Re: Dr. Tarnow in New york
- From: minnie@xxxxxxxxx (Minnie)
- Date: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 18:13:53 GMT
On 9 Nov 2005 09:20:12 -0800, "disappointed" <bob2221m@xxxxxxx> wrote:
They haven't a single clue.
And this is "the best" dental care??
> 10/25/05
>
>
> I would like to document my experience at the dental office managed by
>Dr. Dennis Tarnow, currently at 150 East 58th. St., NYC. I went to Dr.
>Tarnow for implant surgery because I was told that, as a researcher and
>dental school instructor, he ws the best prosthodontist in the city.
>He promised he would provide "the best" dental care. I believe the
>"care" I received was rushed, substandard and, at times, bordered
>on malpractice.
> When I first went to Dr. Tarnow's office I was seeking replacements
>for three missing teeth in positions nine, ten and eleven at the front
>top left side of my mouth, and two other adjacent missing teeth on the
>bottom left side. While I was sitting in the dentist chair I remarked
>that I felt some pain under the teeth next to the missing top teeth.
>Dr. Tarnow said that I had a "fixed bridge" there, in positions
>twelve, thirteen, and fourteen, and that he would remove it, eliminate
>the cause of the pain, and replace the bridge. When I told him that my
>insurance plan would cover the cost of the bridge replacement if done
>by a plan affiliated dentist, he said that I should let him do the work
>because the number twelve tooth was very damaged and weak and might not
>support another bridge without an added implant, which was his
>specialty and which my insurance would not cover. While I was sitting
>in the chair waiting for the anesthetic to take effect Dr. Tarnow
>quickly added up the prices, and I agreed to let him do the work. He
>assigned his associate, Dr. Rudolfo Sanchez, to make the temporary and
>final crowns.
> Dr. Tarnow removed the fixed bridge and installed implants at tooth
>positions nine, eleven and thirteen on top and at the two missing tooth
>positions at bottom left. He led me to believe that the implant at
>position thirteen would support the new fixed bridge along with the
>strong root at position fourteen, so that the weak root at position
>twelve would be relieved of the burdon of supporting the new bridge and
>would be protected by it.. He also removed the crown at position
>fifteen and Dr. Sanchez made and installed a one-piece temporary bridge
>over tooth positions nine through fifteen, the entire top left side of
>my mouth.
> As Dr. Sanchez put the new temporary bridge into position, screwing
>the front tooth section in number nine position into the installed
>implant, I said "the only thing I care about is that the two front
>teeth are even, so that I can play saxophone". He replied "Sure,
>no problem", until he realized that the front tooth of the new
>"temporary" was shorter than my other front tooth. He had made the
>new temporary bridge using the old removable bridges, that I had found
>so objectionable, as a model. He said that he would fix the difference
>in length of the two front teeth in the future, but he never did. I
>requested Dr. Tarnow match the length of the two front teeth at a later
>date, but he said the bridge was just a temporay one and brushed off
>the request.
> Shortly after I returned home with the new temporary bridge installed
>I bit deeply into my lip while chewing. The bite was so deep, and
>caused such pain and bleeding, that I found the experience quite
>shattering. I found it almost impossible to chew food without this
>happening again, resulting in repeated pain and discomfort over the
>next few weeks. While I never actually bit off a piece of my lip, the
>bite was so deep each time that, if more than one tooth had been
>involved, it actually seemed possible.
> I returned to see Dr. Sanchez in Manhattan on several occasions,
>complaining about how deeply and frequently I was biting into my lip.
>On each occasion he repositioned the temporary bridge, but the problem
>persisted. I finally told Dr. Tarnow that I had no faith in Dr.
>Sanchez, and was considering going to another dental office. He
>replied that Dr. Sanchez would no longer work with me, and he assigned
>Dr. John Zamzug to finish the crowns. As I will explain, Dr. Zamzug
>added nothing positive, and I wound up with Dr. Sanchez actually doing
>most of the work that followed.
> On my next visit both Dr.Tarnow and Dr. Zamzug looked in my mouth and
>tried to figure out why I was biting my lip so severely. Dr. Tarnow
>thought the problem was caused by the temporarily missing bridge on the
>lower left part of my mouth, but I was sure this wasn't the case.
>They handed me a mirror, and when I looked into my mouth I noticed that
>one tooth on the temporary bridge was longer than the others. When I
>showed this to Dr. Zamzug he replied "What do you want me to do? I
>asked him to file it down. After he filed it down I no longer was
>troubled with biting my lip. Dr. Tarnow continued to insist that the
>trouble had been caused by the temporarily missing lower bridge, but I
>am certain that he was wrong.
> Dr. Zamzug then noticed the "weak" tooth at position twelve and
>suggested I have Dr. Tarnow extract it and replace it with an implant.
>I went to another dentist to get his opinion, and he assured me that
>the tooth in position twelve would be sufficiently protected by the
>bridge that was to be installed, which was Dr. Tarnow's original
>plan. When I told this to Dr. Zamzug, he replied, "In no way will I
>cover that tooth with a bridge. That tooth will stand alone!" Faced
>with this, I felt compelled to allow Dr. Tarnow to extract and replace
>the tooth with an implant. I requested a reduction in price for this
>additional, unexpected expense. Dr. Tarnow agreed to charge only for
>the implant and do the extraction at no charge. Dr. Zamzug refused to
>discuss it, answering repeatedly, "we'll see", before abruptly
>walking away from me.
