I live in the Phoenix area but went to a dentist in Los Algodones, Mexico, as I had a broken tooth and also needed attention to the other side where this same dentist had worked three years previously. I was told I needed four crowns in all. Three days later one of the crowns came off. I returned to them and was told I needed a root canal before the crown could be cemented back on. I asked why I was not told about a root canal on the previous visit and was told that root canals are not always necessary and often times do not work. So I got the root canal and the crown was put back on.
Within a day or two I started having sensitivity to hot and cold, along with worse pain after eating. When the tooth was touched or lightly tapped with fingernail it hurt. I called and spoke to the receptionist who told me I would have to come in again. It’s 500 miles round trip to the office, so instead of going in, I started researching online.
Then I made an appointment with a local dentist. I simply told him that the tooth was giving me problems. I was told that there was a crack in the tooth and that it should be extracted and replaced with either a bridge or implant and that the existing crown could not be used.
I would appreciate advice as to the best way of handling this with the dentist in Los Algodones as I feel that I have had poor work. I feel that a reasonable proposal would be that they extract the tooth and do an implant and new crown, but that the credit the cost of the existing crown towards the new work.
– Dion from Arizona
(See Dr. Hall’s answer below.)
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Dion,
Yes, poor work for sure. I think you have pinned down the basic points where this dentist messed up. A permanent crown that comes off within a few days—that is definitely below the standard of care. A basic part of dental school training for doing dental crowns is doing them so that they don’t come off.
I also believe you were right to question whether or not you needed that root canal. The tooth wasn’t hurting. From what happened subsequently, it is clear that the tissue inside the tooth was alive, and if the tooth wasn’t hurting I seriously doubt that it needed a root canal. It sounds suspiciously like an excuse.
And then it doesn’t look like the root canal was done correctly. For the tooth to be sensitive to hot and cold and to touch there has to be some living tissue in it. But a root canal is supposed to remove all the tissue inside the tooth. So it was an incomplete root canal. And, of course, you have the other dentist telling you the tooth is cracked. But I will be honest with you, I don’t know that you’re getting the best advice there either. A crack in a tooth doesn’t make it unrestorable. You obviously have a failed root canal treatment. Why didn’t they tell you that?
But if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t want this dentist in Los Algodones to touch my teeth any more. He screwed up your crown, then he told you that you needed a root canal when there is good reason to believe you didn’t. Then he screwed up the root canal. You have a true dental horror story here that keeps getting worse with every subsequent step. I’m starting to wonder if this dentist can do anything right. Implantology is one of the most demanding areas of dentistry. If you have him place the implant he could end up drilling into your nerve, your sinus, or some other serious place. From what I know of him so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to place one of these cheap knock-off dental implant fixtures that will maybe breed infection and come loose in a couple of years. What you need to do is find a competent dentist to start fixing you right. If you want to go to Mexico to save some money, I know of two excellent dentists just across the border.
I don’t know enough about the legal system in Mexico to know what recourse you have against this dentist who has committed malpractice on you. If there is any hope for justice there, you could try that. But you may just have to swallow hard, cut your losses, and move forward. Maybe a quality Mexican dentist could help you recover something from your dentist.
I have a question for you. How do you know that you needed these four crowns that he did for you? Do you have any suspicions that he wasn’t honest with you about that? If this dentist was willing to sell you a root canal that you didn’t need, would he also be willing to try to sell you crowns you didn’t need?
Bottom line, dental tourism is a risky business. Just going across the border to save money can end up being a very expensive choice, as it has in your case. The standards of dental care in Mexico are not what they are in the United States. As I said, I know of two excellent Mexican dentists who operate practices in border towns and can legitimately save a patient considerable money, if they are willing to travel. But I would advise strongly against picking any dentist in Mexico at random. Dentistry isn’t cheap if it doesn’t last, if you’re sold treatment that you don’t need, or if it causes problems that later have to be fixed.
– Dr. Hall
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
Thank you for your response and advice. I found your site very informative and wish we had seen it before!
Your advice makes a lot of sense particularly about not returning to dentist in question. However our situation is even worse than was posted as while we were there my husband got talked into having 4 implants along with a bone graft and root canal and crowns he was simply accompanying me. Bottom line on that was he left with a a bill of $8000ish which did not include some crowns on the implants and was asked to return in 3 mo. He was also examined by our local dentist where he was told that the implants looked okay, but if they had done them would have gone a little deeper, and that it was important to find out what material was used for implants as posts would have to match.
As regards legal claims in Mexico, that’s just throwing more money away. Our best bet is to find a good one down there as we just cannot afford American prices anymore than we can afford bad treatment at cut prices – a real dilemma!
– Dion
Response by Dr. Hall:
Dion,
I’ll email you my recommendation for an excellent dentist in Mexico. I don’t like to do that publicly, but I have your email address and will send it to you. It’s an excellent, ethical dentist with a high level of training and expertise.
