Am I growing a tusk?
Asked by
jonsblond (
44316
)
August 7th, 2023
from iPhone
I needed an emergency tooth extraction after injuring a tooth over the weekend. I was able to book an appointment online for Aspen Dental but it was 30 miles away. I’ve heard nothing but bad things about Aspen but I was desperate. I went.
My entire experience at this dental office was strange and uncomfortable. They had a traveling doctor because their current doctor just had surgery. This traveling doctor didn’t accept insurance so I had to pay out of pocket.
The doctor, who was most likely in his early 70s, came wobbling in with a cane and joked about having been drinking. For real. He said he could give up his nap to extract my tooth.
He had a difficult time extracting it. When he was done he told me that there might be boney fragments that will work themselves out. The F*ck? I’ve had a tooth extracted before and was never told about this.
TL/DR: I had a tooth extraction and a week later I have a boney growth protruding from my gum line. It’s swollen, painful and annoying. What do I do? I’m not going back to Aspen. I have new insurance kicking in within a week and want to stay in my neighborhood. How do I go about getting help?
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Wow. That is pretty terrrible. Are you facebook friends with trailsillustrated? She was a dentist in the US. She helped me more than once with dental questions.
What a horrid experience. I would never go back, leave a review of such, and wait for a new provider if you can.
Oh, don’t forget to gift a bottle of gin to the old guy.
I’ve been using Aspen for about 8 years. They do put out odd vibes. Still, they’ve always done everything needed when it comes to their work. After my very first visit, I did think about not going back. Living in a small town, we have very limited dentist availability & 1 was on vacation at the time & my options were extremely limited. I didn’t have dental insurance when I first went in. They set me up with a credit card where if I had the full amount paid off in a specific amount of time, there would be NO interest aka “same as cash”. I had it paid off in no time & it cost me no more than if I had written them a check at the time.
I have had dentists warn me about bone fragments in the past & they didn’t work for Aspen. Just guessing, it sounds to me like one of those bone fragments is pushing its way through & that will be very painful. Admittedly, I can’t see your mouth & I’m not a dentist so I’m only guessing.
It could be thinning gums. I have had them since high school; With little problems.
My cousin just went through an extraction and two weeks of still having swelling and pain. When she went back to, I believe, her regular dentist, they found there was some bone fragments left and extracted them and she is feeling better. I think you should go to a local dentist and have it looked at. If you can bear it for the week, wait or otherwise find a way to pay.
@LadyMarissa Aspen is more likely to tell you need work when you don’t need it. The classics are crowns and gum treatments. You might be lucky and have an honest dentist there, but the company wants him to pump you or your insurance for money. A lot of dentists these days do it unfortunately, not just at Aspen.
I’d go to another dentist. It sounds like retained tooth fragment might be abscessing out.
Welcome to the unfortunate nightmare of modern dentistry (believe me, I know). Do your own search for “dishonesty in dentistry”. It’s an eye opener!
I believe that’s a tooth fragment that the dentist warned you about. Going forward, I suggest you try polling other dentists in your area, and ask them who they’d recommend if they or their business partner were not available. If you poll enough dentists, sooner or later you’ll start to find a short list of the more honorable dentists in your area.
The search I recommended above should give you additional tips.
In the meantime, you really need to report that dentist to the board.
PM me if I can help further.
What he said is true and not uncommon. I have had numerous extractions and have had bone fragments work their way to close to the surface. I have never had one break the skin. I have had to prick my gum so the tiny piece of bone would come out. I have found this particular issue to arise when the larger molars are extracted. Not so much the small teeth.
If you think it is infected, if it hurts a lot, a tooth infection can be very serious, especially an upper tooth. The infection can travel to the brain. It’s rare, but not so rare that it isn’t a real risk. Ask one of the doctors where you work if you are concerned.
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