Licensed to Drill; Some Former Patients of Dentist Bonnie Rae Debilzan Spent Thousands On Their Teeth. They Aren't Smiling Now

Summary

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Full-mouth reconstructions often cost a patient more than $20,000 or $30,000 because dental insurance rarely covers such an extensive procedure. Dr. Robert Giannini--a 32-year veteran Albuquerque dentist who sits on the state dental board--says some dentists in New Mexico sell full-mouth reconstructions to their patients when they don't really need them. Giannini says he wasn't aware of the complaints against [Bonnie Rae DeBilzan]. "I've had more than one patient who has walked in here with a $30,000 [treatment] plan who in my opinion didn't need it," he says. "There is a lot of abuse by certain practitioners, and some of them become rather notorious."

Because of the confidentiality rules, Giannini admits, "there's just not a way" for the public to know if the dental board fully investigates complaints against dentists. But board members Giannini, [Edward Ebell] and [Glenelle Butler] all say the board is diligent in investigating complaints and protecting the public, its primary duty. "I even get some flak from dentists," says Ebell. "I'm sure they don't like it when we discipline them."

Those improvements may have come too late for two of DeBilzan's former patients, [Laura Shubert] and [Erika Chopich], who believe more could have been done to help them. "What disturbed me so is it was such an incredible awakening for me," Shubert says. "I thought, 'I'll just go to this place that is supposed to protect me.' That was really an illusion. The dental board really does nothing, either by choice or design."

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Licensed to Drill; Some Former Patients of Dentist Bonnie Rae Debilzan Spent Thousands On Their Teeth. They Aren't Smiling Now

As the comforting numbness of the anesthesia faded away, the pain in Laura Shubert's mouth magnified exponentially, a creeping ache that kept growing larger, taking on a life of its own.

"It was like this massive throbbing pain, nonstop," she says. "I was literally just sitting there all night long rocking on the floor."

On Halloween of 2000, Shubert had eight healthy teeth drilled and fitted with temporary crowns by Dr. Bonnie Rae Glass in her Santa Fe dental office. The $10,000 work was the start of a "full-mouth reconstruction" Shubert says she was told she needed because she could lose several lower teeth if her improper bite wasn't stabilized.

During the next month, the pain from the crowns was relentless. Shubert swallowed large doses of ibuprofen every three hours. There was more pain after Glass fitted Shubert with permanent porcelain veneers--partial crowns used to change a tooth's shape or color. Shubert later noticed a front tooth was rotatin...

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