Professor Gintaras Janužis, member of the Council of the Chamber of Dentists, dentist and 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 to a technical inspection of a car, which is also done periodically and for a fee.
He realized that the money spent on dental implant placement was not the end.
Tom, who placed a dental implant at a private dental clinic, is surprised when he receives a call from the clinic a few months after implantation.
“He said over the phone that he would now have to visit the clinic regularly for the warranty conditions to apply. Initially it will be every few months, then every year I will have to check, x-ray, oral hygiene and everything else. Most importantly, those procedures really cost a lot, “Tom said.
Before the placement of 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 works. But no one immediately mentioned that he will have to visit the clinic regularly and pay the money for another 5 years.
Only later was he notified by phone and upon arrival at the first inspection he handed over a signature sheet to sign. The first post-implantation visit again cost over € 100, not to mention that the implant placement itself really cost a lot.
“Now it will be necessary to constantly verify and pay the money again, otherwise the guarantees will not be valid. As for having to talk to other people who have dental implants, there has never been such a thing before, ”said Tom.
Expert: patients often misunderstand warranty
Professor G. Janužis, member of the Council of the Chamber of Dentists, dentist and facial, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, tells the news portal tv3.lt that the guarantee is often not fully understood in medicine, but it is correctly explained to the patient is another matter.
According to him, patients often hear only what they want to hear before procedures, but it happens that doctors also do not emphasize the most important things, leaving everything as if it was “written in lowercase”.
“The implant warranty is and should be provided. These warranties are generally provided by the manufacturer. The warranty is often heard – “lifetime warranty”. This means that nothing can happen to the implant, but if it does, the manufacturer promises to replace the implant with a new one. But a valid question arises: what about the wrong prosthesis that fits that attached implant? This area is often omitted from advertisements because the manufacturer only reimburses for the implant.
In the given situation, it can be understood that a 5-year warranty is given for a prosthesis, which is a medical device and is manufactured individually for that patient. This is logical. However, an implant and a prosthesis would only be suitable forever if they were placed “on the shelf.” But they are in the mouth and are used constantly ”, he emphasizes.
Everyone should understand that preventive examinations are necessary to maintain oral and dental health, which are paid if you opt for a private medical institution, says the professor.
“Sometimes patients mistakenly imagine that after healing and prosthetic teeth, they will serve forever and the need to care for them becomes unnecessary. God has given us perfect teeth destined for life, but we generally lose them through neglect. And what do we expect from implants? If we pay money for them, it doesn’t mean they last forever, ”adds G. Janužis.
If, after implantation or prosthetics, patients do not visit specialists for prophylaxis, if they do not take proper care of their oral health, the professor says that there is no guarantee:
How should the payment have been presented to the patient?
As mentioned above, Tomas from Vilnius claims that payments for preventive inspections will have to be paid for another 5 years, he was not notified immediately, but some time after the procedure.
According to G. January, how to care for dentures in the mouth, how to care for implants and prostheses, how often to perform preventive examinations and professional oral hygiene.
“I often explain to patients in a simple way: if I clean the house, it does not mean that they will be clean and tidy forever, they must be taken care of again, because if we do not, the treatment alone may not be enough, it is possible that repairs are needed, “he said.
Lawyer Laura Augytė Kamarauskienė assures that when acquiring any service, the warranty service conditions must be indicated on the warranty card, “and the term is only the conditions that must be met.”
“It is a question of whether he was aware of the conditions under which the implant warranty was valid before deciding to place the implant under such conditions,” he said.
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