Professor Gintaras Janussis, a member of the Council of the Chamber of Dentists, a dental hygienist, and a facial, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, says that having dental implants puts the patient at greater risk, so preventive examinations are necessary. This can be compared with a technical inspection of the car, which is done periodically and also for a fee.
Realized that money spent on dental implant placement was not the end
Tom, who had dental implants at a private dental clinic, is shocked when he receives a call from the clinic a few months after the implant.
“He said over the phone that I now have to visit the clinic regularly for warranty terms to be enforced. Initially it would be every few months, then every year I would have to check up, do x-rays, do oral hygiene and everything else. Most importantly, those procedures really cost a lot,” Tom said.
Before placing the dental implant, according to the man, it was mentioned that the warranty is valid for 30 years: 25 years for the implant and 5 years for the work. But immediately no one mentioned that you would need to visit the clinic regularly and pay the money for the next 5 years.
Only later was informed by phone and given a signature letter to be signed upon arrival at the first inspection. The first time after implantation again cost over 100 euros, not to mention that implant placement really does cost a lot.
“Now it will be necessary to check and pay money again and again, otherwise the guarantee will not be valid. As far as I had to talk to other people who have dental implants, such things have never happened before,” said Tom .
Expert: Patients often misunderstand warranties
Member of the Council of the Chamber of Dentists, a Dentist, and a Facial, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon Professor G. Janussis told news portal tv3.lt that the guarantee is often not fully understood in medicine, but whether it is correctly explained to the patient is another matter.
According to her, patients often hear what they want to hear before procedures, but it happens that doctors do not emphasize even the most important things, leaving everything as “written in small letters”.
“Implants are and must be guaranteed. Such warranties are usually provided by the manufacturer. Guarantees are often heard – “lifetime guarantees”. This means that nothing can happen to the implant, but if it were If so, the manufacturer undertakes to replace the implant with a new one. But a reasonable question arises: what about the wrong prosthesis that fits the attached implant? This area is often omitted in commercials because The manufacturer only reimburses the implant.
Under the given condition, it is understandable that a 5 year warranty is given for a prosthesis, which is a medical device and is individually manufactured for that patient. This is logical. However, an implant and a prosthesis would be suitable forever if they were kept “on the shelf”. But they are in the mouth and are used continuously,” he emphasized.
It should be understood by all that in order to maintain oral and dental health, preventive examinations are necessary, which are paid for if a private medical institution is chosen, explains the professor.
“Sometimes patients mistakenly think that after dental implants and dentures, they will work forever and the need to take care of them becomes unnecessary. God has given us teeth that last for life. are perfect and destined, but we usually lose them because of neglect. And what do we expect from transplants? If we pay money for them, it does not mean that they are eternal,” says G Janusis .
If, after implantation or prosthesis, patients do not go to specialists for prophylaxis, if they do not take proper care of their oral health, the professor says there is no guarantee that:
How should the patient have been presented for payment?
As mentioned above, Tomas of Vilnius says that the payment for the preventive inspection will have to be paid for another 5 years, he was not informed immediately, but some time after the procedure.
Yes. How to care for prostheses in the mouth, how to care for implants and prostheses, how often to have preventive exams and professional oral hygiene, according to Jan.
“I often explain to patients in a simple way: if I clean the house, it doesn’t mean they’ll be clean forever, they need to be taken care of again, because if we don’t If treatment alone is not enough, repair may be required,” he said.
Lawyer Laura Augito Kamrouskien assures that when purchasing any service, the terms of warranty service must be indicated on the warranty card, “and the duration is the only conditions that must be met”.
“It is a question of whether he knew the conditions under which the warranty of the implant was valid before deciding to place the implant under such conditions,” she said.
