I went to see Dr. Cohen to have him evaluate a tooth that recently required a filling, which was placed by another dentist. When I went to see Dr. Cohen, I expressed my concern that the filling may have been "over filled" and that my prior dentist had shaved some enamel from my opposing tooth after placing the filling. (It bothered me that a dentist would shave healthy tooth enamel, rather than adjusting the composite filling - and I expressed that concern to Dr. Cohen.) I was also experiencing a bit of discomfort and I was hoping for a second opinion.
Dr. Cohen told me that there was nothing wrong with the filling but that my bite was "unstable" -- meaning, as I understand it, that not all teeth hit one another with even pressure or in the ideal position when my teeth close. It is unclear to me whether the instability of my bite was either caused by or related to the filling at issue -- if so, that was not specified at the appointment. Regardless, without providing an advanced explanation of the procedure, its likelihood of fixing the problem with the filling, or any potential risks Dr. Cohen almost immediately began to perform a bite adjustment. A bite adjustment, as I quickly learned, involved sanding enamel on numerous teeth. At one point, I said that I was uncomfortable having enamel ground in places where there was no decay. Dr. Cohen replied, "You should be." However, I gathered from other things Dr. Cohen said that this particular procedure was routine, minimal, and I had nothing to worry about.
Following the procedure, Dr. Cohen did not prescribe any pain medication or inform me that that any pain might or would result from it (after the fact, he did mention a 2-3 day adjustment period). However, since then, I have suffered severe, ongoing and, at times, extreme pain (tooth, muscle, joint, headaches). Until another dentist recently fabricated a "bite splint" (something that looks like a small version of a mouth guard), which relieves the pain, I was using pain medication ranging from extra strength Aleve twice a day (on the low end) to Tylenol with codeine four times per day (on the high end).
After almost 4 months, about 8 dental appointments, significant evaluation, and approximately $3,500 dollars of out-of-pocket costs, my current dentist has been able to recommend treatment (at a cost of approximately $2,000 dollars out-of-pocket). The procedure Dr. Cohen performed is irreversible - enamel does not grow back. I have been told by three other dentists that I should expect to have to wear a bite splint every night for the rest of my life, even if the treatment works. For now I wear it all the time to avoid the pain (except to eat and sometimes I take it out briefly for important meetings or phone calls because it causes me to speak with a lisp). read more
