Thai Dentists Integrity

[marcortez]

My smile was a mess, consisting of a broken front incisor covered with a temporary, a loose front incisor and ugly staining, drove my decision to get something done.

So in my hotel reception, is a brochure for a nearby dental clinic (one of 3 offices in Pattaya) which specialized in cosmetic dentistry. FREE consulations!!!

Xrays and exams concluded that there appeared to be sufficient bone to support 2 incisior implants on the upper jaw bone.

Implants and the accompaning crowns, along with veneers on 4 of the other front teeth were placed and the implants were done with top of the line "Osstem" system titanium implants.

I did not have the time, visa wise, to stick around and wait 2/3 months for the normal ossification of the implants to take place before loading the crowns so this dentist suggestion to do the "immediate load" implants.

I would just have to be more careful about putting any biting load on these implants.

To make a long story short, the 2 implants failed in the space of 7/10 days.

An infection started in one and once back in the USA, a dentist confirmed that infection was also invading the 2nd implant. Which by the way, were so loose, they fell out when the dentist gave them a "test" wiggle after taking Xrays.

I am out $4200 USD for the implants now and seriously question this Thai dentists integrity about even doing that procedure from the get go.

My USA dentist told me flat out...."I would have turned you down for implants because you do not have enough bone to support the posts"

Xrays confirmed this. Only half the root of the original tooth was imbedded in bone. Not enough to support an implant in his opinion. The implants were only being supported with "granular" bits of bone.

Not to mention a sloppy job of cementing the crown to the implant abutment.

My beef is this....I feel pretty confident that this Thai dentist's integrity failed.

He saw a tourist with cash and that make him "see" enough bone to support the implant.

Now I am 8000 miles away in California USA and he has my money.

I am up shit creek unless I can convince this Thai dentist to refund me some of the expense for a procedure that was doomed to failure from the beginning. I am not going to hold my breath.

My doctor here in the USA is going to write me up supporting documentation that outlines the manner of failure. ie: not enough bone.

I emailed this Thai dentist and he said he would replace the implant at no cost....replace the implant in what??? Hey Dr....there is not enough bone to support one!!!!!

Yeah, I am angry and I can only suggest to anyone seeking any medical or dental treatment in a foreign country, that they make sure the procedure under consideration, is one where you confirm can be done in the first place, in your home country, by an ethical practioner.

Get consultations and supporting diagnostic (xrays) with your home doctor to confirm the do-ability.

[taxexile]

mistake number one.

So in my hotel reception, is a brochure for a nearby dental clinic (one of 3 offices in Pattaya) which specialized in cosmetic dentistry. FREE consulations!!!

the fact that the clinic needs to leave flyers in hotel reception areas offering free consultations for cosmetic work to draw in business from guests should be enough to alert even the naivest of tourists/patients/consumers that this is a place to be avoided at all costs ; at least for the actual work , by all means go for the consultation , but use the information gleaned as a baseline for the second consultation at another clinic.

a competent clinic will have no need to advertise : recommendations from satisfied patients will ensure a full appointment book.

mistake number two

I did not have the time, visa wise, to stick around and wait 2/3 months for the normal ossification of the implants to take place before loading the crowns so this dentist suggestion to do the "immediate load" implants.

I would just have to be more careful about putting any biting load on these implants.

immediate load implants will only work on healthy bone , a second and third opinion sought from other clinics would probably have alerted you to this fact.

assuming it is the upper jaw you are talking about , if your incisors cannot be replaced by implants , then i suggest you look into the possibility of fixed bridgework supported by the incisor teeth. if the incisors are well rooted and there is no periodontal pathology then they should be more than strong enough to support a bridge. cheaper than implants too.

whatever you do , research it thoroughly.

there is little patient protection in a third world country like thailand , and although you were spectacularly unlucky , in general the quality of the dentists here and the work they do is first class , but you do need to choose carefully to find those dentists.

good luck.