An Indian dental clinic selling discounted services to Australians is accused of using “fake” online reviews to hike up prices and cause distress to a woman who traveled to the subcontinent for treatment. It was done.
Christine Gwynne, a retiree from Queensland, visited Dents Dental Clinic in Mumbai in September 2023 because she couldn’t afford extensive dental work at home.
“I went to different dentists here and the costs started to get pretty astronomical, well over $30,000,” Gwin said.
After sending the X-rays taken in Australia to a clinic in Mumbai, she was given a “preliminary treatment plan” and $4,330 to $4,560 for reconstructive work, including dental implants, five implant crowns and 22 crowns. I was given an “estimate” quote.
Retired accountant Christine Gwynne required extensive dental work, including mouth reconstruction, implants and crowns to correct her bite. (Courtesy of Christine Gwynne)
A dental implant is a metal screw that can be inserted into a patient’s jawbone to replace the root of a missing tooth. Then, the artificial teeth will be fitted.
A crown is a cap or cover used to strengthen and improve the appearance of a damaged or broken tooth.
Chair cost triples
After seeing glowing videos and online reviews of satisfied patients from countries like Australia, New Zealand and the United States, the 74-year-old decided to take Dentz at his word and travel to India.
“Everyone on the website was saying how great they were, how pain-free they were and how happy they were,” she said.
“It was stressful, but I was hopeful that when I got back my mouth would be working properly and I would be able to eat.”
Christine Gwynne traveled to Mumbai for dental treatment. (Included)
But after going to a clinic in Mumbai and undergoing further scans and tests, she said she was told the cost would more than triple to $16,000.
“They said the x-ray results were different from all the x-rays they had sent me,” Gwin said.
The woman, a former accountant and former business manager, said Dents’ waiting room was “full of Australians” and patients she spoke to said their quotes also increased after they arrived.
“Everyone was saying the same thing. Another woman said her money went from seven to 12 (thousand dollars), and another said it tripled.”
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“It hurts from the first day.”
Despite the mounting costs, Gwyn decided to proceed with dental treatment.
“Everyone said it’s still cheaper than Australia anyway… You’ve already paid for your flight and accommodation, so you can’t change that without incurring huge costs.”
She was able to get her credit card limit increased to $12,000 and agreed to pay the remaining amount to the clinic at her second scheduled visit.
The 74-year-old spent more than two weeks undergoing dental work, including removing an old tooth crown, fitting a new one, and root canal treatment on two teeth.
Christine Gwynne says treatment in India made her worse. (ABC News: Nichols Coleman)
She said she was “suffering from pain from day one” of her treatment in India, and continued pain, temperature sensitivity, loss of taste and difficulty eating were ongoing problems 11 months later.
Ms Gwynne said her teeth were then examined by two Australian dentists and the university’s dental clinic.
“The prosthodontist I went to said that there would always be problems with these crowns and the work I’ve done so far because the crowns don’t cover the teeth properly and are too bulky and allow food to get in. ” she said.
She said the crown was also in bad shape, making it difficult to grind and eat food.
ABC News has seen documents from a Brisbane-based prosthodontist who assessed Ms Gwynne’s mouth reconstruction.
The report said a treatment plan to “evaluate and possibly replace the majority of overseas-placed crowns and repair overseas-placed implants” would cost “in excess of $50,000.” He said it was estimated.
Gwynne chose to go to India for extensive dental reconstruction because it was more affordable than undergoing treatment in Australia. (ABC News: Nichols Coleman)
Gwynn said she is bringing forward plans to sell her home because her condition has worsened following Dentz’s treatment.
“It was too much,” she said.
A few months after returning to Australia, Gwynne’s credit card company recovered about $11,500 from Dents and refunded the money to the retiree.
“I sent them a report (of Australian prosthodontists) saying that the work I had done was ineffective, that I wasn’t getting what they were offering me, that they were I said, “I didn’t get what you said you were going to give me,” Gwynn said.
“Then, after conducting their own investigation, they laid claim for the entire property.”
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Dentz declined to be interviewed, but the clinic said in a lengthy written response that after a thorough clinical evaluation, Gwynn was diagnosed with “significantly deteriorating dental conditions” and agreed to the cost. .
