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I am just curious how the lay person determines whether the dental work they received was "good" or "bad", regardless of what country in which it was done. What are the factors that lead you to determine whether the work was good or not - Absence of pain? Longevity? Esthetics? Function?
Honestly looking for an answer here. As a dentist, I have seen dental work that, from a dentist perspective, is outstanding but the patient hates it and badmouths the dentist until the cows come home. On the other hand, I have seen work that would be an "F" if it were to receive a grade in dental school but the patient is perfectly fine with it.
Curious...doesn't the cost of traveling overseas added to the cost of the procedure being done there make it as expensive as getting it done in the US? Unless you travel for free somehow.
I am just curious how the lay person determines whether the dental work they received was "good" or "bad", regardless of what country in which it was done. What are the factors that lead you to determine whether the work was good or not - Absence of pain? Longevity? Esthetics? Function?
Honestly looking for an answer here. As a dentist, I have seen dental work that, from a dentist perspective, is outstanding but the patient hates it and badmouths the dentist until the cows come home. On the other hand, I have seen work that would be an "F" if it were to receive a grade in dental school but the patient is perfectly fine with it.
I judge it by what I'm hoping to get at the time, how long it lasts, how good it works, how good it looks and how much it costs. The weighting of different parts of formula could change from time to time. When I got my crown in Mexico my goal was "save the tooth" because I couldnt afford a crown in the US. At $220, I figured I was ahead if it looked passable, I could chew on it, and it lasted a year. It looks great and its been 2 years and shows no signs of problems, so even if it breaks or falls off tomorrow I got what I wanted.
My US dentist thought the crown should have been a little longer, protecting more of the tooth below the gumline. So i guess I'm at a slightly higher risk for decay, but I wouldn't even have the tooth now if not for that Mexican crown. I'm sure my US dentist could have done an equally good or better job, but at 5 to 6 times the cost it just wasn't possible for me. I didn't have the money. Same goes for the bridge I expect to get soon.
On the other hand, there are risks I wouldn't take just to save money or teeth. To my way of thinking the OP is taking bigger risks (both financial and health/safety) than I would. But I'm not him and he's not me. Hard to say what I would be considering if I were actually in his shoes. If it wasn't for the possible sinus lift, I might do it myself. I find sinus lifts an unacceptable option no matter where they are done.
On the other hand, there are risks I wouldn't take just to save money or teeth. To my way of thinking the OP is taking bigger risks (both financial and health/safety) than I would. But I'm not him and he's not me. Hard to say what I would be considering if I were actually in his shoes. If it wasn't for the possible sinus lift, I might do it myself. I find sinus lifts an unacceptable option no matter where they are done.
Interesting - just wondering why you say that? The sinus lifting/bone grafting procedure has been around for decades and is a proven safe and effective technique when done properly. It is extremely predictable when your goal is to gain bone height for dental implant placement. No other technique is even close.
Most people hear the word "sinus" and the word "lift" and they think it's this crazy, life-risking procedure akin to brain surgery. This is simply not true. Is it technique-sensitive? Of course. Find a good surgeon. I have done lots of them and almost all patients are surprised at how easy the procedure was (for them).
If I were missing a tooth and I was given the choice of a sinus lift and an implant vs grinding down each tooth on either side for a bridge, I would choose the sinus lift and implant without thinking twice. This is speaking as a dentist who is fully aware of the risks, benefits, costs, etc. that go with each option.
Hard to say what I would be considering if I were actually in his shoes. If it wasn't for the possible sinus lift, I might do it myself. I find sinus lifts an unacceptable option no matter where they are done.
What about just wearing dentures? There's a plethora of NHL hockey players that are multi-millionaires, wear dentures and are in their 20's and 30's and have enough money to pay in cash for an entire mouth of implants without any insurance, but still don't.
What about just wearing dentures? There's a plethora of NHL hockey players that are multi-millionaires, wear dentures and are in their 20's and 30's and have enough money to pay in cash for an entire mouth of implants without any insurance, but still don't.
Yeh. Who would want dentures when they could get implants or even crowns.
I have one implant and I guess my only suggestion would be to get something that would tell any future dentist what kind it is. (that's not the technical word--I know zilch about dentistry.) But what I mean is, my implant came a little bit loose and the dentist needed me to contact the oral surgeon who did the implant to find out what sort of screw or something. When I gave the information from the oral surgeon to my dentist, he was able to tighten it back up again.
I can't afford dental work either. I try to get one thing done at a time, put it on a credit card, pay it off, and then get something else done the next year. In the meantime I still make sure to get checkups/cleanings every six months.
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