Posted by
panalee
17 yrs ago
Hi I need to get a root canal but am on a tight budget! Can anyone recommend a decent dentist who can do this for me and give me an approximation of the costs? Thanks!!!
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Most dentists are quite comfortable performing a straightforward root filling and crown, so unless your case is particularly complicated then your regular dentist should be able to help you and you won't need to see an endodontist and prosthodontist. The cost will depend on if it is an incisor (one canal) or a molar (4 canals) and whether there is infection that has to be treated before the root filling can be done. Only your dentist can properly diagnose your case and advise you as to whether you are a candidate for a root filling or not, for example if you have advanced gum disease or a crack in the root then you would not be a candidate for a root filling and would have to opt for an extraction and then replace the tooth with a partial denture, crown and bridge or an implant.
Good luck.
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Thanks! My only problem is...I'm still rather new to HK and don't have a dentist here yet. Any recommendations so I have somewhere to start?
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Well, I'm moving to HK in 6 weeks so I'm of no help at all! Hopefully someone else will be able to steer you right. If you were in melbourne I could reccoment my mum as your dentist and my dad as your endodontist but I guess that doesn't help you much!!?
Good luck
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DMFT
17 yrs ago
dear panalee,
if you're on a budget, i think you should to good general dentist instead of a specialist. Perhaps you can try Dr. Daniel Choy at Bayley and Jackson. Cost for root canals go from 7000+, and the crown can cost 4000+ Heres the address
Rm 210-218, 1 Connaught Road, Jardine House, Central. telephone # is 2526 1061
good luck
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Can anyone suggest a Govt clinic and doctor for a Root canal job...
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zalca
16 yrs ago
i can second that recommendation for daniel choy. he's fantastic!
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I would also check Costello Brother's practice in Code Plaza (you can google their website). They have a lot of really good dentists (US trained). They may be slightly higher than market rate, but you get what you pay for. There are a lot of mediocre and not good dentists in this town who claim to have good credentials, but I can tell you that you need to make sure that you check. Good luck.
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Reply to 11111111
If you do the math, going to Bangkok is more expensive than have it done in HK. Unless you get free hotel and lodging. If anything goes wrong, you may not be able to find someone in HK willing to take the case.
Not all dentists in thaliand is good either. There are bad apples everywhere.
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Definitely try "healthcare tourism" as an alternative. I was horrified at the cost of simple fillings in Hong Kong. A dental exam with x-rays plus four fillings - HKD23,000. I could have gone to Thailand or South Africa, had the healthcare service done, enjoyed a holiday and included flights for that cost.
And at the end of the day I was very unhappy with the service - my teeth appear to be worse.
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To:drm888
Wow, I can't believe your dentist charge HKD23000 for exam and four fillings? Are those special fillings? May I ask who did you go to?
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Dear drm888
I completely sympathise with you.
I've had 'experiences' in Hong Kong and am heartbroken about my teeth.
Where do you think is the best place to go for dental work is in Thailand? I haven't heard about South Africa. Can you answer privately to my message box as we' re not supposed to advertise. (Only the paying sponsors get that.)
Thanks
bbm2207
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Dear bbm2207:
If you add up the costs of airline tickets, going to South Africa may be more expensive. If you want to travel that far, may be Australia is a better option.
Again, if you have dental work done elsewhere and ended up with problems, it may be more costly than if you have it done in HK. the key is to find a good and reliable dentist in HK. As I said before, there are bad apples everywhewre, even in thailand or South Africa.
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Ed
16 yrs ago
Oh contraire - if someone asks for advice or a recommendation PLEASE post the info on the forums - thats what they are for
What we dont allow is someone starting off a thread with 'This is the greats ____ in the world! Its so great. Here's the tel and address please go asap....' kinda stuff.
The problem is that we dont know if that is someone posting a recommendation (i.e. spamming) or a real recommendation. So if we allow that then the forums will be ruined by companies recommending themselves...
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Ed
16 yrs ago
Oh contraire - if someone asks for advice or a recommendation PLEASE post the info on the forums - thats what they are for
What we dont allow is someone starting off a thread with 'This is the greats ____ in the world! Its so great. Here's the tel and address please go asap....' kinda stuff.
The problem is that we dont know if that is someone posting a recommendation (i.e. spamming) or a real recommendation. So if we allow that then the forums will be ruined by companies recommending themselves...
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Dear Hong Kong Underdog:
Your post: 'The key is to find a good and reliable dentist in HK.'