> After the extraction and implant installation I returned for the
>required follow-up visit. Dr. Tarnow said "Hi. How are you doing?
>I replied "I bit my lip." Before I could continue and explain that
>it was not severe and may have been a normal occurance, he asked,
>"has John Zamzug seen it?" I said "no" and Dr. Tarnow quickly
>walked away. I guessed he was going to find Dr. Zamzug.
> After twenty minutes Dr. Tarnow returned alone and said "Well,
>you're not in pain, so there's nothing else. Go home and come back
>in two months for a final exam." I explained that I felt a little
>pain in front and on the side and I thought that the "temporary"
>might be loose. He replied that a little pain was normal and sent me
>home. At his request, I came all the way from Brooklyn for him to
>examine me, and he sent me home without ever asking me to open my
>mouth!
> Within a week I called the office and asked to speak with Dr. Tarnow
>because the temporary bridge still was loose and I was feeling an
>occasional burning sensation at the front tooth, where the bridge was
>screwed to an implant, and slight occasional pain on the side of the
>bridge. After Dr. Tarnow didn't return my calls I made an
>appointment to see him. He wiggled the "temporary", which was
>attached only at the front, position nine implant, and said that it was
>supposed to be that way. When I insisted the bridge was loose and I
>was feeling a buning pain at the front tooth position, he took an
>x-ray, said that one of the rear teeth might possibly need a root
>canal, and everything else was fine. He sent me home.
> A week or so later I went to a local dentist to inquire about the
>possible need for a root canal.. This dentist immediately commented on
>how loose the bridge was, and tried to remove it, inadvertently pulling
>on the front implant attachment. This caused further loosening and
>more burning pain at the front implant. I called Dr. Tarnow when I
>returned home and his secretary said he was standing right next to her
>talking on the phone to another patient and would call me back in a few
>minutes. After waiting about thirty minutes I called the office again
>and was told that Dr. Tarnow had walked away saying I should come to
>the office.
> When I kept my new appointment and told Dr. Tarnow what had happened
>he said that Dr' Sanchez, who was no longer supposed to be working on
>my teeth, would just remove the loose bridge and then he, Dr. Tarnow,
>would "be right back" to do the necessary work. I again mentioned
>the pain at the front implant position. Dr. Tarnow checked the bridge
>and finally agreed that it was loose. He then left and did not return
>that day.
> Dr. Sanchez felt the bridge, which was, as always, connected only at
>the front implant number nine position, and said it ws very loose and
>that the glue he had used must have been too weak. I honestly don't
>remember it ever being glued at all, and had mentioned repeatedly to my
>family that I was feeling pain because the contact point at position
>nine was the only attachment point and took the impact of any stress
>that might have been placed on the entire bridge. Dr. Sanchez removed
>the bridge, and after about twenty minutes returned and hurriedly put a
>large amount of glue on the "temporary" and screwed it into place.
>My "bite" didn't feel right, there was more pain in front, and my
>top and bottom teeth seemed to be hitting too soon, but I was somewhat
>worn out from the experience and assumed I would get used to it.
> By the time I returned to Brooklyn I realized that Dr. Sanchez had
>altered the bridge so that when he rushed to screw it in place it was
>pressing so hard against the other front tooth that that tooth had
>moved and was now hitting the lower front tooth, causing pain and
>preventing me from chewing properly. I called Dr. Sanchez from
>Brooklyn and he told me to return to the office, so I got back on the
>train and rode all the way back to Manhattan. When I returned to the
>office and Dr. Sanchez removed the screw in the front implant I
>immediately felt the pressure relax as my other front tooth was freed
>to return to its normal position. The bridge was still glued solidly
>in place, however, and the front tooth was still in contact and putting
>slight pressure on the other front tooth. Dr. Sanchez began twisting
>and yanking on the bridge that he had glued into place just an hour and
>a half before with the "stronger" glue, trying to remove it. He
>kept doing this until I heard a distinct "cracking" sound from the
>bridge area, and he gave up. Apparently no additional damage wqs done,
>but the experience was extremely painful and upsetting. When Dr.
>Sanchez realized he couldn't remove the bridge he had just glued in
>place, he used sandpaper to sand away the area between the bridge and
>the front tooth next to it so that there was no contact. I was
>scheduled to return a month later for a final exam before the crowns
>were installed. At this visit I told Dr. Tarnow that I still felt some
>pain at the front implant and a bit on the side. He x-rayed the front
>and assured me there was nothing wrong.
> During virtually every visit to Dr. Tarnow's office I felt extremely
>rushed. On more than one occasion I had to chase after Dr. Zamzug
>while trying to discuss my case, while he strode rapidly away from me
>to work on another patient. Dr. Tarnow never returned any of three
>telephone calls I made to him. Dr. Zamzug returned one of two. I was
>often left sitting unattended for relatively long periods of time
>during treatment sessions. When I told Dr. Tarnow that I was going to
>a different dental office for the final crowns, he charged me $6020 for
>the temporary crowns (in addition to the implant costs), including
>$4,620 for the top unit that was giving me so much pain and
>aggravation. Of course, both "temporaries" were thrown in the
>garbage, as planned, when the final crowns were installed. I still
>feel the same occasional pain at the front implant position, and
>don't know if anything can be done to alleviate it. In retrospect,
>my experience at Dr. Tarnow's office generated a great deal of
>anxiety, and gave me the feeling that I was in a rushed, high speed,
>high cost, economically efficient dental factory, where my personal
>care and comfort were of minor importance.
>
.
- References:
- Dr. Tarnow in New york
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