medical tourism nightmare in san jose costa rica

[kimberly4064]

I went to a doctor just outside of San Jose Costa Rica for affordable dental work. This man broke my tooth causing 3 root canals to be preformed while in his care, left me with 10 open margins ( crowns are popped off the teeth ) but, most importantly he screwed up my bite so badly that I now suffer from severe TMJ, constant pain, can't eat or speak properly etc... The legal system in Costa Rica is a joke. This man refused to refund the small fortune that I paid him and refuses to pay to fix my mouth that he screwed up so badly. The cost to fix my bite alone is $35,000  ( which I don't have ) plus thousands more for additional root canals that I need because of this crook. My story get's much worse and if anyone wants to hear all the details you can find my 5 minute graphic story at http://www.youtube.com/kimberly4064. I just spoke to another woman on another blog about her friend who actually died at a hospital in San Jose for a basic cosmetic surgery because of the neglegence of the Doctor. My question is, Why is there plenty of hype on the financial bennifits of medical tourism?
And why is it that the media doesn't seem to have an interest in getting my medical tourism nightmare story out or the death of the woman who actually died because of botched treatment ? Or simply put, why does the media down play and ignore all the botched treatment caused my these dentists and doctors? Another question - Can you help me get my story out ? I have medical reports from several Dentists, before and after x-ray's and photo's.

[Cindy]

Our hearts (and teeth)  ache for you and the ordeal you suffered at the hands of the Costa Rican dentist.  Sadly, we are not aware of any organizations that might be able to help you recoup your money from a foreign country.  You mentioned you used a referral organization to find the dentist,  Are they based in the US?  If so, perhaps you should contact an attorney to see if you have any recourse with them.

We are so sorry that you have had such a terrible time.  I know this is little consolation, but your story will probably help many more people avoid the same horrible experience and we thank you so much for sharing it with our members.

Cindy Thompson
MedHelp

[kimberly4064]

Yes, there are also bad dentists in the United States as well.
But, if any dentist did a fraction of what this doctor did to me, He would be brought up on charges, loose his liscense and be sued for a fortune. No American dentist in their right mind would refuse to have my mouth fixed after botching  it up so badly. The legal system in Costa Rica is corrupt and is not designed to protect forign patients.  Please get back to me if your admin department can help me get my story out. I wouldn't wish this nightmare on anyone .
Thanks,
   Kimberly

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

I'm not sure if I can get your story out but I will contact the admin on medhelp.org and see if they can provide any leads for you.  Sorry about your situation.  While seeing a dentist in the US can be sort of hit or miss with a good versus bad doctor, it seems to me that it can be much worse out overseas or in other countries.  But I've seen good dental work from overseas too.  I don't think its quite black or white.