Cancun Dental Specialists, Dental Implants

Please BEWARE of Cancun Dental Specialists if you are considering having implants in Mexico. Let me start my story from the beginning. At the age of 49, I had to have all my teeth extracted because of bone loss from having chemotherapy and radiation therapy 13 years ago. I was also a smoker. I quit 2 weeks before the surgery and had no desire to have a cigarette. This was a good reason to quit permanently. At first, I thought a small price to pay; however, a nightmare I would never wish on anyone. I am not able to tolerate dentures and have lost a considerable amount of weight because of it. My dentist recommended dental implants and sent me to a surgeon in Pittsburgh. After a thorough examination, the care plan included 4 zygomatic implants on the top and 6 implants on the bottom with immediate load plates. This sounded wonderful, but the price tag was unbelievable. $51,000.00. Heartbroken and depressed, a friend recommended to me Medical Tourism. After several months of research, and talking with Greg from Cancun Dental Specialists, the decision was made to have the procedure done there. I was guaranteed, (and have the emails to prove it), that I would have the same surgery there as I would have here. I was sent all of Dr. Irma Gavaldon's credentials, including her state side license number, NPI number. I did my research on her and was satisfied with her information. I was also informed that the same implants used in the states are the ones that would be implanted. There were to be from Nobel Labs. The total cost for the implants and permanent plates was just below $19,000. This was with a discount if I brought cash. The first trip would be $10,000. My husband and I booked the trip and left June 2, 2017. We arrived at the airport, was picked up by a shuttle service, and driven directly to the clinic. A comprehensive exam with xrays was completed and I was placed in an exam room. To my surprise, the doctor that come in was not Dr. Gavaldon, but instead, Dr. Omar Lugo. He explained to me that he would not be able to the zygomatic implants in the office and a hospital stay would need to be arranged. This would add a few days onto the length of my stay. He felt that was a bit much and was confident that he would be able to put 4 implants in the top, not 6, and that he would do the 6 on the bottom. I discussed this with my husband before agreeing to anything. We decided to go through with the surgery. The consent was signed and surgery scheduled for June 5. Now, cames time for the payment. With cash in hand, I was told the quote I was given was wrong because the "caps" were left out. This would cost me an additional $1300.00; however, I could bring it with me when I returned for my permanent set of plates.
The day of surgery went well. I woke up in a lot of pain. I could feel the implants on the bottom, but not on the top. Dr. Lugo came in and explained to me that he was not able to do the immediate load on top. A bone graph needed to be done, so he placed 4 implants and sutured my upper gum. I will need to wear a healing denture until my next visit. Then, he proceeds to tell me he did an alveoloplasty (surgical procedure used to smooth and reshape a patient's jawbone in areas where teeth have been extracted or otherwise lost) on the bottom. This was done without my knowledge or consent. I am beyond upset at this point. I was told by the surgeon in Pittsburgh that procedure was not necessary and to not let anyone do it, not to mention being informed about another denture. (I have an email from Greg assuring me this would not be the case. It would have been a deal breaker if it were to happen and the trip would have never occurred). In the next few days, I was seen at the clinic every day until we left on June 7th. The temporary permanent plate was loaded and the god awful upper denture was made. The doctor that made the plates did not speak any English and did not understand that I was not happy with the upper denture. I would not stay in and it was gagging me. I ended up coming home with it still not fitting properly.
Throughout the first month, I received a call every few days from my patient care coordinator to see how I was doing. One week home, I developed a staph infection in the lower jaw. My family doctor placed me on Augmentin 500mg twice a day for 10 days. I was rinsing my mouth 3 times a day with non-alcohol mouthwash and using a waterpik on the lowest setting to clean under the lower plate. .
