I traveled to Europe in order to get $60,000 worth of dental work for $10, 250. It seemed like a no-brainer. We’d go to Europe twice and still save money. I had six porcelain veneers placed on my upper teeth. A dental implant on the lower arch as well as replacing some dental crowns. I’ve been following their instructions to a tee. I don’t eat with my front teeth and cut up my food into tiny bits, but so far I’ve had two of the porcelain veneers fall off while eating spaghetti. They are whole. Do I need to have them re-done or can they be glued back on?
Laura
Dear Laura,
I am sorry you spent any money on this. Many patients think they are saving money with what we call dental tourism, going to another country for your dental care. Rarely does it turn out well, though. A huge red flag to me are the restrictions he placed on your eating. When porcelain veneers are bonded on properly, they will not fall off. The fact that they warned you about eating tells me they knew their work wasn’t up to par.
I would like to you to look for a cosmetic dentist here in the states to bond that back on. Look for an expert cosmetic dentist, such as those recommended on mynewsmile.com. With an expert cosmetic dentist, you will have no problem getting that back on as long as it is still in tact.
My big concern is your dental implant. This takes real expertise to place and I would like you to get a second opinion from a dentist or periodontist who does a lot of dental implants and has a high success rate.
After they do some x-rays, they should have a better idea of whether your dental implant is in good shape. If it isn’t, it will be in your best interest to replace it. Unfortunately, once an implant is removed or fails you need an additional procedure known as bone grafting in order to build the bone back up again so the implant will have adequate support. Once that is built back up you can then replace the implant, if necessary.
This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey.
