Tooth Implant Catastrophe

[AZjohn]

3 hours ago, Last Lion said:

Allianz is my travel insurance company. I have never taken the Princess insurance.

We had to make a large claim with Allianz and they paid it.

It did take a long time, maybe 3 months and there were times that many weeks past without hearing from them after submitting docs.

Hope this path works out for you.

Cheers

[Mike45LC]

1.  If last lion can get an attorney who is willing to take this case, it would be on a contingency basis and not an hourly fee basis. That means the attorney will just take a piece of the action, as his fees.  But even 40% of $7,000 is not enough to entice most attorneys.

 

2. last lion would not need to come to Los Angeles to file a small claims case. He could file “online“ and would only have to fly down to Los Angeles for the hearing date.

 

3.  Although attorneys are generally not permitted in small claims court for either side, since Princess is a corporation,  the person designated by Princess to represent it in small claims might be an attorney. This would probably not benefit Princess too much; the legal issues are not complicated, and a lay person should be able to present this case without too much trouble.

[leck57]

Unfortunate as this is, I'm staggered that legal action is even considered but that seems the way in these parts of the world. Just an accident in my book. At the end of the day, someone has to pay for any legal claims, usually the consumers. World has gone mad.

[mrmarklin]

I have five implants and it’s hard to see any of them breaking at all. Much less with an olive pit. I’d sue your oral surgeon. 

[Lady Arwen]

1 hour ago, mrmarklin said:

I have five implants and it’s hard to see any of them breaking at all. Much less with an olive pit. I’d sue your oral surgeon. 

Are you a dental professional?  What knowledge do you have about dentistry aside from the fact you have implants?  I’m betting the answer is “NO”.  I am and I can assure you that in Canada this would never reach the standard of negligence on the part of the dental practitioners involved.  It was an unfortunate accident.  I believe in the US everyone wants to sue everyone.

[Level six]

16 hours ago, Last Lion said:

The implant completely fell out due to the bone cracking.

 

According to the periodontist, because this is the second go around with this bone 8 months for the regrowth then an additional six months for the post to set. So realistically looking at January, 2025 to complete the procedure.

The question seems to be is it reasonable to expect an olive pit in a lobster cake.

An olive pit in a Greek salad? Yes. Fish bones in fish? Yes. 

Sounds like the implant was not secured properly in healthy bone.  Or they possibly didn't wait long enough for the bone graft to attach to the bone.  IMO, I think the implant would have failed soon.  Get another periodontist or at least a second opinion. 

Yes, I was a dental professional for over 32 years. 

EDIT:  I just saw that the implant had been in place for 6 years, so not the vault of the Dentist or specialist who placed the implant.  

Edited October 19, 2023 by Level six

[Last Lion]

The Implant went in six years ago. With annual dental checkups ever since with no issues.

It was approximately six months between bone graft and post insertion.

[PescadoAmarillo]

15 hours ago, Torfamm said:

Have you contacted your travel insurance issuer? I would think you’d have to file  a claim with them before anything else can happen.

Some travel insurances (Princess Vacation Protection among them) will not pay for dental emergencies arising during travel if the tooth is not original.  Not even a tooth with a crown is covered. (From someone who regularly loses crowns on cruises and see dentists in foreign countries on the regular😆). 

[Coral]

11 hours ago, Last Lion said:

Allianz is my travel insurance company. I have never taken the Princess insurance.

I just looked at my Allianz policy and it says: 

Dental Care maximum sublimit - $500.00

 

You may want to look at your policy as I know they have multiple policies.

[Last Lion]

Yep I am waiting for a call back from Allianz.

[Lady Arwen]

46 minutes ago, Level six said:

Sounds like the implant was not secured properly in healthy bone.  Or they possibly didn't wait long enough for the bone graft to attach to the bone.  IMO, I think the implant would have failed soon.  Get another periodontist or at least a second opinion. 

Yes, I was a dental professional for over 32 years. 

EDIT:  I just saw that the implant had been in place for 6 years, so not the vault of the Dentist or specialist who placed the implant.  

Correct.  A implant procedure performed six years ago with no ensuing complications or problems indicates a successful implant, completely exonerating the dental practitioners involved in this incident.   Negligence on the part of Princess?  This will very hard to prove, but I wish the best outcome for the OP.  

[waltd]

35 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Some travel insurances (Princess Vacation Protection among them) will not pay for dental emergencies arising during travel if the tooth is not original.  Not even a tooth with a crown is covered. (From someone who regularly loses crowns on cruises and see dentists in foreign countries on the regular😆). 

Just curious.   Have you ever looked to see if any other insurance covers any sort of dental?  Have always worried about everything but my teeth.  LOL  Guess I should check going forward.   I'm young at heart but alas the teeth have seen better days.😃

[PescadoAmarillo]

27 minutes ago, waltd said:

Just curious.   Have you ever looked to see if any other insurance covers any sort of dental?  Have always worried about everything but my teeth.  LOL  Guess I should check going forward.   I'm young at heart but alas the teeth have seen better days.😃

No, I haven’t researched it further. It’s difficult to find that level of detail in the Ts and Cs, and if you call an agent, they will simply tell you to submit a claim and see what gets paid. Luckily, we have dental insurance that covers 60% of major restorative procedures, but it would sure be nice if travel insurance covered the other 40% if the damage occurred while traveling. 

