This refers to my thread of 7/31/02: "Was this a bad root c**** job?
A couple of you indicated you would send me your private opinion if I
posted more scans. I hope you will, my address is below minus the
-deletethispart- in the address.

Here is the url to the new scans of the xrays:
http://tinyurl.com/jhb7

Some of you said in my last thread that the scans were not good
enough. I had deleted a bit of the edge of them, and this time they
are better, I think. I also included an "enhanced" (?) version of each
one, in which I made them "negative" and increased the brightness and
contrast. I have no idea if this is helpful, since I am not a dentist.
But I figured it was worth a shot. I scanned them at 600dpi with a
Microtek 5800 with a slide attachment.

To briefly recap, 3 dentists told my wife these 2 xrays clearly showed
a botched root c**** job which caused her to have severe infection and
a subsequent apicoectomy. She had the apicoectomy and seems fine, now.
We can only hope, after having had one bad bridge, then 2 bad root
c**** jobs (according to the dentists at the office my wife went to,
anyway), and then abcesses, followed by an apicoectomy and a new
bridge!

My question is: DO these xrays show enough evidence of a botched root
c**** job, to warrant the dentist refunding some money to me?
I would appreciate any feedback along those lines. Will I be able to
use these xrays to - possibly; reasonably - convince anyone (the
dentist who did them, especially) that he botched the root c****s
which led to the need for the apicoectomy and new bridge.

Do these xrays indeed show botched root c****s? Please give me your
best opinion, and tell me why or why not... Please write me at
pdsnickles-deletethispart-@yahoo.com to give me your private opinion.

I am not looking for a "legal" expert judgement, here - just your best
opinion. In other words, if your wife had been given a root c**** and
you saw these xrays, what would your best guess be as to the quality
of the work? And would you want some money back?

The dentist who did the root c**** only had this to say (before I had
the new xrays and the apicoectomy): "I don't know why she got
infected. I did a perfect root c****. But if it doesn't get better,
she's probably going to need surgery." I have not talked with him
since we did get the apicoectomy and were told the root c**** was
botched and that is what caused it.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.
pdsnickles-deletethispart-@yahoo.com

joel m. eichen d.d.s.

You may want to compare your films with Rick's .....


[Rick has] posted the image on the web at
http://www.rick.harrison.net/panx1.jpg


The problem (in diagnosis or offering opinions) is not how you scanned
or adjusted ..... it is how the films were exposed in the dental
office at the time of treatment.

Joel


--
Joel M. Eichen, D.D.S.
Philadelphia PA

STANDARD DISCLAIMER applies:
no one has seen the tooth or
teeth in question so take
this advice within its proper
context ~ this is the internet!

dr. steve

I would say, that based only on viewing those images, the RCT on those two
teeth would require re-treatment. Meaning, they are less than adequate, and
not up to the standard we are accustomed to. However, not having been
there, I don't know if any extenuating cir***stances were present preventing
the possibility of a better job. No caring dentist would ever call those
"great". Apicoectomy was done after the new bridge, right?

--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S.
drsteve@home....msen.com
Troy, Michigan USA
+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+
This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only.
Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on
the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you
in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect
your health.
.......................
Please remember to ignore j..d...
~~~~~~~~~`````````````########

wb

Good images are good images dude.
There is the thang called 'diagnostic quality'.
Thanks for your report on the 'how to'.
your current images seem to be quite fine.

Have a real problem with your repeated usage
of the word 'botched'
I don't know who initially used the word
"botched" but I assure you that with
that insinuation, it gives the whole discussion
a very negative connotation.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 :
botched
adj : spoiled through incompetence or clumsiness; "a bungled job"
[syn: bungled]


RCT is not a walk in the park and can be quite unpredictable.
Yes, some of us are better at it than others. But that is true
in most aspects of life.

WB

dentaldoc

That's exactly the case!

You can scan and re-scan the xray films a dozen times, but the
information shown on the xray films remains the same.

The first scans were better than the second group of negative/positive
flips, which aren't a help at all.

Frankly, if I had only those xray films to work with in my office, I'd
tell the patient that I want to take a couple more films at a couple
of different angles.
- dentaldoc