Cosmetic Dentistry in Peru

Before leaving for Peru, I had booked  to have 6 teeth crowned by my dentist in the UK.  He had been trying to persuade me to have the work done by a cosmetic dentist rather than himself though - but after committing a lot of my savings to my FFS and ancillary treatments, I had left this open until I got back as his treatment alone would have cost me £2,150, for the work to be done by a cosmetic dentist back in the UK, this would have risen to around £2,700 or more.  On top of that I needed a new permanent upper denture to replace the one which had been fitted immediately after my extractions last July and this was going to cost me a further £700.

Whilst I was here, I read an article on the internet (see here) which said that dental treatments by highly qualified dentists in Peru could cost one third the prices they were charging back home, so I asked Nikky if she could arrange for me to see one of the top cosmetic dentists in Peru so I could get a quote for the work.  Nikky, being the angel that she is, arranged this for me and so last Wednesday (8th Feb) she took me to the clinic of Dr. Carlos Cueva, one of the top cosmetic dentists in Lima.

Reception area of OdontoDigital

Dr Cueva is a charming and gentle man who speaks impeccable English (he had worked for quite a number of years in America - in both San Francisco and New York).   As with all the clinics I have visited in Peru, it was spotlessly clean and had the very latest modern equipment in it.  After a very thorough examination he asked me what I wanted doing and then explained how he would do it and then gave me a quote for the work (which also included a thorough deep clean of my teeth and the supply of my new permanent top denture) and I was amazed that the total cost came to just £1,378  - about a third the cost of what it would have cost me if I had opted to go to the cosmetic dentist in the UK.  By having it done here, I was saving a potential £2,000 - a huge difference and so I decided there and then to have the work carried out by him.

Treatment area of OdontoDigital

He started the same day to do the deep cleaning process to get rid of years of gunk and stains from my teeth and also took the impressions of my upper gums so that he could start having the new upper denture made.  He also took impressions of my lower teeth so that he could work out the bite and what work needed doing to get the crowns aligned correctly.  Dr Cueva also explained how he would alter the teeth to be more feminine (apparently there are subtle differences between the teeth of men and women).  He made a further appointment to see me for the coming Saturday for the first trial fitting of the denture.

Sat 11th February

Today's appointment was for my fitting of the denture and it was obvious that it was better made than the NHS temporary one (which had still cost me £300+).  The fitting was just slightly loose I felt so Dr. Cueva happily made some adjustments and made a second impression within the existing wax mould and it will from that second mould that the final denture will now be prepared.  It should be ready for when I am out of the clinic after my second lot of surgeries for my FFS next week.

Mon 20th February
Finally got round to seeing Dr. Cueva again after my face and neck lefts and cheek implant surgery and it was a mammoth session where he was going to be doing the major preparation work for the crowns.  He was as bright and charming as ever and started by doing impressions of my existing teeth so that he could make a temporary set of crowns for me when he had finished.  Before he started the drilling and grinding process though, he sprayed the inside of my mouth with an oral painkiller prior to giving me the pain killing injections so that even the injections didn't hurt me.  Actually, throughout the preparation of my existing teeth I didn't feel anything at all, so that was good.  He then needed to make the impressions of the ground down teeth, but before that he used something like dental floss to bring the gums slightly away from the teeth, so that when the crowns are made, they will taper into the gum instead of sitting flush on top of the gum which will lead to more more natural looking teeth and help guard against any future gum shrinkage in the future.  My dentist back in the UK just plonks them on top lol.  That was the only part of the procedure that I felt a little bit of pain, but it wasn't that great that I couldn't handle it.
Once that was done he made the temporary crowns so that I would at least have some teeth in the time being,  Just wish he'd come and work back in my home town I have been so pleased with his manner and his skill.

Thurs 24th February
Popped into the dentist's this evening to see Dr. Cueva for the trial fitting of the metal caps for the teeth over which the porcelain crowns will be fitted.  They fitted perfectly and I now have to return on Monday for the trial fitting of both the metal and the porcelain.  If I am happy with what I see, then they go back to the lab for final adjustment and will be fitted permanently in place on Tuesday.

 Thurs 1st March
Went for what turns out to be my final visit to see Dr. Cueva at Odontodigital today.  After his usual warm and friendly greeting and a happy smile I had to wait a few minutes until a gentleman arrived from the lab with my finished crowns and modified upper denture.  Dr. Cueva then set to work fitting all of the new lower crowns into place, it took a little while until he was completely happy with them and then showed me the result.  They look fabulous - no more crooked, worn, discoloured teeth at the bottom now.
He also fitted the new upper denture into place and made some adjustments to them to modify the shape a bit after my cheek implants had altered the shape of my gums and where they meet the interior  part of the cheek.  They were comfortable when in place, but the downside is that I will still have to use dental fixative to keep them in place until the gums heal properly.  At this present moment in time it was not worth doing more casts of the gum as in two ot three months when it has healed properly, they would no longer fit at that point in time.
So a warning if you are having your FFS and cheek implants - if you are wanting a new set of upper dentures, this might not be a good time to have them made.
On the upside, I am so pleased with the results that I just can't stop smiling a bright happy (and white) smile.  The gums are a much better colour than my old NHS ones and the shape of the teeth is nicer too, so thank you so much Dr. Cueva from one very pleased client.

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