I unfortunately didn't. Now my teeth have been severely damaged. I have met many others who also query the quality and professionalism of dentistry here. That's why negligence victims like myself, who chose a 'bad apple', to use your term, go overseas. Yes, Australia is good, but not very affordable for major work.
You're right about still being careful, but with choices like the Bangkok Nursing Home Dental Unit, Si Lom Dental Clinic and the Bangkok International Dental Centre - it's not hard to choose wisely from overall cheaper, safer, in my view, more professional and better trained practitioners.
I wish I had known about the option of using the better Thai dentists before I had to suffer at the hands of the 'bad apples' here, and subsequently find Personal Injury lawyers, malpractice expert witnesses and undertake the Dental Council process. Far less trauma, that way, believe me.
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Dear bbm2207:
Sorry to hear that you had a very bad experience here in HK. I hope you were compensated financially for your pain and suffering after going through legal channels. I know that there is no price tag for emotional sufferings. At least in HK there is legal channels you can persue, this may not be the case in other countries.
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Thanks HKUnderdog;
There seems to be 2 legal courses only - the Dental Council of HK that moves at the speed of granite (and one of the criminal dentists said they won't do anything to him) or finding a sympathetic malpractice expert witness who will write a report and trying the court system/or settling with insurers. Any ideas how to find the right expert witness? PM me if so.
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Dear bbm2207:
I don't know how to direct you to find an expewrt witness. I think if you file a malpractice lawsuit the law office will find the expert witness for your case.
I saw in yesterday's Chinese newspaper (apple Daily) that a patient won a dental malpractice lawsuit and was awarded 2 million HKD. I don't know if you can findthe information through the court records. The dentist's name is TAM Kai Tai Carl, practices in San Po Kong. May be you can also find out the law office who represents the victim.
Hope this helps.
You can also email me at: hongkongunderdog@yahoo.com
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This is very useful- many thanks HKUnderdog. Would that have been the HK Magistrate's Court? I would love to see the 2 dentists who deliberately injured me go this way, too.
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Dear bbm2207:
I don't know which court system, sorry. May be you can search the archive of South China morning Post. If you hire a lawyer, I am sure the law office can get all the information they needed to file the lawsuit.
Good luck to you. I love to see those two bad apples punished.
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Dear bbm2207:
The case file number of the above malpractice case is: HCPI1094/06
Hope this will help you.
HKunderdog
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Thanks, again, HK Underdog. Where would I look up that case file number (to find the law firm who represented the victim?) From my understanding this was a case of incompetence. Dr Tam wrecked the woman's front teeth because he didn't know how to competently do the work. It's much easier to get an expert report if the case is clear incompetence. There's gaping holes and blood, etc. Also the dentists giving an expert report will largely do so if the dentist doesn't have insurance. If the dentist has insurance with the all-powerful Dental Protection Ltd they are less likely to write a damning report as their number one consideration is protecting against insurance claims. If the dentist doesn't have insurance, the victims themselves have to sue privately and the dentists just go into hiding and ignore letters from the legal profession, I'm told.
My case is slightly different. Two dentists have deliberately damaged my teeth, but tried to make it look like natural deterioration, to get past the legal system. That's why I'm warning expats to give private dentists and the dental centres here a wide berth as they are very unscrupulous, in my view. Overseas dentists are less likely to do this.
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Dear bbm2207:
I don't know how to advice you to find the law firm representing the victim. May be you can search court records if they are made public, or get advice from a aw firm. Once you have the court record you should be able to find the law firm who represents the victim.
My knowledge in the legal area is very limited. Hope you will find a way to get the information you needed.
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good dentist - did my root canal about a year ago and sent my son there to sort out his cavity (costs about 400 dollars for a regular filling) - in causeway bay - cost $3000 Tommy Lai room 2117 east point centre
555Hennessy road, 2539 7813
Had the RC a year ago and giving NO problems at all - he is very gentle and i hardly felt any pain or discomfort at all
good luck
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Thanks, flashback.
Any idea who the law firm representing the malpractice victim Cheng Man Chi was?
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This is very interesting, flashback. Firstly, I'm glad she could access LegalAid and that she won. Just as well the dentist was insured too with the DPL so she could actually get a payout. If they are not insured, you've got to sue privately and they are hard to trace. (Some Dragonair flight attendants are going through this now with a dentist the Dental Council suspended recently.)
From what I've read, dental malpractice cases stemming from incompetence are easier to prove than criminal negligence, as it's harder to get the evidence for the latter. I will try and contact Ronald Tang to see if he's got any advice for me.
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