Dentistry's Real Problem in Trinidad & Tobago

"Trinidad is not a real place" is a line that's thrown around ever so often, usually when something outrageous (and presumably unique to Trinidad) occurs. And I hate it. The reality is that like everywhere else in the world, Trinidad is a real place.. with real problems.

Our society has long since tolerated quacks i.e, untrained and unlicensed providers of dental services. One can make the case that they had provided a valuable service to the country in a time where qualified dental surgeons were rare, and they were actually supported by the then minister of health for this reason. But this was in the 1980's.

The University of the West Indies has been training and graduating dentists since 1989 (with the first batch graduating in 1994). Prior to that, the only way to be formally trained was to get an education in the U.K. or the U.S. And prior to that, the way to just be "trained" was to learn from the guy in the village who yanked teeth, or by your barber if he had the right set of pliers.

But again, that was in the 60's and 70's. Dentistry, like every other field of healthcare, has come a long way since then. Here's what most quacks fail to grasp: biology. Maybe because teeth are generally solid units, there's a mechanical approach to them - pull, tighten, install, fill. The reality is they are alive, and also surrounded by the very live tissues of your jawbone, gums, lips, cheek and tongue. It's a highly complex system of components that have to exist and work together in harmony. Some dentists fail to realise this, even after 5 years at university.. so why would you expect quacks to know better.

But are they actually dangerous?

Unpopular opinion: not always. Some of them have managed to do work that was actually acceptable, with minimal harm to the patient. But the ones who messed up, boy did they mess up. From joining teeth together, to breaking off teeth and leaving infected roots in the jawbone, to cutting straight through gum and bone with a drill (that obviously was not surgical grade), I've seen some cases that made me wonder why patients would even opt to go there.

And that question becomes more relevant today. With over 600 trained and registered dentists providing the full range of services, why are patients still choosing to go to quacks? At this stage, it can't just be about cost, because there are dental offices catering to every price point from dirt cheap to premium deluxe.

Why would you allow someone who is completely untrained to inject drugs into your body and make irreversible changes to your mouth?

I mean there's a barber in north Trinidad who does teeth and nails. Talk about coming full circle.

Addressing el elefante in the room

The migrant Venezuelan population in Trinidad have become very well integrated in society in the last several years. Good for them; most are hard workers and have great work ethic. But now it seems they're also bringing that South American flair to quack dentistry as well.

Offering fees-so-low-they're-unbelievable for services that they provide from the comfort of their living rooms, Trinis now have an exotic option for treatment from people who may or may not have been dentists in their home countries. Lots of them install and tighten braces and then head back to Venezuela, leaving patients with often rusty wires and brackets on their teeth.

It's a real sh*t show.

How can you check if a dentist is licensed?

Well that's fairly easy.

• From the comfort of your phone, you can go to the Dental Council's website and check if your provider is on the list.
• You can ask for the Annual Practising certificate that every registered dentist is legally required to have on display.
• Lastly, there's a sticker that the Dental Council sent out, so you can look for that as well on the premises.

Remember, if you want to use your insurance for dental claims, you'll need to go to a registered provider. In fact, your insurance company refers to the same list on the DCTT website to verify.

As for the consequences of going to a quack, well you have little to no redress. You can make a report to your local police station and hope that they might do something, but that has rarely been the case in the past. The Dental Council has no power over them, and can take no disciplinary action (just a gentle way of saying you're screwed).

If you think you've gone to a quack and need a proper consultation and second opinion, feel free to reach out. We're here to help