subject: Going dental in India [print this page] Going dental in India Going dental in India
"Why don't you go to India?" asked my mother. "There was something on the news about dental tourism. I am not sure but I think they mentioned a dental clinic in Chennai. Look it up on the internet when you have time."
India! What a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of it? I had been searching the net for somewhere in Europe but this was a much better plan work wise: Having my teeth revamped while doing some research for my up-coming book on spices sounded really cool. Thanks Mum!
The place in Chennai looked good, but as far as spices were concerned, Kerala was the place to go. So I googled: "Kerala dental implants". And there was Dr P. and his ISO Certificate clinic a recognized center of Decare Dental, USA, and of the Europ Assistance International Dental Network. I must say that the icing on the cake was the fact that the clinic had a hospital wing and that Dr P. had created a facial and dental treatment charitable trust providing facial surgical procedures for underprivileged patients. What more could one ask for? I emailed Dr P. a recent OPG and asked him if implants would be at all possible, he declined to answer but asked for an MRI, blood tests and asked a hundred questions on my state of health. Apparently I passed with flying colours because he said "Yes, we can give you implants." YES. The man from Kochi said YES WE CAN! Needless to mention that I was over the moon! At long last, my teeth ruined by an impressive number of very costly and disastrous treatments in England and in France which had left my upper jaw looking like Hiroshima, after the bombing of course, and the lower, like Nagasaki would be put right by his expert hands. Dr P was also the only one willing to give me a very detailed estimate with the warning that it was based on what he had been able to see on the OPG and the MRI and that the treatment might work out to be more expensive or cheaper according to what he found once I was on his chair.
In France, the various dentists I consulted had been unanimous:"Implants? Impossible!" One of them explained "not enough bone there. And forget about bone grafting. It's a real headache. They'll have to take bone from your hip, your chin or your skull. You'll need a general anesthetic. Rather a big intervention. Not worth it. You could go for bovine tissue, but the risks of rejection are rather high. And think of the cost: the whole thing will be the price of a car and not a small one for that matter. Believe you me, it is not worth it. At this stage, your only option is dentures." He was quite keen to fit me with these rather costly marvels as soon as possible. Strangely enough, he zapped the fact that if I didn't have enough bone, it was because various dentists had fitted me with bridges, which means teeth extraction and bone loss.
None of the practitioners I saw were implantologists, so I tried my luck with a few well known specialists. Granted, they took a little longer to assess the situation but their reply was the same: "Mission impossible. Not enough bone there." This is when I turned to my beloved internet and started searching for a clinic abroad. Obviously there are good dental surgeons in England and in France. I just wish I had been lucky enough to meet one.
When I told a dentist in France that I was going to have my implants done abroad, he was horrified and strongly advised me against it. "Don't do it. This is sheer madness. You are taking unnecessary risks, playing Russian roulette with your health. There is this terrible new bug in Delhi and even if you don't catch it, you are bound to have problems. You also have to know that if you go ahead with this, you won't find a dentist here willing to treat you." I didn't bother telling him that I was to Kochi, not Delhi and that nosocomial infections were not rare in France or the rest of the world for that matter.
I flew to Kerala and I am so glad I did. Dr P. and his team welcomed me like a long lost friend with the worst teeth they had ever seen. That they were not prepared for what they saw might be the understatement of the century. And it's only because they are all brave at heart that they managed to keep a stiff upper lip but the shock and the horror in their eyes was something else. Dr P. later explained that he had come across some very bad teeth before, but none of them had been touched by dentists, which had made his job a lot easier.
Three dentists, a cosmetic specialist, a root canal specialist and various other specialists worked with him on my case. Despite the terrible problems he met, he managed to fit some implants. Unfortunately, the bone was too brittle in places, so some grafting was necessary. Thank goodness, my skull, my hip or my chin did not have to contribute to this rescue operation. No bovine tissues were used either. And it was no way near the predicted lengthy and painful procedure I was supposed to undergo. I am also pleased to say that, much to my relief, the foretold rejection didn't happen either. On the whole, my system accepted these implants and grafts admirably.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this was a holiday the procedure can be very painful, although the pain does last. It is also terribly unglamorous I looked like a severely mixomatosed rabbit most of the times but it was an incredible experience for sure. I met some lovely people, ate scrumptious food and had an amazing time. Just think, where else in the world could I have my wrecks seen to and film an elephant been showered, brushed and pedicured between two sessions of treatment?
Dr P. took care of all the dental and non dental aspects of my stay, such as finding nice accommodation for me near the clinic and fantastic vegetarian restaurant for my daily cantina, a green supermarket. He provided me with an Indian telephone; put me in touch with people to interview for my research, and so on. He also introduced me to his lovely family and his friends, invited me to his home and offered me his friendship.
When I thanked him for the way he looked after me, he just said "You travelled half the world to come and see me. You trusted me, so I must take good care of you." Sure, but I never expected such care and loving kindness.
Dr P planned a 2 stage rehab with a 4 months gap in between the time needed for the grafts to take. This period is now over and I am back in Kerala to get my fabulous new cosmetically enhanced smile and a good bite too. Believe it or not, all this is not only about vanity, it is also about health. The importance of having good strong teeth and a good bite is not emphasized enough. I am really looking forward to stage 2 of my treatment which will be fully detailed in the second episode of my Going Dental in India.
A word of warning: before you decide to become a dental tourist or a medical one for that matter do your research carefully. I contacted quite a few dentists before deciding that Dr P was the one for me. They were all keen for me to come over. He was the only one who took the time to investigate all my problems before saying he would take me on. When I asked the various dentists if my implants could be done in 2 weeks they all said yes. Dr P was the only one who said no. He wanted me to come over for 3 weeks to start with and another 3 weeks for the second stage. And this was not negotiable. He was also prepared to discuss every aspect of the procedure at length before I even decided to go to India. He gave all the information on the implants I wanted, including the website to the manufacturer. Everything was very open, clear, well explained and thoroughly professional. If you have the slightest doubt, don't do it. Only go ahead if you feel totally sure about it.
