My teeth, my dental journey... (Photos & Video)

[Robert]

Root Canal

On my initial 3D panoramas a shadow appeared close to one of my back molars, a sign of an infection.
Also, if I ate or drunk anything cold, I had a little pain, so this also confirmed I had a problem.

It was determined I needed a root canal done, so below are the details, photos and a short video clip.

Dr. Maria Rojas is the Endodontist at Dental Cibao Spa. She has performed 1,000's of root canals and is very good!

The bad molar was isolated and I was masked up.

Anesthetic time! They spray on a local anesthetic first, so you cannot feel a thing.[

Drilling away some of the molar.

The offending molar after it had been drilled etc.

Now this is cool. They use a very high resolution x-ray camera to take an image of the tooth.
They can see the root, check the length, see problems etc. It's real high tech stuff.

The image is displayed on a large flat screen hanging from the ceiling, also on a laptop next to the dentist.

This is a short video clip. Note the singing, which is really relaxing when you have a drill and fingers in your mouth. This is what I love about patient care in the DR. It's very warm and personal.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/24123383?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="650" height="488" frameborder="0"></iframe>

 

[Robert]

Whilst I was at the clinic I met another DR1 poster (jlw919). He just had a crown fitted.
It looked excellent and he was very happy!

 

[cobraboy]

World Class thread!

 

[AZB]

Hey, some videos and pictures should be credited to me. I am the silent contributer. Hehehehe

 

[jrjrth]

Ok call me crazy, but Robert how did you breathe with the latex isolete cover in your mouth?? heaven forbid one has a stuffy nose, you'd be blowin up a balloon from your mouth lol...and I like the isolation clasp on your tooth...made in the Good Ole USA...how about that you dont find made in the USA on much anymore....kudos on your continued journey...keep the photos and videos coming along..

 

[Robert]

Ok call me crazy, but Robert how did you breathe with the latex isolete cover in your mouth??

Now I look at the photos, that's a very good question ?

I had absolutely no problem breathing normally and never felt suffocated.
You have lots of air space and gaps around the latex cover so it's easy to breath.

I also noticed the "Made in the USA" on the clamp. The clinic buys the best available, period. So I'm assuming the USA make the best teeth clamps on the planet

 

[Robert]

Hey, some videos and pictures should be credited to me. I am the silent contributer. Hehehehe

Yes you are. Although your video skills need some work

 

[AZB]

Yes you are. Although your video skills need some work

Hahaha, not easy to understand your directive commands, especially when you have 5 instruments in your mouth and a drill machine on full throttle. Hahahaha But I will do a better job next time.

 

[jrhartley]

did your teeth enjoy their trip to Sos?a ?

 

[Robert]

did your teeth enjoy their trip to Sos?a ?

Always...

 

[laurapasinifan]

hey nice thread. I had some dental work in the DR years ago while there, and i remember that they didnt use any anethsesia...not cool!!! I have had two implants done here in the states after the previous root and canals kept giving me pain...

i cant imagine for second that anyone even tries to do an implant with out anesthesia!!! even a root and canal!!

my doctor always shot me in the corner and numbed everything on that side...and the proceedures were painless...

I remember the force he needed to apply to my head and neck when he labored to yank the took out!!!!

so you are saying they dont use any anesthesia??? if so, ill never go!!

an implant up here in NY is about $3000!!

but it takes at least three trips and you need to heal for 10 weeks or so, before they install the crown...to make sure there was no infection!! they screw an insert into your bone!! that they plop the crown on!!

the crowns are made off site via computer generated tooling....made of porcelin...nice and white!!

but for sure the place in santiago looks way way beter than my dentest office.

while he is good( he himself at his work) their office is designed like a cattle corral....getting em in and getting em out ...

they do hour visits and thats it...very seldom do they have you in there for more than an hour!!! wham bam your outa here!!

if they do anesthesia, id it certainly worth a trip to the dr for the work, even several trips, if you ahve run out of your dental benefits at work and are paying out of your pocket anyway


bob

 

[Robert]

Of course they use Anastasia for root canals etc. These days a very skilled dentist will make it painless and with modern tech they can do more procedures without it and zero pain for the patient.

The implant you had done was old tech, these days high end skilled dentists can do implants in 2 visits and no stitches. They use mini implants that are minimally invasive and require almost zero healing.

