Complaint Review: Michelle Charles DDS - Orlando Florida

In Jan. of this year I went to Dr. (and I use that term loosely) Charles for treatment of a molar that had lost it's filling. She immediately told me I need a root canal and that she could do it. I went to a 2nd dentist for a second oppinion and was told the same thing so I proceeded to let Dr. Charles treat me. WHAT A MISTAKE! First off, she is supposed to use a trough to catch any saliva or pieces of tooth, etc. She did not use one. I was gagging on crap throughout the procedure. Then, when it came time to mold and place the temp. crown on, Dr. Charles left the room and turned me over to her two, very dim-witted and incapable assistants. They molded a temp crown which looked like a lump. Not only was it terrible huge and ill fitting but it took them two tries and over 3 hours to put in the temp. crown (the 2nd one, the 1st one had to be chisled out because they screwed up and the crown material was all over my gum/jaw area). It promptly fell out the next day. I suspect they knew it would because as I was leaving I was told "Now, if it falls out, just put some dental gum on it and stick it back in, then come back and we'll redo it!". Yeah, right, I have to work and can't continue taking time off for their mistakes. I went in for the actual crown and was horrified when I saw it. It was a more expensive version of the crappy temp. crown I received! It was too large, and flat on the top. It didn't feel comfortable so what does Dr. Charles do? She files down the teeth over top of the crown which had nothing wrong with them! I asked her if this would damage those teeth, she said "no, they are just fine" I asked why the crown looked so bad when another one I have looks natural and fits very well in comparison. She said it was due to the different labs that made them. I continued having pain in the tooth (which I thought was impossible since the nerves were supposedly removed in the root canal) so I returned. At this point I was disgusted with this "dentist". She takes an x-ray and tells me the root canal is "fine" (apparently her favorite word). She then gives me a referral to an endodontist. I asked the receptionist why I wasn't sent there in the 1st place. She said she didn't know since most people who need r.c.s are referred to an endo. OK, so I go to a new dentist who is appalled at the shoddy crown that was placed in my mouth. He sent me to an endo.

The endodontist said there was nothing wrong with the r.c. but that since the crown was so poorly fitting and the fact that she didn't use a trough which is standard procedure, saliva was able to get into the root and cause an infection in the surrounding bone material. This means I need the entire procedure repeated as well as medication injected into the root to kill the infection. Since the med. needs time to work, this is to be done in 2 visits (meaning two days more off work!). Not to mention the cost which I don't have the money to pay for.

I contacted "Dr." Charles and told her the situation, politely asking only for the money I paid her for the procedure I now need repeated because she wouldn't change the crown. She refunded me less than a third of the total amount!

This doesn't even cover the cost of the new crown I need, much less the r.c. , including post & core buildup! I tried contacting her again about it but was rudely hung up on! Now I fear my only choice is to take her to court and to sue for the procedure cost, lost time from work, atty. fees, and pain & suffering but I really just want the money back so I can have a new r.c. done because I AM STILL IN PAIN!!! I don't want to wait for court procedings to get this fixed but she won't return calls and fails to respond to letters and faxes!

STAY AWAY FROM THIS DENTIST, SHE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HER PATIENTS AT ALL!!!!

Tamara

Orlando, Florida
U.S.A.