Dr. Blake assured me that it was “no big deal” – he does this
all the time”
In my opinion Dr. Blake recommended this bridge because he
needed the money
He did not advise me that there could be problems (i.e.
Breakage, root canals, future care, etc.)
I would never have done this bridge work, forget
orthodontics had this dental work been explained to me in it’s entirety (full
disclosure)
Dr. Blake was supposedly at the top of his game and I
trusted and believed in him and look at my mouth now and the teeth that have
been lost. Look at what I will need to
go through to try and keep my remaining teeth and restore stability to the
lower left jaw.
Note:
My mouth does not respond well to local anesthesia. In fact, you can see in my file with Dr.
Blake that it takes anywhere from 3-8 needles to keep me numb. This is so painful and this what my future
entails.
5-unit Bridge was placed – temporary teeth
It felt awkward and a lot of pain to the back 2 teeth --- I
now understand that my bite was not right
Pain in back 2 teeth
Note: no adjustment
was made to the bite to try and alleviate the pressure on these back 2 teeth in
order to prevent a root canal
Xanax was recommended to stop me from clenching down on this
bridge? I don’t suppose the bridge
design had anything to do with my bite?
I also want to emphasize that the “weight” of this bridge was significantly
more than my natural healthy teeth. No
dentist explained this either.
Note:
Dr. Mohaupt’s file did have a notation questioning “Blake’s
bridge” could be the cause of the root canals.
It does not reference specifics.
Dr. Mohaupt never said anything to me about it.
Note: Dr. Mohaupt did no
follow up on these root canals (no x-rays) nor did Dr. Blake ever take an x-ray
after the bridge was installed. I have
now learned that this type of follow up should be done regularly for root
canals and bridgework.
My bridge was fitted and adjusted 11 times with Dr. Blake
(see his records).
Dental Cleanings
I had my teeth cleaned 7 times at Dr. Blake’s office and the
only x-rays (bite-wings were done on
Note: Bite Wing
X-rays -- they only show the crowns
of the teeth. They do not display the
roots!
Lower back right molar – filling replaced with mercury
amalgam (big filling)
It affected my bite and the tooth ached
He adjusted the bite (took some of the filling off)
No work was done to check the bite in my mouth around the
new filling or bridgework.
I heard a breaking noise and my lower teeth hurt
I thought I needed to have my bite adjusted again
My friend called who worked for Dr. Gleiber to bring her
something at the office
She insisted that Dr. Gleiber look at my teeth because I
told her I still had pain and that I would try and see Dr. Blake that day for
another adjustment
Dr. Gleiber took an x-ray of the area and said both teeth
had tremendous bone loss and were abscessed and I also had bone loss on the tooth
attached to the bridge. He wanted to
know when x-rays had been taken? I
informed him that none were taken of the ceramic bridge after placement.
He called Blake’s office (he was on vacation)
He called and told me that it was possible that the root
canals had failed and that he wanted me to see Dr. Mohaupt to explore if there
was a leakage
I saw him and he determined that he would open the root
canal on the inside tooth and explore it
Dr. Mohaupt tried to tell me that he sent a “reminder
notice” for me to come back for follow up after the root canals. I never received a notice or a phone
call. I would have gone to the
appointment – I had too much invested financially not to follow up.
Opened the root canal on the 2nd back tooth
He determined that I had broke (cracked/fractured) roots of
2 teeth and recommended I see Dr. Blake
He did not charge me he said “out of empathy”
Dr. Blake called me at home and told me I had to have both
teeth surgically removed and recommended Dr. Richard Kaplan (oral surgeon)
I never saw Dr. Blake in his office after his bridge broke
until the teeth were surgically removed.
Dr. Kaplan reviewed my teeth and set surgery for next day
I was sedated and he cut the bridge and surgically removed
the 2 back molars and cleaned up the infection in my jawbone
He told me that there was
no way to place bone around the outside of the tooth attached to the bridge – I
would probably end up over time losing it as well
He looked at the surgery site to determine if he could make
impressions for an acrylic splint/bite guard to wear in the lower jaw in order
to prevent loss of the upper teeth (they need to touch something or they will
fall out)
He blamed the bridge breaking on me “grinding my teeth and
that I should not feel “bad, it happens”.
I never had a problem with teeth grinding until this excessive and
unnecessary dental work was undertaken.
I allowed Blake to manipulate and convince me that this was my fault
that his bridge broke. It took a long
time, but my opinion changed when I started seeing other dentists and viewing
their reactions.
Keep in mind, throughout the course of allowing Dr. Blake
to
work in my mouth (February 2000 to March 2003) I worshipped the ground he
walked on. In fact, even when I was
getting other opinions, I still wanted to defend him. I could not wrap my mind around the dental
work that he had done to my mouth and the risk that he exposed me to. In my opinion, Dr. Blake knew better, and if
he does not, then he should not be licensed.
Dr. Blake saw how if suffered through his 5-unit
bridge. Dr. Blake has 2 daughters and I
often wonder how he would feel if something like this was done to them. I am someone’s daughter too.
