My dentist in the USA said that I had to have major work after all the years of neglect. Below are what I was told I needed to do:
a. 2-3 root canals. (quoted $2-3K/each)
b. Orthodontic work to straighten premolar tooth that was collapsing due to an old missing tooth. ($8K-10K).
c. Extract my wisdom tooth ($500-1000)
d. Dental implants ($3K to 4K/each depending on the services included in procedure)
e. Bone grafting ($500-1000/each)
Total cost to fix my dental problem could run as high as $30K in the US.
Dr. Shamsul and Dr. Azian gave me a comprehensive rundown and my options:
a. No root canal necessary after they drilled into my teeth at the first meeting @11am. Just fillings,xrays and descalling/cleaning ... as well as mopping up work on some deteriorating fillings. Took 1 1/2 hour, relatively painless for around MR$600 or about USD$150.
b.Dr. Shamsul wasn't available until 4pm for my next appontment. So met with some friends for lunch, and came back around 3.30pm to miss the traffic. He told me that both molar and wisdom tooth were loose, and it was a lost cause to do all the orthodontic work. His recommendation was to extract both teeth, and do two dental implants for about MR$8.8K/each or around USD$2.2K/each. (With the bone graft)
c. Since I was prepared to pay up to USD$10K for everything, this was a nice surprise. But timing was an issue since I was only going to be in Kuala Lumpur for 9 days. He said he could do the work (post installation) immediately and it would take between 90-120 minutes. But that I would have to come back in about 6 months to install the crown.
d. Procedure was done with minimal pain, gave me all the medication without having to drop by a pharmacy, left the office and walked to the LRT station to get back to my hotel. (short 10 minute walk to the LRTR) Total came up to MR$17,500 or about USD$4400.
e. Have my last appointment to check on the healing status 5 days after the procedure. But will be coming back for the crown installs in January 2017 or whenever I can get a cheap flight.12 hours after the procedure, I still have some tenderness, slight pain, swollen gums but everything was manageable. Didn't stop me from working at midnight until 6am.
Overall visit cost me MR$18,100 which I estimate about USD$4550. My flight was about USD$650 and 4-star hotel with breakfast cost about $65/day. But I also have a lot of business meetings after the dental work. Time will tell if all goes as plan but so far I am very happy with the whole experience and the competence of the Bangsar Utama Dental Specialist.
I chose Bangsar Utama Dental Specialist Center after reviewing the feedback on your website, the location of the office since it was within 15 minutes of my hotel via taxi (Concorde KL). And they were the first one to respond as well as the most responsive to my questions. I also checked the bio of the doctors there as well as the services they provided. It looked like a one-stop-dental-shop ... and they also made the crowns onsite. My assumption was that they would have done quite a few implants/crowns and had a lot of experience doing complicated dental work.I have been to some US dental schools to save a buck. Doesn't give me too much confidence but all of them turned out well except for the long wait and long consultation session as well as some mistakes that the professors corrected.
The team at Bangsar Utama Dental Specialist were cordial, professional and very competent. I had a hard time finding the clinic in the non-descript building, and even the taxi driver and the locals couldn't tell me where it was located. But since I was an hour early, I did manage to find it with about 30mins to spare. It helps that I can speak the local language. Otherwise, get the taxi drive to drop you off outside the building where the is a small sign over the door. Cab/taxi fee came up to about USD$6.
I loved that the place had great AC, you have to remove your shoes (somehow it felt more relaxed), non rushed environment and extremely friendly people. They even have a great coffee shop downstairs if they get busy. (loved the nasi lemak).
Area look safe but then again I do blend in with the locals. Otherwise, pre plan for the taxi to pick you up outside the building or get the uber or my teksi app for your phone.
Treated by: Dr. Shamsul and Dr. Azian