Posted by writeradmin
I had some dental crowns done by a dentist who was much cheaper than everyone else in my area. My gums became irritated and started bleeding. I had them redone and the same problem happened. So, I forked up to visit a gum specialist to get a deep cleaning done. She said that my dental crowns were overcontoured. She also cleaned out some cement that was left there. Obviously, I have to redo these again, but am not confident the dentist I went to can do it. Given I’ve spent so much money already, I’m thinking of going to Mexico to have them redone. I’ve been told because there are fewer regulations there, that the cost is much lower. My question is if they get the crowns right, will it take away the swelling and bleeding?
Andrea
Dear Andrea,
While I have not examined you, overcontoured crowns make sense with the problems you have been having. As you’ve experienced, finding the cheapest dentist does not always save you money. In fact, in many cases, such as yours, they do such a bad job that you end up spending more because you have to redo the work. There are affordable dentists who do good work, but you need to do some research to make sure. Usually, they are not going to be significantly cheaper, but some of them will have their own inhouse discount for patients without dental insurance.
You are right not to have this same dentist redo these dental crowns. He not only overcontoured your crowns but left cement that should have been removed. That is a standard, basic requirement. However, I want to caution you against using dental tourism to have them redone. You said they don’t have the same regulations. You’re right. In some areas, the dentists are not even required to sterilize the equipment and tools between patients. Sometimes, people travel out of the country to have their work done and it works about absolutely fine. But, that isn’t most of them. And, when it goes wrong, it can go really, dangerously wrong.
I would start by asking your original dentist who did the work for a refund. If he doesn’t agree, then you can try asking the periodontist if he’d be willing to back you up on the things he did wrong. Sometimes dentists are more willing to listen to their peers in order to avoid looking bad in front of them. Another option is telling him that you are going to write a review on all the sites detailing all the problems you’ve had with these crowns and his lack of willingness to make it right. He will know that it will have a negative impact on his business. If none of those work, then your only option is to have them redone. But, please don’t use dental tourism. You are likely to end up in an even worse situation.
This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.