He took impressions for an acrylic splint / bite guard
My splint / bite guard was fitted
He bonded a tooth I had chipped on right upper tooth and
placed some bonding material on the upper left tooth
Adjusted splint / bite guard and recommended Dr. Kaplan for
implants. He told me that he would place
2 implants and cantilever a fake tooth.
I asked him about a removable appliance and he said, “You will never
wear it” and “you do not have anything to attach it to”
Why did he ever recommend a 5-unit bridge and destroy 4
teeth to do it? Why did he not even
suggest just crowning the back 2 teeth with a cantilever in the first place
instead of a 5-unit bridge? Or better
yet, nothing at all.
Discussed placing 2 implants
Adjusted splint / bite guard (hurting lower back teeth on
right side)
I was sedated and 2 implants were placed (they were placed
in the same space where my natural teeth were removed?) I am still not sure who made this decision
(Kaplan or Blake) with respect to restoring this side of my mouth? Other dentists have questioned why these
implants were placed in these areas for a successful restoration and why the
back implant in particular was not placed deeper into my jawbone and why was
this type of implant used (particular brand and size)?
Keep in mind that the implants were placed in the same space
as my own teeth were. The reason for all
this dental work in the first place, as directed by Dr. Tolley and Dr. Blake,
was to correct the spacing of my teeth to prevent future jaw problems!
Looked at surgery site and I did not see him again until I
discovered that the bone had not grown on inside of back tooth
Adjusted splint / bite guard – hurting lower back teeth
I called his office because implant area was hurting and
spoke with an Assistant
I told them that the gum tissue on the back implant had
opened up and the implant was completely exposed
His assistant (Karen) said she spoke with Dr. Kaplan and he
said not to “worry about it” – I could hear her speaking with him in the
background.
Now there is no bone growth on this inside area (cupping)–
In my opinion and I have been told by other dentists (periodontists) that this
bone did not grow in due to bacteria; the surgery site was left unprotected.
Surprisingly enough, even the State’s dental expert, Dr.
Ferris, said, “this should have been addressed and treated with antibiotic
powders to prevent the cupping and to try and stimulate the bone to grow”.
Addressing this problem 3 months later is useless. Keep in mind; the mouth is the dirtiest area
in the body for bad bacteria
Note: Dr. Kaplan’s
attorney sent my dental records and guess what, there is literature stating
that “the implants need to be kept covered for at least 3 months for effective
healing and integration into the jawbone.”
Dr. Blake also knew and saw on several occasions that this
back implant was uncovered. Let me
guess, he skipped this section along with Dr. Kaplan of the course on
successful implant restoration as well?
Adjusted splint / bite guard – hurting lower back teeth
Teeth cleaning
Adjust splint/bite guard – hurting lower back teeth
I told him that Dr. Kaplan’s office was calling to schedule
the appointment to uncover the 1 implant that the tissue was still covering and
place the abutments for the crowns (I have no idea what this would have cost).
I was not confident that the back implant was healed because
I still had sensation there (the back implant was completely uncovered since 3
weeks after placement)
Dr. Blake also knew that this implant was uncovered and
should have known that there was a risk with leaving this surgery site
unprotected / open
I had Dr. Blake look at the implants and take an x-ray to
make sure they were ok
He determined that the bone did not grow on the inside of
the back implant
He told me to see Dr. Kaplan and he would send him a copy of
his x-ray
He adjusted my splint/bite guard (hurting top teeth)
I told Dr. Blake that I was not dealing with this well
Dr. Blake said to me “what is acceptable to you – 80%
success rate on the implants?”
He reviewed the previous panoramic x-ray taken after the
implants were placed with the new x-ray from Dr. Blake (keep in mind that
panoramic x-rays are not as defined / detailed as a regular x-ray)
Dr. Kaplan said I had no bone loss – the bone just did not
grow in this area
He recommended a bone graft with artificial bone (some type
of bovine) mixed with my bone – which I now understand has a very low success
rate in this particular application, but is useful for generating money and
covering office overhead (I have no idea with this would have cost)
Dr. Kaplan said that because the tissue did not cover the
back implant (like the front implant) that it had nothing to do with the bone
not growing. I do not believe this nor
do other dentists.
Note:
I made an appointment with Dr. Stuart Feldman (Periodontist)
on
Also, I have been asked several times why Dr. Blake did not
have Dr. Feldman place my implants. He
was more experienced in implant surgery than Dr. Kaplan. In fact, I have been told that he was
involved with his partner Dr. Lazerra, in the design of an actual implant.
I do remember Dr. Blake telling me that he did not send me to Dr.
Feldman because he does not have the “best bedside manner”. I was sedated and it would not have
mattered. After everything I had been
through, I deserved the best and most experienced dentist in placing
implants. I also deserved to have a
thorough plan on how to restore my missing teeth that Dr. Blake’s bridge
destroyed. I cannot seem to find one
in
my records. Is the dental treatment /
plan conveniently missing? Was a
comprehensive treatment / plan ever made?
Did these dentists nonchalantly come up with something while having
lunch?
