The oddest thing

[CatamountRob]

I was at the lab last week doing a wax-up on an unusual case, the patient had lost both centrals and a substantial amount of bone and tissue which also exposed much of the root on both 7 and 10. I was asked to do a wax-up for a bridge spanning 6-11. I wasn’t told anything about the condition of 7 and 10 but it seems to me they’d need to be extracted but since I wasn’t told that I treated them like abutments rather than pontics.
Anyway, while I was sitting there waxing the phone rang and it was another Dr from another office and he wanted to discuss a very difficult case for a patient who he had just seen and as he described the case I realized it was the very same case I was sitting there working on.
In 40+ years at the bench I’ve never been in as awkward a position.

 

[JKraver]

I was at the lab last week doing a wax-up on an unusual case, the patient had lost both centrals and a substantial amount of bone and tissue which also exposed much of the root on both 7 and 10. I was asked to do a wax-up for a bridge spanning 6-11. I wasn’t told anything about the condition of 7 and 10 but it seems to me they’d need to be extracted but since I wasn’t told that I treated them like abutments rather than pontics.
Anyway, while I was sitting there waxing the phone rang and it was another Dr from another office and he wanted to discuss a very difficult case for a patient who he had just seen and as he described the case I realized it was the very same case I was sitting there working on.
In 40+ years at the bench I’ve never been in as awkward a position.

Lol, well that's interesting. I am not sure of the hippa on that. I would assume you would discuss the case as if it were fresh with both drs.

 

[zero_zero]

Typical, often patients will go to shop around, you happed to work with both dentists. It has happened to us many times since we are on the more expensive end of dental fees in town, but the only one with a lab. Most will return eventually, since there are no others labs nearby. I am not worried loosing them either, these pt's are usually a PITA to work with

 

[GG - J]

the patient may not know what dr to allow to work on him/her

but at least it went to the correct lab

 

[Flipperlady]

I agree with the above comment to treat this per each work order. We as lab techs follow written work orders from dentists. I would also make sure your lab slips have the legal stuff on it that the dentist signs as well. I'm guessing the first case might fizzle out, hope you get paid for it.

 

[Andrew Priddy]

just duplicate your work and get paid twice. winx4

 

[bigj1972]

Probably shocked at the price at first office. Went to next for 2nd opinion (quote) to make sure they weren't buying that Big City Doctor a new Cadillac.

Depending on your relationships, you could take that case to 2nd office and say well here's one I'm working on that is very similar to the one you described, maybe you could gain some insight. Especially if he took preliminaries. Then you can pretend to be googley eyed as they're sitting side by side while you scratch your heads.

Or, as Andrew said, measure twice, cut once. You don't owe an explanation to either.