Dr. Enrique Rojas is the implant specialist at Dental Cibao. He also trains other dentists how to fit implants. He holds training seasons and dentists fly in from all over to attend. I have even seen German dentists being trained there as it's cheaper than in Germany and he has lots of experience.

 

[laurapasinifan]

now let me get this straight, you are saying that the dental assistants name was Anastacia and she has implants???

those assistant can lean pretty hard on ya sometimes....but i degreesssssssssss...

how do they assure no infections???? thats what the delays are for .....time to rule out deep rooted infections that dont show right away...a dentist doesnt want to install expensive dental work only to yank it out because of infection!!

id love to believe its true...but YOU KNOW how stories( promises, benefits, perks, extras freebies ect ect) from the DR pan out in real life once you buy the ticket and come on over!!!


bad bad bob

 

[Robert]

how do they assure no infections???? thats what the delays are for .....time to rule out deep rooted infections that dont show right away...a dentist doesnt want to install expensive dental work only to yank it out because of infection!!

id love to believe its true...but YOU KNOW how stories( promises, benefits, perks, extras freebies ect ect) from the DR pan out in real life once you buy the ticket and come on over!!!

bad bad bob

As I told you, your implants are old tech, dentistry has moved on from waiting weeks for stuff to settle, adjust etc.

How do you assure infections in any clinic if you're a patient? Track record, gut feeling, recommendations?

I guarantee you that you will not find many dental clinics in the USA that are as the same level as Dental Cibao Spa. They imported the best people, the best technology/equipment and are by far the best clinic in the DR. They have a very different approach to dentistry than most clinics here.

A very detailed and in-depth consultation (x-rays, photos etc) cost peanuts (US$50), so I suggest next time you are here to go see them. You might learn a few things about your teeth you never knew

 

[SunShineBeauty851]

Robert, I see why you recommended me to Dental Cibao. So you are saying that the consultation (with xrays and the other stuff) cost you US $50? No relaje?

 

[Robert]

Robert, I see why you recommended me to Dental Cibao. So you are saying that the consultation (with xrays and the other stuff) cost you US $50? No relaje?

I know a few people that have had very in-depth consultations with X-rays, tomography, hi-res photos etc and the cost is around RD$2500 (US$60). usually lasts an hour or more including sitting down with various specialists etc.

You cannot compare the level of care and depth of consultation with other clinics in the DR, as most don't have the equipment of experts on hand to offer this type of service.

 

[jrhartley]

thats as much as someone asked me for a pair of flip flops in cabarete, are there any new pictures I want to see how gorgeous you are now

 

[Berzin]

Wow. Awesome thread, Robert.

A question-you mentioned that one of your options was to have reconstructive jaw surgery. Is this something that was diagnosed during the initial consultation at the dental clinic?

I always thought that such a diagnosis was something only a maxillofacial surgeon has the expertise to make.

 

[Onions/Carrots]

I guarantee you that you will not find many dental clinics in the USA that are as the same level as Dental Cibao Spa. They imported the best people, the best technology/equipment and are by far the best clinic in the DR. They have a very different approach to dentistry than most clinics here.

And you won't find any in the DR like that. When we needed dental work or medical care, we always came to the USA. I have never trusted any doctors and dentists in the DR before this. You may have changed my mind Robert and that is a very difficult thing to do.

On a side note, you might have been royalty in the past because with that massively defective mouth of yours you probably have HAPSBURG JAW, LOL!!!

You'd never think you were in the DR. Of course, none of this changes my long term outlook for the DR which is a triple negative. The vast majority of the island is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Robert]

Wow. Awesome thread, Robert.

A question-you mentioned that one of your options was to have reconstructive jaw surgery. Is this something that was diagnosed during the initial consultation at the dental clinic?

I always thought that such a diagnosis was something only a maxillofacial surgeon has the expertise to make.

I have known for a long time that surgery is the #1 option, other dentists have told me this, it's not a difficult diagnosis in my case, it's just difficult to perform. Cibao Dental Spa have a maxillofacial surgeon at the clinic and he also looked at me.

The concept at Dental Cibao Spa is VERY different to what I have experienced at other clinics, it's more like a boutique hotel, very personalized. A new patient consultation is very in-depth and handled as a team. They only see new patients on certain days, when all the specialists are at the clinic. As far as I'm aware, they limit the amount of new patients they take.