I told him that I did not care about the implants at this
time
I wanted my top teeth saved, pain free and stabilized and
asked him to make some type of splint/bite guard for the top teeth so I could
wear 2 splint/bite guards at night
I thought he was going to make me an upper bite guard
because my top teeth hurt
When I got in the chair, Dr. Blake told me that he was going
to make my temporary teeth and place them
He removed the gum tissue from the inside tooth (the back
tooth was already uncovered since December)
He placed something in the teeth and took impressions
I asked Dr. Blake why Dr.
Kaplan was not doing this and he said, “I don’t need him to do this”
I had no idea that you are not able to wear two acrylic
splint/bite guards at the same time --
they are rather bulky?
I also asked him about making some sort of a retainer for
the bottom
Dr. Blake told me “I will try and make what ever you want,
however, at this time I can only place the temporary teeth and the space will
stay
If you want a bone graft – this can be done later”
Upper teeth were hurting bad and they were moving (loose)
from hitting the splint/bite guard (usually splint/bite guards are placed on
the upper teeth not the lower)
I called to get an appointment with Dr. Blake
I told him I did not want him inserting these “temporary
crowns for the implants” at this time
I got an appointment with my friend’s general dentist in
He reviewed my mouth and said that there was nothing he
could do for me
He recommended I see a Dr. Yockus-Prosthodontist in
He did not want to talk to me about what I felt had happened
with my bite and breaking the bridge or why this 5-unit bridge was installed to
begin with
April 23rd – Dr. Sean Yockus – $119
He reviewed my mouth
He was not impressed with the implants or where they were
placed
Recommended that at this point to place temporary teeth with
a cantilever on the inside one and see what happens
He said he did not know if I could get 1 week or 1 year out
of these implants
He was surprised that the surgeon did not follow up after
6-8 weeks or try to cover up the surgery site to keep it protected
He would not bone graft around the inside of the implant
because after this length of time – the chance of success is very low – he
could not believe that this was even suggested??
He would not discuss with me the placement of the initial 5-
unit bridge or filling done on right side – this made him very uncomfortable
He told me that the goal in dentistry is to “not encumber
other teeth”
I tried “very hard” to pin him down on what was done to me
by these dentists and he did great job of “side stepping” my questions
He knew the office where I was treated (Dr. Keough and Dr.
Kay) but did not know Dr. Blake
I asked him to make me something removable and he said “you
are too young and I am not going to do this for you”
I saw Dr. Blake and told him I had seen Dr. Yockus
I relayed that he was not impressed with my implants –
however, because they are there - he would place temporary teeth with a
cantilever on the inside one and see what happens
Dr. Blake said he would not fill in the space because he
feels it will be too much of a load on the back implant
I had my teeth cleaned and a full set of x-rays were taken
Dr. Gleiber said little, other than “you have started with
these implants and should go forward”.
He also did not want to comment on the work that had been done to me,
other than to say, “why were these implants positioned this way” and who made
the decision for the restoration?” I did
not know and still do not know even after going through my medical records from
Dr. Blake and Dr. Kaplan. This information
appears to be “missing”.
He saw how upset (emotional) and fearful I was for
restoration on these implants and recommended another opinion and suggested
completing the restoration with another implant so that I could have 3 separate
units and not encumber them.
Dr. Gleiber referred me to Dr. Gutteriez of Florida
Institute for Periodontics and Dental Implants.
May 7th – Dr. Gutteriez – Periodontist - $65
He reviewed my mouth and recommended the following
The back implant with a “clinical exam” does appear to be
solid, but does not “sound” the same as the inside one
There is less bone growth and the bone is not as “dense”
There cannot be a successful result/restoration with just
these 2 implants. They will not
withstand loading for any significant period of time
I also understood from our conversation that even if there
was enough bone around the back implant, you could not successfully restore the
2 teeth with a cantilever for a significant period of time
He also told me that it is not smart to ever bridge implants
to a “living tooth” because the implants “titanium screws that are integrated
into my jaw bone” do not move and natural teeth do
Trying to bone graft around the back implant as suggested by
Dr. Kaplan would not be successful and a waste of money.
He recommended:
Place 2 temporary teeth with a cantilever on the inside one
(both implants would be splinted) and this would give me some function now to
stabilize my bite. Place the occlusion
on the back tooth and get the bone graft done immediately and see if it works
(my bone mixed with bovine protein).
He told me I could not bite nor chew on this side of my
mouth.
If the bone graft is successful, then insert 1 more implant
on the inside in order to give me 3 implants to spread the load, and let the 3
implants function separately.
I am not saying his recommendation is wrong, however, I not
willing to try and bone graft and place another implant. Due to the proximity of the nerve in my jaw
and the possibility of losing permanent sensation in my jaw, I feel the risk is
too great and I do not have the confidence to take this on.
Note:
I saw in my file that Dr. Blake had a copy of Dr. Gutteriez’
report on when I sought his opinion. I
never gave permission to Dr. Gutteriez or his office to discuss my dental visit
or forward my records with Dr. Blake (I was no longer treating with Dr.
Blake). How legal is this? According to Dr Gutierrez's lawyer, I have no rights
with respect to this office giving out my medical records. In
my
opinion,
it
is
very
small
community here and it certainly seems as though these dentists stick together
and support
each other. I am terrific evidence of
these actions.