When it goes wrong

We are not going to invent patients. These are patterns already written down by dental organisations and public-health agencies — the same stories that fill Reddit, Quora, and Facebook groups.

Infected implants, no warranty

The Academy of General Dentistry (2020) described a patient who had about $25,000 of implants placed in Los Algodones, Mexico — “Molar City.” The implants were infected. None were guaranteed. The savings disappeared in follow-up at home. A U.S. dentist in that article said patients there often get “completely taken advantage of.”

“U.S.-trained” after a short course

The same AGD piece reported dentists advertised as U.S.-trained after as little as a two-day course. That slogan is common in ads and in Facebook groups. It is not formal procedure-specific certification and education. Ask for the school, the year, and the programme name.

Infection is the usual complication

CDC Yellow Book: among medical tourists, the most common complications are infection-related — including hepatitis B and C, HIV, bloodstream infection, and antimicrobial-resistant organisms. Dental care abroad is not a special exception.

Little recourse when you are home

The Ontario Dental Association tells patients to know their recourse before they consent, because as a non-resident “promises or guarantees may be meaningless.” Groups on Reddit and Facebook repeat this in plain language: the clinic stopped answering WhatsApp.

What we will not do with these stories

We will not fake a 5-star review in the other direction. We will not name a patient we did not speak to. We will not pretend RatedDocs makes dentistry safe. We check files. You still choose, and a licensed dentist still treats you.