Madam, - Conor Pope's Price Watch article of November 20th dealt with dental treatment overseas.
The internet has made overseas dentistry an option for an increasing number of Irish patients. Attractive "deals", including holidays and pick-ups by chauffeur-driven cars, are on offer.
My experience over the past 10 years suggests that patients should be extremely cautious about accepting treatment from any dentist without first understanding exactly what is involved.
I have seen patients who received dental treatment outside the State and subsequently had serious problems. A recent patient at my clinic in the Cork Dental School and Hospital, who had extensive dental treatment carried out in Hungary, is a good illustration of my point.
She was referred to me following a number of episodes of severe pain, just two weeks after her treatment in Hungary was completed. Radiographs showed that the patient had been over-treated and had inappropriate treatment carried out by an incompetent dentist.
She had had some implants placed and every tooth in her mouth had been crowned. No attention had been paid to the normal biological requirements (correct shape of crowns, etc) or to the normal occlusion (bite). As a result she developed acute facial pain, requiring medication and the placement of a splint to correct the facial dimension. Some crowns will have to be replaced immediately.
In the longer term, this patient will require all of the crowns to be removed and replaced with either new crowns and implants or false teeth, involving further cost and discomfort.
If such treatment had been carried out in Ireland, the patient could have returned to the treating dentist, had recourse to civil action, or had the dentist's fitness to practise investigated by the Dental Council.
In my experience as a teacher of restorative dentistry for the past 30 years, complex crowns, bridges and implants cannot be carried out over a holiday trip of a week or two but require detailed planning, careful delivery and appropriate aftercare by suitably qualified dentists. - Yours, etc,
Prof ROBERT J McCONNELL,
Professor of Restorative Dentistry,
University Dental School and Hospital,
Wilton, Cork.