A first-time patient I went to Dr. Lauren Becker in 2018 for early intervention for a crack on a molar. It's paramount to note I had no pain or complications with the tooth when I went to see her. During the consultation, I told her about the crack & asked if the crack had reached a nerve. She evaluated the tooth & told me she can restore it with a composite filling & once the tooth was open, she can see if the crack had reached the root. Later confirmed it hadn't & I wouldn't need a root canal. Up to this point, her disposition was calm but that soon changed. From the start, the restoration was a failure. I had to go several times to her office to fix & re-fix issues. With every visit, she failed to restore the tooth to a functioning state but causing more damage. The gum became detached exposing nerve pain. The nerve pain intensified when food traps in-between the tooth from the gap she created. My bite issue got worst. I was experiencing jaw pain, jaw popping, grinding, & clenching. The misalignment from the bite issue forces me to keep my mouth open at all times. She proved unskilled at rebuilding the tooth with proper shape, size & bite adjustment. The experience became more traumatizing due to her terrible chair-side manner. She was extremely defensive & argumentative. She would scream at me as she stood over me while I lay on the patient chair trying to explain the pain & complications I was dealing with. Having to go to her became nerve-racking. When I informed her of the pain I was experiencing from her last attempt at fixing the tooth, instead of asking me to come into her office for an in-person evaluation, she prescribed over the phone a mouth wash for inflammation claiming it was "clinically impossible" for my bite to be off & to have jaw pain/complications. I respected her prescription & waited but the pain didn't subside. I reached out again for her help, but she boldly told me it was "clinically impossible". I had to keep waiting but the pain was unbearable. In distress, I called again, but she said with confidence it was "clinically impossible". Why did she choose not to believe me or evaluate the tooth in-person? With great trepidation, I texted her for help & without hesitation, she replied again it was "clinically impossible". Preferring to argue she declared we were at an impasse. An impenetrable battle, but I was finally able to get an in-person evaluation. At her office, before the evaluation she repeated again it was "clinically impossible" but when she administered the bite test she saw my bite was off & the reason for all the jaw complications. She offered no apology & asked if I grind my teeth (wasn't that one of the complications I was desperately communicating). In disbelief at what I was going through I was in tears thinking finally all issues will be resolved. She proceeded to fix the tooth but failed again. Unable to adjust the bite she recommended I remove the entire cusp of the Molar. She tried to assure me by saying she would advise her mother this way & some people are better off without cusps. I didn't agree but she removed it anyway. It felt like she was blindly filing the tooth to adjust the bite & the more she filed I was experiencing sharp pain. I told her I was in pain, but she didn't stop, instead said it was "good pain" I was experiencing. What? She kept filing the tooth even as she saw me clenching my eyes & body from the pain. Is this type of treatment for all or some of her patients? She asked if the bite felt fine, I had no clue, I was eager to get out of her chair. I didn't eat that day & later when brushing my teeth I couldn't believe the pain I was experiencing. She filed so deep she removed the cusps exposing pain but still managed to leave the cause of the bite issue. The jaw pain stopped but chewing food hurts & all the other pain/issues remain unfixed. That was my last straw. I started to panic at the thought of her touching the tooth or even having to tell her I was in pain. At the end of the four-month, I couldn't use the treated molar for its intended purpose. I developed a phobia of dentists because of Dr. Becker. This phobia has forced me to neglect basic check-ups & time-sensitive scheduled treatment as I painstakingly search for a dentist. Every visit caused more injury. I asked for a refund which will not cover any of the pain & damages I am left to deal with. Sadly with no ethical conflict, she lied a lot to defend herself. I rebutted with the truth & she finally agreed to a full refund if I sign a document claiming she was not negligent. I couldn't sign a lie, not after my experience. I will be suing. She tried to say "treatment outcome can't be predicted". Maybe treatment outcome can't be guaranteed if she was treating cancer but hear we are talking about a crack on a molar & I should have had a restored molar that functions like a molar regardless of the pain - this should have been a guaranteed outcome at a minimum. read more
