What options do I have in going after an AACD-accredited dentist who did terrible work on my tooth? The dentist sold himself as AACD accredited in several places on his website, so I thought I was making a good choice. I even drove almost three hours just to have him do the work!
What should have been a simple fix has turned into a mess with me leaving with an odd-shaped and dysfunctional-looking tooth. He hurried through and left rough edges where he had removed composite and said I would have to come back. So, I went back and instead of finishing as he should have, he would only “wax” the tooth and in the process of that, he chipped the next tooth over.
After some quick research, I found out that AACD requires only that the dentist pay dues and meet some fairly easy requirements. I question what this dentist actually had to do twenty years ago when he received accreditation, nor what he is required to do to keep it active today. There is a requirement that the dentist maintains ethical standards, but this is obviously not enforced since I see on another review that this dentist has been sanctioned by the state dentistry board for serious unethical conduct. Help? — Victoria
Victoria,
Membership in the AACD requires only the payment of dues – you are correct on that part. However, accreditation requires much more. The AACD accreditation standards are fairly stringent and have been for many years. The failure rate for those dentists trying to become accredited is actually fairly high. If this dentist was accredited about twenty years ago, the failure rate was around 60-70% and at that time, there wasn’t a written exam, but a rather difficult clinical exam as well as an oral exam. For the most part, one a dentist becomes accredited they stay accredited based on their knowledge and skill. The test does not, however, determine whether or dentist or cosmetic dentist will adhere to ethical standards.
I would make the AACD office aware of this disciplinary action by the state dental board, and beyond that there’s not much you can do about his accreditation. Whatever the issue was, maybe the AACD didn’t think it was serious enough to remove him. Where you have power is letting the public know about your experience. Leave negative reviews wherever you can – on Facebook, Yelp or Google. If he already has a least one bad review, add yours to it and hopefully others will take it seriously.
This blog is sponsored by AACD Accredited dentist, Dr. Stephen Doan. Find out more about the services he provides by visiting his La Jolla cosmetic dental website.