This is a true story.......
I really dont expect anyone will read this. They will see how long this story is and hit the back button. But at least i get it off my chest. And maybe, just maybe, someone will read it one day and be able to give me helpful advice to remedy the problem....
DENTAL HORROR STORY
In 2001 I met a Cosmetic Dentist at a Women's Expo. Although my teeth were perfectly straight and id never even had a cavity, I explained to her I wanted the "no pain or shots thin, porcelain veneers" on my front teeth because they were stained from years of antibiotics and my front tooth was slightly grooved from playing with a tongue ring. I also wanted my gumline lasered higher because I disliked my small teeth. She said, "oh you are so beautiful I will give you 50% and free bleaching for bottom teeth if you will model for me afterwards!" I said "of course!" We agreed to laser my gumline and veneer my top 8 teeth.
At my 1st appointment she took pics and xrays and made a mold of my teeth. My 2nd appointment was for the procedure. I was SO excited! I handed her $3200. (That was 50% off even way back then!) She then handed me a glass of red wine. I thought it strange a dentist giving me alcohol. She said "oh it is the best medicine that will help you to relax." So I drank it and it tasted really weird. She then proceeded to give me a bunch of shots to numb my gums and teeth and she lasered my gum line. She handed me a mirror and went to take a break. I looked in the mirror and my teeth we're beautiful and looked bigger. If only hindsight was 20/20 and I wasn't so critical of myself. I wish I would have stopped then! She came back and I assumed she was prepping my teeth to put the veneers on. She went to take a break and I turned to say to my boyfriend. He went white and said, "oh honey you're going to be so beautiful when this is all over worth with." I said, WHAT!?" I picked up the mirror that was still in my lap and to my horror she'd filed down all top of my teeth into little teeny tiny poiny nubs. I was in so much shock I couldn't say anything I just sunk into the chair. My head was spinning. She then continue to work on my teeth and then said to come back in 2 weeks for the real ones. She put these brownish wood looking temporaries on my teeth.
The next day I didn't wake up till 3 in the afternoon which was very strange for me. The left side of my face was so swollen that my eye was swollen almost shut. One of the teeth, the left eye tooth had been filed down so much the root was exposed and it had gotten infected that fast. I spent 29 hours in her chair in the next 10 days because I had to keep getting shots to numb my teeth just so that I could eat and she had to keep adjusting my bite. The 10th day my "teeth" were there early and so she put them on. She kept giving me lidocaine and novacaine but nothing would numb that left eye tooth. I had a panic attack or something so bad she had to call a nurse in from another Dr office in the building and they had to give me oxygen. She said it was a reaction to lidocaine and to inform future Dentists not to use it on me. She gave me Vicoden from her purse. Nothing she did would numb that tooth so she had to give me a root canal before she could put on the teeth.
I hired a lawyer who demanded my records and chart notes. She left ALOT out including the root canal. He concluded she over dosed me on lidocaine. He said because the teeth look good to wait to as close to the end of the Statute of Limitations to see how much more pain or issues occur.
I waited until 6 weeks before the 3 yrs and he said it was too late 6 weeks is not enough time to prepare the case. I decided to pursue her myself and sent her a certified letter which came back saying "Moved No Forwarding Address."
I called the American Dental Association. The lady I spoke to said "she voluntarily withdrew her Oregon and Washington dental licenses and fled the state." I said, "oh? So I'm not the only one she hurt?" Her reply, "oh no your not! She just lost a lawsuit and had several others pending. She would have had to go through court trials so her licences would have been revoked anyway. She voluntarily resigned them to avoid litigations, embarrassing trials and losing thousands of dollars. Maybe even more."
In 2008, I learned about Google and got my first laptop. I searched for her and found all the allegations and legal paperwork from her Dental Council reprimand meetings.
I couldnt believe it! This woman should be in Prison for Negligence and Assault and Battery to name just a few!
I stopped caring for my teeth. They weren't mine. I was afraid to see a dentist since 2001.
In 2013 I had to see a dentist because my back molar broke from a large cavity due to lack of dental care. I hadnt been to a dentist in 12 years! The tooth had to be pulled.
In 2014, the front tooth broke. The dentist said she had built my teeth using composite resin which is what he fixed it with. It broke a few months later. He fixed it but it broke again. I was told my insurance would not cover it again so I researched "composite resin" and all the steps to repair a tooth, bought all the items required and fixed my own tooth. The next dentist I saw said it wasn't composite resin she used and that she put on porcelain crowns which they only do what she did to me on very crooked, broken teeth! I also had to have another molar pulled. I paid for a people search site and found her address living in San Diego. She was selling flouridated water at that time.
2015-2017
Four of the eight teeth have had to have root canals. Ive had to have 4 molars pulled. I lost track how many times the left front tooth has broke. A dentist made it extra thick (it hurt for a week it was so heavy!) and she attached the tooth with composite resin to the next front tooth. When an abusive ex pushed me down, the tooth broke and took the other front tooth with it. So now both front teeth are still to this day only temporary and ugly discolored resin. She left open seams at the top of the crowns so all eight teeth are rotting underneath! The only way to fix them is with Crowns not covered by insurance so its going to cost a minimum of $9000 to fix! If that doesnt happen fast, all 8 teeth will have to be pulled and ill have to have dentures or implants which will cost even more! That doesn't even cover all the pain and suffering physically and mentally that she has caused me over the last 16 years.
In March 2017 I researched her again. I found that she had received a California dental licence but it had been revoked due to evidence off 200+ negligent instances. She was to hand over her wall and pocket dental licenses. I then found a website of hers-she is practicing Dentistry without a licence just across the border of Mexico! She has pictures of her licences and certificates of achievements which are either fakes or copies and no longer valid. She lists things that make it sound like she's got great credentials. It says she is Co-Founder of Mission Viejo Dental Implants. I have found zero evidence to support this but found she was a teacher there a few years ago. I wonder if he knew he hired a teacher with no licence!? She also claims to be a "Holistic Dentist" who doesn't use metal. Flouridated water she sold years prior is not holistic! She has many positive reviews. If they only knew....
This Dentist has significantly diminished my quality of life. I feel ugly and went from a pretty social butterfly to a loner. My immune system is very low due to these rotting teeth and root canals so I'm sick often and have to be hospitalized. If regular person caused this much damage to another human being they most likely would go to prison or at the very least be charged with felony assault charges!
She knows what she has done is wrong and admitted to it. She ran away so I couldn't she her and now its too late. The statute of limitations may have passed but there's what right and there's what's wrong. She needs to do the right thing. She needs to arrange for and pay someone to fix my teeth. She needs to make amends to me all the pain and suffering she has caused not only me but my children. When a Mothers well being suffers so do her children.
If she wants to maintain the illusion to all her new patients, colleagues, family and friends that she is a kind hearted, experienced licenced Dentist and not have Media/News Reporters bombarding her at home and work, sharing my story along with all the court reports and charges against her spread on the news, the newspapers and the internet which will cause her to lose her practice and reputation then she will make it right. If she truly is the caring, compassionate Woman she claims to be, she will feel so sad what her actions have caused, and will want to compensate me without any threats at all. ...