[voljeep]

If / when this goes to court, it won't be small claims court, and the $7k is just a minor part of it.  The pain and suffering is where the case will be built.  For the People

[Princessfan20]

4 hours ago, leck57 said:

Unfortunate as this is, I'm staggered that legal action is even considered but that seems the way in these parts of the world. Just an accident in my book. At the end of the day, someone has to pay for any legal claims, usually the consumers. World has gone mad.

 

Cruise lines are rarely successfully sued because of all the steps a litigant has to go through to achieive a successful outcome.

 

The majority of personal injury claims against major cruise lines are matters of maritime law. Maritime law consists of a variety of federal laws and regulations that govern the operation of vessels on open waters.

If you are injured on a cruise ship on the open water, your claim must be filed in federal court. Moreover, cruise lines are entitled to select which court has jurisdiction in claims brought by passengers.

 

There will probably be travel required to wherever the case is filed.  Meeting with a maritime law lawyer in that area.  A deposition.  Examination by the cruise lines' dental specialists.  It will be a timely process (over a year) with probably a settlement not going in favor of the the plaintiff because if could be said that they were the ones who damaged their tooth not Princess.  Good luck but it is probably better to just pay for it and write it off on taxes if you can.

 

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Princessfan20

[Last Lion]

The injury occurred whilst alongside in San Francisco. Therefore maritime “open sea” law would not apply.

 

I get the pain and suffering aspect but for me at this time the priority is to get a new implant paid for. Perhaps a FCC of some sort for p & s.

 

WRT the complexity of any potential legal case, a successful small claims case in California would cover the dental costs (up to $10,000 USD), does not involve lawyers (court rule), and is timely (two months according to the website).

Again, I certainly hope it does not come to this but I have the time to pursue it. 
 

I appreciate all of your input.

 

 

 

[Lady Arwen]

2 minutes ago, Last Lion said:

The injury occurred whilst alongside in San Francisco. Therefore maritime “open sea” law would not apply.

 

I get the pain and suffering aspect but for me at this time the priority is to get a new implant paid for. Perhaps a FCC of some sort for p & s.

 

WRT the complexity of any potential legal case, a successful small claims case in California would cover the dental costs (up to $10,000 USD), does not involve lawyers (court rule), and is timely (two months according to the website).

Again, I certainly hope it does not come to this but I have the time to pursue it. 
 

I appreciate all of your input.

 

 

 

I sincerely wish you the best of outcomes in your case.  I just don’t know how you prove negligence on the part of Princess when the menu clearly states that olives will be somewhere on your plate.  You say the olive pit was inside the crab cake.  It could very well be true.  Can you prove that?  If not, then Princess will say you were aware of the presence of olives and you neglected to be more observant.  I really hope that you’ll be able to receive compensation through insurance coverage.

[Princessfan20]

2 hours ago, Last Lion said:

The injury occurred whilst alongside in San Francisco. Therefore maritime “open sea” law would not apply.

 

I get the pain and suffering aspect but for me at this time the priority is to get a new implant paid for. Perhaps a FCC of some sort for p & s.

 

WRT the complexity of any potential legal case, a successful small claims case in California would cover the dental costs (up to $10,000 USD), does not involve lawyers (court rule), and is timely (two months according to the website).

Again, I certainly hope it does not come to this but I have the time to pursue it. 
 

I appreciate all of your input.

 

 

 

 

I think you will find out you are incorrect about maritime law.  If it happened on land in San Francisco then US law would apply but because it happened on a ship, whether it is docked or not, Maritime and Admiralty law will apply.  

 

This will not be addressed in a small claims court no matter how wishful the thinking.  Probably time to consult a lawyer and get legal advice and not opinions on CC.

 

If Princess had to pay for every time there was a cracked crown, lost tooth, damaged dental bridge or some other dental issue on their ships you could bet there would be a lot of people hitting them up for new dental work.

[Last Lion]

I have information incoming from a variety of sources not just CC.

WRT the applicable law and venue there is a lot of obfuscation to be sorted through.

[charliedalrymple]

This has been a fascinating read, as it's a bit of a departure from the standard "Is Plus worth it?"  Please do keep us posted as things progress.

[deliver42]

I doubt very much you'll get monetary compensation. Maybe a little more FCC.

[EllieinNJ]

Several years ago I had a similar incident.  I bit into a bagel on board and my fairly new implant broke.  I was trying to be careful but stuff happens.  It was next to the front teeth so very visible and had to go several more days on the ship.  Very embarrassing.

 

When I finally got to my dentist he only charged me $500 for a bone graft and put a new implant in.  I did have to wait another 6 months for the completion 

[Cruise Raider]

4 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

Several years ago I had a similar incident.  I bit into a bagel on board and my fairly new implant broke.  I was trying to be careful but stuff happens.  It was next to the front teeth so very visible and had to go several more days on the ship.  Very embarrassing.

 

When I finally got to my dentist he only charged me $500 for a bone graft and put a new implant in.  I did have to wait another 6 months for the completion 

That was the one good thing about having to wear masks .. not having to smile with a missing tooth up front. 
 

[DCThunder]

The takeaway from this entire thread is that tooth implants are extremely fragile and frightfully expensive and time consuming.

😁

[Paula_MacFan]

5 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

The takeaway from this entire thread is that tooth implants are extremely fragile and frightfully expensive and time consuming.

😁

Reading this thread makes me happy my existing bridge is still in good shape after 25+ years.  My dentist says sure there is more modern technology available (implants) but he doesn't want to take out a good dental repair that is still holding up well.  And no he didn't do it, it was another dentist.  I've always thought getting an implant would be the way to go, but after reading all this I'm kind of happy with my bridge so thanks for that 🙂