Dental Adventure in Merida

At some point within my first month here I got the idea that I should look into getting some dental work done. This decision was the main reason I stayed a second month in Merida.

The office I've come to know so well  

For the last several years I've been wanting to get the crowns on my two front teeth replaced. I broke both of those teeth when I was a kid, and have had crowns on them ever since. The last time I replaced them was probably a good 15-20 years ago, and the material they used then (porcelain fused to metal) didn't look as good as what they have now (pure porcelain), so I've been wanting to upgrade and improve my smile. I have dental insurance, but even with that it would have cost me about $1,000 per tooth in the States to have this done. Since my teeth work just fine, I couldn't see pulling two grand from my savings for this, so I hadn't pulled the trigger on it at home just yet.

Here's a pic of my teeth before. I didn't like the shape and thickness of the teeth or the fact that you could see the black metal attaching the crown at the top.

Before 

Anyway, I knew dental work in Mexico was substantially cheaper than in the U.S., and that there was a whole "medical tourism" industry in this region, so I started doing some research. The prices I was finding for the crowns was around $350 per tooth. I looked for a dentist that did the zirconia crowns I wanted, that was close by, and that had good reviews, and found Dr. Jesus Sanchez Ruiz. I set up a consult.

At my appointment, I got a good vibe from Dr. Sanchez right away, which goes a long way with me. His office was nice and he was friendly and positive, assuring me he could make my teeth look just how I wanted them. He walked me through the process and showed me pictures of his work, and before I left I didn't hesitate to set up the appointment to get it done. Unfortunately, he was going on vacation for a couple of weeks, so I had to schedule it for the following month, which meant staying in Merida throughout November. I'd been on the fence about whether to stay or go anyway, so now my decision was made.

I was fairly nervous before my appointment. I knew he was going to remove my old caps, which were cemented on, and I had no idea how this was done! I also knew he was going to trim one of my gums to make it match the other one, and that sounded a bit scary, too. When I got there, the dental hygienist offered something to relax me, and although I had to return to work later, I happily took it. It was a cup of liquid medicine. I drank it and did feel pretty good afterward!

Turns out they drilled the old crowns off. This took a good hour or maybe hour and a half. It didn't hurt but was a very odd sensation. Occasionally they'd ask me to rinse, and I would feel bits of my teeth in my mouth, as well as a growing space where my front teeth used to be! (The crowns affix to my own teeth underneath, but they're just little nubs. I won't be posting any photos of that part of the process!)

After my old crowns were ground off and removed, Dr. Sanchez put temporary crowns on with a kind of non-permanent glue. They actually looked great and I left the office feeling amazing. Here's a picture of me that day with my temporary crowns, back at work after the appointment. Maybe it was the medicine, but I was pretty darn happy!

Temporary crowns- loved these! 

Yesterday, about a week after getting these temporaries, I went back to try my permanent porcelain crowns, which were made at a local lab. Dr. Sanchez pulled off my temporaries (a humbling experience, once again) and tried the new teeth on. At this stage, he had told me the teeth often need tweaking, so after about 20 minutes of him adjusting the teeth, taking them in and out repeatedly, and discussing them with the assistants in Spanish, he told me the teeth would go back to the lab for some changes. The color was good, he said, but they needed to be thinner and shorter. This was fine with me since I want them to be perfect, so I didn't mind scheduling a follow-up for Friday, two days away.

Well, I got my permanent crowns put on yesterday as planned, but unfortunately, they didn't quite come out how I expected. The shape is nice and they feel good, but the color is off since my own darkened teeth are showing through underneath (the root canals I had on them when I broke them as a kid caused discoloration). My heart kind of sank when he handed me the mirror and I saw the grey color of the teeth, especially since this process has been so time-consuming and I was so excited for my new smile.

Here's a photo of the final crowns. As you can see, they are not as white as the temporaries above. I think the difference in my smile in the two photos pretty much sums up my reaction to each result. :(

The final product. But not really. 

He said the bleaching cement he used should have corrected/covered the black of my own tooth, but sometimes it dries too clear and that can be hard to predict. I could tell he was bummed about the result, too.

The good news, I suppose, is that this problem can be fixed. However, he said it requires at least another week's worth of appointments, and I'm scheduled to leave in two days. The crowns will have to come off again (ugh) and he'll put some kind of pins in there, in place of my under-teeth. I honestly didn't really understand what he was describing (I was too busy being bummed out), but I know it's not any more invasive and he said it would be a surefire way to remove the grey color. I will only pay for the materials so it will be about another $100.

I'm honestly not sure if this was the fault of Dr. Sanchez and maybe I should be looking for another dentist (it's so hard to know), or if it was just one of those things that can happen, despite the best efforts. My experience with him up to this point has been fantastic, so I lean toward sticking with him.

Anyway, I'll give it some thought, but nonetheless, I made an appointment for February 14th. How romantic! My plan is to come back to Merida after Isla Mujeres and stay for another month, just to be on the safe side as far as getting everything done. I'll rent an apartment in this same little complex and keep things simple.

Moral of the dental adventure story? Things don't always go as planned.