Have You Ever... Had a Medical Malpractice Claim?
This is a first for me. But, the filed down teeth are really bothering me, physically and mentally. This is what I sent to a lawyer's office today. (Trimmed some details, like my name).
Is there a time limit for malpractice claims? I still don't know if this is worth doing. Either I will be the one who ends up owing money somehow or nothing will happen at all. Teeth do not grow back so I don't think much can be done to repair the damage done. I will have to live with my teeth as they are for at least another 20 or so years (I'm 61).
I visited a dentist here in Barrie earlier this year for a small filling. I had previously been for a check up and cleaning. This is when they scheduled me to return for the filling. I forget when this was. It was months ago now, early in 2026. So if that means its too late to do anything about it, just reply and let me know. No need to read more.
While I was in the dental client chair she offered to fix a chip in my front upper tooth. I said yes and was happy to have it done. It had been chipped for over a year. Not bothering me other than a little worry that it would chip more over time. Up to this point all seemed fine with the dentist and the appointment there. This was my third visit to her office and I liked the reception people and I thought it was nice to have a woman dentist. They were very rare (none I ever heard of) when I was younger.
I do not know why she began using the dental drill to file down my front teeth, upper and lower teeth. It hurt while she was drilling the lower teeth especially. She had told me (this appointment and the others before) to let her know if something hurt and she would stop. She did not. Instead she laughed (softly) and said "sensitive" But she kept drilling.
I did not really know what she was doing. Part of my mouth was frozen for the small filling. I think she had already done it at this point. I could not see what she was doing and there had been no talk about anything but the small filling and then the chipped tooth.
I did not ask her, or give permission, to have my teeth shortened. The bottom teeth especially were drilled/ground down about one third of their previous height. The top teeth were left on an angle. She said she had done this. I could feel the slant with my tongue. I asked for them to be evened out but she decided not to. She did not say why. I assume, on my own, this was to prevent the tooth which had been chipped/repaired from being used when I bite down. This does affect my bite. I had no trouble with my bite before.
She gave no reason for grinding down my teeth. She did not say she was planning to do this. She did not ask if I wanted/ needed this. I would have said NO if I had been informed or asked.
While she was drilling my teeth I did not really know what she was doing. I did not think anything about what she was doing because I assumed she was a professional and knew what she was doing.
Later, I looked for information online about why a dentist would grind down someone's teeth. But, my teeth were not a problem before this. I did not have trouble with my bite. Although one bottom tooth stuck up a bit higher than the others it did not bother me physically or mentally. So there was no practical reason for grinding down my teeth as far as I could find.
Afterwards, after leaving the dental office and stopping for coffee, I could feel all my front teeth were different, especially noticed the lower bottom teeth, five of them I think, were shorter. In my mouth they now felt like stumps. In the mirror I can see a difference. The teeth feel much different, shorte, inside my mouth when I feel them with my tongue.
When I tried to speak to my Mother, who was in the car (going for coffee that day), I bit my lip and tongue several times. It hurt quite a bit. No blood as far as I could taste but certainly pain. I kept biting my lips and tongue harder as I tried to chew, drink, or speak. I did not have this problem before, at all. It was very upsetting to keep biting myself and not be able to prevent it or know when it would happen like a jack-in-the-box. I could do nothing to prevent it.
I also notice that my tongue is often dried out. I believe this is because the teeth are so much shorter they no longer keep my tongue fully inside my mouth. I have asthma so I do breathe through my mouth at times. Like many people I sometimes fall asleep with my mouth open as well. I read that this happens to people who have their front bottom teeth missing. Without the teeth there to guide the tongue it does not have that stop to keep it inside the mouth, and lubricated by spit. My teeth are not gone but they are considerably shorter.
Months later and I am not biting my lips and teeth as often. But, it still happens about 2 or 3 times a week. Also, my bite is one sided due to the front teeth being uneven now. Sometimes I bite down on something and the way the teeth meet together hurts, like I am biting down too hard. My teeth do not meet as they used to. To close my mouth, with teeth touching feels odd and my inner lips get pinched when I do close my teeth. So, I don't do so. Although this is a cosmetic thing, it bothers me. I don't know how I look versus how I used to look. I feel disassociated from my face, at least the bottom half of it.
Other than the physical problems, I feel angry, upset, and I am hugely reluctant to visit a dentist again. I never felt this way about visits to the dentist before. Not that I loved going, but I felt I would be looked after and leave better than I arrived. I'm reluctant to schedule a dental cleaning now. I have diabetes and I've been told I should get regularly cleanings due to the diabetes medication I take. NOT with the same dentist for sure, but I keep putting off looking for another dentist to try.
Teeth can not grow back, like having a bad haircut. I can not forget about how my teeth are now, there is no day off from your own mouth/ teeth. Some nights it has kept me awake for hours thinking about this and wondering why she did this to me. I was not an unpleasant patient. I have been in customer service myself for many years, I make a point of being a little friendly with everyone I come across even though I am an introvert.
My dental coverage is not from a job. I use the government dental plan. Maybe that was something she didn't like. If so, I wish she had just said so rather than maiming me. I don't really think someone would go that far, but, I have run out of ideas as to why this was done.
This is everything I can think of to include at this time. If this is a case still, due to the time since it happened, I would like to know what I can do about it. If this goes anywhere I will send the office information from the dentist and find the date of the appointment. I contacted a lawyer here in Barrie. They replied and suggested your office. So, here we are. Thank you for reading.