“Until a proper diagnosis is made, we cannot provide an accurate estimate. This has been explained to all of our patients, including Christine,” the statement said.
Dentz said Gwynn “did not return to complete treatment with us.”
“We have had the opportunity to serve tens of thousands of patients, many of whom say their experience with us was truly life-changing,” they said.
“This positive feedback is evidence of the excellent care we consistently provide.”
Removed hundreds of “fake” reviews
Dents has dental clinics in Mumbai, Delhi and Dubai, according to the company’s website.
The site includes visions of a modern-looking dental theater and video testimonials from happy Mumbai patients, including former Australian international cricketer and renowned pace bowler Brett Lee.
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However, some of the reviews on other platforms have question marks over their reliability.
International review site Trustpilot said its fraud detection technology used “hundreds of data points” to identify a “significant number of fake reviews” on its review site Dentzz’s About page. Announced.
In response to questions from the ABC, a spokesperson said: “To date, we have removed more than 650 of the nearly 950 total fake reviews posted against us.”
Review website Trustpilot has announced that it has removed hundreds of fake reviews of Dentzz. (https://au.trustpilot.com/review/dentzzdental.com)
Google has more than 1,000 patient reviews of Dentzz Clinic in Mumbai, the majority of which are positive.
Asked about Dentzz’s review, a Google spokesperson said the company’s policy states that “reviews must be based on real-life experiences.”
“We are investigating this matter and removing content that violates our policies,” a spokesperson said.
Google has not specified what kind of “policy-violating content” it refers to.
Dentzz said Google’s reviews “include images of actual patients taken at our clinic, clearly demonstrating the reliability of these testimonials.”
Dentzz rejected Trustpilot’s findings.
“We strongly insist that we are not involved in posting fake reviews. We have confirmed that Trustpilot has removed some genuine reviews, which we believe shows bias. ” the clinic said in a statement.
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Risks of dental tourism
There are no official figures on how many Australians travel overseas each year for dental treatment.
While many so-called dental tourists are happy with their experience, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) said they risk receiving unnecessary treatment or contracting an infection.
Australians are traveling overseas for affordable dental care, but is it safe?
ADA Chairman Scott Davis said: “We do not have the legal support in Australia, such as the regulatory standards that we need in Australia.”
The Port Macquarie-based dentist said some patients received good treatment overseas, while others returned home with major problems.
“We often see crowns that don’t fit, don’t match the color, or aren’t properly cemented,” Dr. Davis says.
“So you still have sensitivity, nerve death, residual cavities, tooth extractions, half the root remaining, all sorts of symptoms.
“If the government properly funded Australian dental care and targeted vulnerable Australians such as older people and those on low incomes, it would be possible to increase the number of people who travel overseas each year to receive dental care at low cost. of Australians won’t have to.”
Government response to dental investigation ‘very disappointing’
In 2023, a Senate committee investigating the provision and access to dental care in Australia made 35 recommendations to improve the country’s oral health status.
Key recommendations included consideration of the Elderly Dental Benefits System and moving toward universal access to dental care under Medicare or similar systems.
None of these recommendations were supported by the federal government, which instead cited them, along with 22 other recommendations, citing “competing budget priorities.”
Dr Davis, an expert prosthodontist, said the response showed the government was not taking oral health seriously.
Australian Dental Association president Scott Davis said there were risks to receiving dental treatment overseas. (Courtesy of ADA)
“It was unresponsive. They looked at the recommendations, which are very clear and specific recommendations, and they need to be done in the interests of vulnerable Australians,” Dr Davis said.
“They didn’t donate a single dollar. It was very disappointing.”
A spokesperson for Health Minister Mark Butler said a “large number” of the Senate committee’s recommendations were being considered.
“The government has started working with all states and territories to develop a new national oral health plan for 2025-34,” the spokesperson said.
“This plan includes the goal of improving the oral health of Australians and reducing oral health inequalities.”
Gwyn continues to volunteer at her home in Logan, caring for rescue chickens and dealing with tooth pain as best she can.
She doesn’t think all overseas dentists are bad.
“I think we need to be really, really, really careful,” she said.
“You need to look at people who are already doing it and talk to them personally. Don’t get hung up on these reviews.”
