Hi I would be so grateful if anyone could give me some advice on what to do in this situation please.
A few months ago I had a routine dentist appointment and my dentist told me that I had gum disease and bone loss and that i was at risk of ultimately losing my teeth. I am only 30 years old and I was never aware of any problems with my teeth previously, they are pretty straight, white and I have always been told I have nice teeth. The news for me was completely horrifying and a terrible shock, my dentist advised me to see a specialist periodontist about this. When I left the dentist I was completely inconsolable. I booked and paid for an appointment with the periodontist at a private clinic, the wait time for the appointment was two months as they were fully booked. The effect this news had on my mental health was devastating, I was crying day and night and worrying about this 24/7. I was unable to eat or sleep properly because of the stress. I was mostly worried about not knowing how far it had progressed or which stage it was at and I had a two month wait to find out. Once the appointment finally arrived, I was informed by the periodontist that I did not have gum disease or bone loss (they took an xray) and that there was nothing wrong with my teeth other than them needing a scale and polish.
I was in complete disbelief, although obviously relieved that I didnt have gum disease at all. How can a dentist get this kind of diagnosis wrong and a person is put through all of this terrible worrying and suffering unnecessarily? I have been left badly affected by this and suffered terribly for the two months between receiving this news and going to the specialist appointment.
What I would like to know is what would others do in my situation? Would you put in a formal complaint? If so how do I go about it? I have such bad anxiety over this that I just dont want to face my dentist and I still have not told them that they wrongly diagnosed me.
Sorry for the long post and thank you for any help and for taking the time to read this.