Three weeks after the surgery, I woke up to go to work. Something was wrong. I could feel the implant in the front right portion of my upper gum. I ran to the mirror, the implant was falling out, and within 10 minutes, I had it in my hand. I contacted Cancun immediately. Olga became my new patient care coordinator. She advised me to get a panoramic x-ray and send it to her. Easier said than done. No one, not even my regular dentist, would take the x-ray because I did not have the surgery by a recommended surgeon. Same with having the upper denture fitted properly, wasn't made by them. I was finally able to get one and send it done for Dr. Lugo to look at. Olga called me back and assured me everything else looked good and it would be fixed when I came down for the permanents.
August 3, 2017, I woke up to find my lower plate was loose and rocking back and forth. I contacted Olga and she suggested to see a surgeon who would take the bottom plate out and check the implants, or just hop a plane and come down. (Not an option, my husband and I work fulltime, he an over the road trucker, me a paramedic working 4 different stations and over 100 hours a week). I was able to find a surgeon near Somerset, PA who agreed to see me. He did a panoramic x-ray and noticed large gaps near each of the implants in the lower jaw. He did not come right out and say it, BUT I could tell from his body language, all six implants failed.
I sent the x-ray to Olga, she confirmed the surgeon's body language......all 6 bottom implants failed. My family physician placed me on Augmentin 500mg twice a day for 21 days, the time it took for us to get our schedules rearranged and get back down to Cancun.
SECOND TRIP.....August 29, 2017. Again we were picked up at the airport by a shuttle service and taken straight to the clinic. I had an x-ray done upon arrival and placed in a room. A female doctor came in and had no idea why I was even there. This did not sit well with me. After see reviewed my chart, she said she would take out the bottom plate so Dr. Lugo could take a look at the implants. She did not tell me or explain to me what was going to happen next. She used 6 shots of a numbing agent to numb my lower jaw. She drilled the wholes where the screws were for the permanent plate. As she attempted to loosen them to remove the plate, all they did was spin in my jaw. Dr. Lugo came in, gave me 4 more shot of numbing agent, and pulled the plate out, implants and all. He then cut my lower gum open and debrided the bone where the implants were and placed bone graphing material. He then sutured the bottom gum closed. We then talked about the zygomatic implants being done my next trip in 6 months. He told me to plan on being in Cancun for about 2 weeks because the surgery had to be done in a hospital and have a 3 day stay there. He quoted me a price of approximately $9000.00 which did not include having the bottom implants replaced. I returned home Sept 2, 2017.
October 18, 2017 , I received an email from Falk regarding my next visit. He informed me that February would be the ideal time to make my next trip as to avoid the college spring break peak season. He spoke with Dr. Luko to make sure there was enough healing time. I had a few questions for him regarding the cost of the surgery, length of stay, and I wanted a complete care plan in writing. No more surprises. He returned my email on October 31, answering my questions and giving me a quote of $16,880.00, just for the zygomatic implants. I was furious. I attempted to contact him several time, but had to leave voice mail. He did not respond to my emails either.
I began having pain in my lower jaw around November 3. I contacted the doctor in Somerset and he agreed to take a look at me. He did a panoramic x-ray and informed my the damage done to my lower jaw is significant. He highly doubts implants can successfully be placed unless he can open up the gums and attempt to debrid the bone again and use bone harvested from me to graph. He examined the implant that I lost in July. He informed me that it is NOT a Nobel Lab implant and it is made from a cheap titanium. He is concerned about the 3 remaining implants that remain in my upper jaw. He feels strongly that it was nothing I did for the implants to fail, but instead, it was surgical error, lack of knowledge and cheap materials, not to mention the staph infection.
Needless to say, I will not be returning to Cancun Dental Specialist. I have an attorney looking into filing a malpractice suit including negligence, false advertising, and deception. Please, please, do your homework and then some if you choose to go to this clinic. Request to speak with other patient's, look up the malpractice suits filed against them, double and triple check their credentials, (all of them because you will be promised to see one doctor, and will see another). I never did meet Dr. Irma Galvadon.