should I sue my dentist for ruining my tooth, it fell out in pieces after he filled it?

I'm very leery of dentists as I have had some terrible things done to my mouth but in this case I think the tooth was already weak - probably should have been crowned - and therefore fell apart shortly afterwards. The dentist may have been trying to save you money by trying a filling first. I had that happen once and a short time later, the tooth cracked and fell apart. It really wasn't the dentist's fault. The using of light to set the material is a standard procedure and would not have caused any unforeseeable harm.

Sorry, not a sue-able offence.

Sometimes sh*t happens.

You don't say whether this tooth has had root canal. If it has had infection in it, then probably yes. A tooth that has had root canal is dead and therefore more brittle than an alive tooth.

Sometimes hairline fractures can form in the enamel and dentin of a tooth that are not visible when a filling is being done. The dentist does their best to check for cracks before filling a tooth but some cracks don't start to open up until later.

You also don't mention whether there were pins used in this filling.

Pins are sometimes used in large fillings to anchor the filling to the tooth when there isn't enough structure of the tooth left to "keyhole" the filling into. The trouble is, just by drilling the pins into the tooth, it can sometimes cause more cracking of the tooth.

Now, for the acrylic fillings. They are not infallable. The dentist packs the filling and the light cures the material to hardness, then he uses filing discs to smooth the edges to make the filling fit in with the other teeth. If the acrylic does not cure exactly right, the filling will come out. If the tooth cracked a lttle bit under the filling, the filling will come out, If the anchor piece of the tooth that was holding the filling in cracked off, the filling will fall out, there are just SO many variables.

You also have to figure in, if this tooth has had a root canal, then the gold standard would be for it to have a post and crown done. Not just a filling. So why was that not done? Whose decision was that.

So, before you use the sue word? Consider the fact that your body is not a machine. It's human. And humans have their foibles. Things go wrong. And it's not always someone else's fault.

You say that you have had 4 infections in the same tooth? Has this tooth been treated with root canal treatment? If not, then it needs to be. And if so, then why was a crown not put on the tooth? And, I don't mean to sound harsh here, but are you sure that it is the same tooth? More often then not, the patient thinks that it is the same tooth that was treated, when it wasn't.

Call your dentist and explain what is happening. If it was the same tooth and it was the filling that came off, then it should be treated for free. If not, then you will have to have additional treatment. if you do not trust your dentist, seek treatment elsewhere. Ask a friend for a referral to a dentist that they trust.

I would see a dentist who knows what they are doing. The light he helled on the tooth--he didnt leave it on the tooth very long enough! My dentist always leaves the light on my tooth for like 5 minutes at max!

See another dentist soon!

You need to find a real dentist, not one that was a "C" student. Dentistry in America today is NOT good science based and has lots of problems that are causing big health issues with many people. The bondable ceramics being used with light are good products, but if not properly done can be a problem. They are far superior to the amalgam fillings used by many dentists even today. Watch this video:

http://www.milldental.com/millennium/webvideo/Merc...

This is NOT rocket science, but it does take some training and finesse to do it properly.

good luck to you

The filling material can endure the everyday wear and tear of eating.

Your surrounding tooth was all ready weak and gave way to the grinding and chewing.

Before jumping to a lawsuit I'd check with your DDS or get anothers opinion. It does sound like you've been having a problem with that tooth for a while...

Your dentist didn't put tooth decay in your mouth.

Sometimes fillings fail. It's not necessarily the dentist's fault. Perhaps you ate something hard? Perhaps you let the decay ruin more of your teeth? perhaps you're clenching your teeth, which puts added stress on the already repaired tooth?

I don't think you have a leg to stand on if you went ahead with litigation.