Dental Treatment Abroad: How We Can Help When Things Haven’t Gone to Plan
At Newcastle Advanced Dentistry, we regularly see patients who have had dental treatment carried out abroad and subsequently developed problems, concerns or uncertainty about the work that has been completed.
We are very happy to assess these patients and, where possible, help diagnose and manage any problems. However, it is important to understand that assessing complex dental treatment carried out elsewhere can sometimes be considerably more involved than a routine dental examination.
Why can treatment abroad be difficult to assess?
When we examine a patient who has had extensive dental treatment, our first priority is to understand the condition of the natural teeth and the supporting tissues underneath the existing dental work.
Unfortunately, this is not always possible simply by looking at the teeth or taking an X-ray.
Crowns, bridges and other restorations can sometimes conceal the underlying teeth. In some cases, several crowns have been joined together or "linked", creating a single unit rather than individual crowns.
While this may have been appropriate for the original treatment plan, it can make it much more difficult to assess what is happening underneath. Problems such as decay, cracks, infection, failing fillings or damage to the underlying teeth may be hidden beneath the restorations.
Sometimes the existing dental work needs to be removed
In complex cases, we may need to dismantle or remove some of the existing crowns, bridges or other restorations before we can establish what is happening underneath. This is particularly important when we are being asked to determine why treatment has failed or to develop a new long-term treatment plan.
It is not always possible to provide an accurate treatment plan before the existing work has been removed.
For example, an X-ray may suggest that a tooth could potentially be saved, but once a crown or bridge is removed, the amount of remaining tooth structure may be very different from what was anticipated.
Similarly, decay, fractures or other problems may only become apparent once the existing restoration has been taken off.
This means that the final treatment plan and associated costs may not be known until the existing dental work has been dismantled and the underlying teeth have been assessed.
There can be a cost involved in investigating previous treatment
Dismantling extensive dental work can be time-consuming and technically demanding.
There may also be a risk that existing crowns or bridges cannot be removed intact and will need to be cut off and subsequently replaced.
For this reason, there can be a significant cost involved in dismantling previous dental work simply to establish the condition of the teeth underneath.
We always aim to explain this process clearly before treatment begins, including what we know, what remains uncertain and why further investigation may be necessary.
Our objective is to establish the condition of the underlying teeth and tissues before recommending further treatment, rather than committing a patient to a treatment plan based on assumptions.
What about dental implants?
We are also able to assess patients who have had dental implants placed abroad.
However, implant treatment presents an additional consideration: there are many different dental implant systems available, and they are not all interchangeable.
To maintain or restore an implant, we need to know which implant system has been used and have the appropriate experience, components and knowledge to manage that particular system.
If you have had dental implants placed abroad, we therefore strongly recommend asking your previous dental provider for:
The name and manufacturer of the implant system used
The exact implant type and model, where available
Any implant identification information or records
Details of the treatment carried out
Copies of relevant X-rays and clinical photographs
Information about any abutments, screws or other components used
Please keep these records somewhere safe. They can be extremely valuable if you need maintenance or further treatment in the future.
If the implant system is one that we are familiar with and have experience managing, we may be able to provide assessment and treatment. If we cannot confidently identify or manage the implant system, there may be limitations to the treatment we can safely provide.
Our approach
We understand that patients who come to us after treatment abroad may be worried, particularly if they have already invested a significant amount of money in their teeth.
Our approach is to take the time to understand what has been done, establish what condition the underlying teeth and supporting tissues are in, and then determine what options are available.
In some cases, the existing work may be satisfactory and require only maintenance or minor intervention. In other cases, more extensive investigation and treatment may be necessary.
Where existing crowns, bridges or other restorations are preventing us from properly assessing the teeth, we will explain why they may need to be removed before a definitive treatment plan can be produced.
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