I have watched your web site for a couple of years, and like it very much. That said, I also visited the Sani Dental clinic in Los Algodones two years ago, and found it to be first class. Sanitary, honest, full service (2 crowns constructed perfectly in 24 hr), knowledgeable dentist. I’m a born sceptic, and some of the many clinics there may be sub par, but Sani Dental Clinic seemed as good as any I’ve visited in America. Especially for non-surgical procedures such as mine (making and installing crowns to fit existing posts).
Comment by Dr. Hall:
I personally would not recommend the Sani Dental Clinic. Their marketing strategy is very aggressive, which makes me suspicious. While they have some online reviews of people who think they are wonderful, there are others with complaints about dentists there trying to “upsell” treatment options—a practice that undermines trust. Their aggressive marketing strategy leads me to question the motivation behind your unsolicited testimonial and its genuineness.
Dr. Hall, I find your reply to my comment rather insulting. I know nothing of Sani’s marketing strategy, but my comments are honest and are my own – something you didn’t bother to inquire about. I did not experience ANY of the complaint issues (such as upselling) you mention. As a matter of fact, I personally complemented the female Dentist who fitted the crowns to my mouth and to the existing posts. Another point you averted, making great crowns in 24 hours is a very important touch. In USA dental clinics I have waited 3 weeks for the technician to make a crown only to have it not fit correctly, and 2 more weeks for him to remake it. All this for at least twice the cost of Sani Dental Clinic!
Your web site is great, I found and used a wonderful San Diego cosmetic dentist form it. That said, I do hope your comments improve.
– Grant
Response by Dr. Hall:
Grant,
Thank you for reassuring me that your comment was genuine. I had wondered, but I believe you.
However, I haven’t changed my opinion about the clinic.
Let me write another blog post and address this, because my answer is rather lengthy. So check my post, How to know if you can trust your dentist.
– Dr. Hall
Don’t go to Mexico. I almost died there. The dentist overdosed me with Fentanyl and a barbiturate. I had a heart attack. My spouse forced their way into the recovery area. I had stopped and dentist was sitting in a chair, watching me die. Spouse made her sit me up and pound my back until I coughed up the fluid blocking my respiratory system. I began breathing but did not wake until hours later. Dentist never contacted a hospital or ambulance. I spent over $30,000.00 and work was unfinished. I had been bullied into paying before work was done. I barely made it home and learned at the ER in a US hospital that I had suffered a heart attack while in Mexico because of the drugging.
US dentists were horrified by the poor work and damage to my mouth. Improperly sized, modified, and badly placed implants made it hard for me to even get dentures to cover them. They ended up being useless to hold a bridge. One of the teeth she pulled cause a hole in my mouth that went through to my sinus. Anything I drank squirted out of my nose.
While I was there, a young man was being treated for a massive dental infection after his last visit to her. I was also treated for a massive dental infection on my last visit to her.
The dentist was from California and had lost her license in Oregon for malpractice (destroying too much tooth for crowns and other offences and was never allowed to even apply for reinstatement there). She was limited to working part time under supervision in California.
She created a practice in Mexico. She had favourable news articles all over her office walls about her awards for her work with abused women.
She NEVER refunded any of my money and she couldn’t understand why I would not ever go back to her. If you have trouble with a dentist in Mexico, you need to hire a Mexican lawyer. Don’t go. It could be fatal.
Don’t go to Mexico. I almost died there. The dentist overdosed me with Fentanyl and a barbiturate. I had a heart attack. My spouse forced their way into the recovery area. I had stopped breathing and the dentist was sitting in a chair, watching me die. My spouse made her sit me up and pound my back until I coughed up the fluid blocking my respiratory system. I began breathing but did not wake until hours later. The dentist never contacted a hospital or ambulance. I spent over $30,000.00 and work was unfinished. I had been bullied into paying before work was done. I barely made it home and learned at the ER in a US hospital that I had suffered a heart attack while in Mexico because of the drugging.
US dentists were horrified by the poor work and damage to my mouth. Improperly sized, modified, and badly placed implants made it hard for me to even get dentures to cover them. They ended up being useless to hold a bridge. One of the teeth she pulled cause a hole in my mouth that went through to my sinus. Anything I drank squirted out of my nose.
While I was there, a young man was being treated for a massive dental infection after his last visit to her. I was also treated for a massive dental infection on my last visit to her.
The dentist was from California and had lost her license in Oregon for malpractice (destroying too much tooth for crowns and other offences and was never allowed to even apply for reinstatement there). She was limited to working part time under supervision in California.
She created a practice in Mexico. She had favourable news articles all over her office walls about her awards for her work with abused women.
She NEVER refunded any of my money and she couldn’t understand why I would not ever go back to her. If you have trouble with a dentist in Mexico, you need to hire a Mexican lawyer. Don’t go. It could be fatal.