implant overdentures Archives

Clear Choice is My Cheapest Option

April 22, 2021 by Admin

I have several missing and broken teeth and went to a dentist who wanted to save the teeth he could. With that and the implants it would cost me a good $40k. I am 64 years old with teeth rapidly falling apart and I don’t want to save them. I then went to Clear Choice and they quoted me about $55K doing extractions and the all-on-4 procedure. When I explained my financial situation they went down to $28K. This is by far my cheapest option. Are there any complaints or problems with Clear Choice I need to know about?

Denny

Dear Denny,

All-on-4 Dental Implants

Most complaints about Clear Choice are three-fold. First, their sales tactics. Second, is they tend to stick to do a one-size-fits-all type of dentistry with a heavy emphasis on using the all-on-4 dental implant procedure. Three is a lack of follow-up with patients.

Other than that, though each office differs a bit from one another, they tend to hire good dentists who know how to do the procedure.

Let’s start with the first one. You don’t seem to have felt pressured and are happy with what they are suggesting, so I don’t think there is a problem for you in that regard. The second issue is a bit different. As I mentioned above, they tend to favor the all-on-4 dental implant procedure. It sounds like that is what they recommended for you as well. It can be a useful procedure for those who have lost too much bone structure for traditional implant overdentures.

dental implants attached to a denture bridge

Implant Overdenturesr

If you have enough bone, however, you may want to consider implant overdentures. Having more implants will give you greater bone preservation. Plus, with the all-on-4 procedure, if one part of it fails the entire unit will have to be replaced. That is not the case with traditional dental implants. You can just replace the one that failed and leave the rest.

When you spoke to the dentist, did they refuse to extract the teeth or did they just not suggest it? If they didn’t refuse, my suggestion would be to talk to them about your desire to just have complete extractions and see what they say. I only say that because the dramatic drop in price they offered you sounds suspicious to me. Either they had grossly inflated their original price or there’s something else odd going on.

The third issue I mentioned at the beginning is follow-up. If everything goes perfectly, then not having any follow-up is no big deal. But, the human body can be unpredictable and you may not know what to look for in complications.

One final consideration is aesthetics. While the dentists at Clear Choice are good with implants, very few (if any) of them have training creating smile makeovers. This means you will not get as attractive a smile as you could with another dentist. Be careful, though. Not all private dentists have that training either. It has to be done post dental school. Make sure you ask whomever you are considering what post-doctoral training they received in cosmetic dentistry.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam.

Diabetes and Dental Implants

November 3, 2019 by Admin

I have Type 1 Diabetes. Is it possible for me to get dental implants or is diabetes a contra-indication?

Carl J.

Dear Carl,

dental implant diagram

Being diabetic doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t have dental implants. However, your diabetes does have to be under control with your treatment. You’ll also need careful diagnostics, along with special care throughout the entire process. You’ll want to make certain you see a dentist with extensive restorative dental training post dental school, as well as has a lot of experience with a high success rate.

Also, be careful, if your dentist refers you to an oral surgeon because he or she doesn’t do the surgery, you have to take an additional precaution. Make certain your dentist and the surgeon coordinate on the placement of the dental implants before the surgery. If they don’t, what tends to happen is the surgeon places it where he wants, then collects his fee, and you’re left with a dental implant horror story.

Getting a Smile You’re Proud of with Dental Implants

When it comes to dental implants, you also want to consider how your smile will end up looking. There are engineering-minded dentists who will give you a decent functioning smile. However, you’ll also want an artistic dentist. You can get both.

When you have your list of dentists qualified in placing dental implants, go a step further by checking out their smile gallery. Look at the kind of smiles they create, especially with porcelain crowns. This is what your implants will use. Do they look natural? Does the smile reflect light the way our natural teeth do? Do the colors blend in seamlessly with the adjacent teeth? Would you be proud of that smile if it were yours?

If you’re only replacing a few teeth, you may want to have teeth whitening done first. Implant crowns can be made any color. However, once they’re bonded on the color won’t change. You can still whiten your natural teeth, but the crowns will stay the same color. Whitening your teeth first, enables the dentist to create the crowns with the color you’ll want for their lifetime.

If you’re replacing all of your teeth with implant overdentures, this won’t be necessary.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam.

Can I Get Dental Implants?

January 1, 2019 by Admin

I’ve been losing teeth for a bit and want to replace them. Can I get dental implants if I’m a healthy adult or are their other qualifications?

Ken

Dear Ken,

While, under normal circumstances, it is a good sign that you are in great general health and that would make you a good candidate for dental implants. However, you’ve been losing teeth. The important thing for you is to find out why.

If you’ve been losing teeth due to trauma than you should be fine. However, if you’re losing teeth due to gum disease, that won’t allow you to get dental implants. You can eventually, but not until you have dealt with your gum disease.

It is treatable and often just requires some extra dental cleanings that go a little more in depth than the traditional cleanings. If you are diligent, you’ll be able to get dental implants before you know it.

Dental Implants and Gum Disease

When plaque builds up, it can affect your teeth, then the infection will move on to your gum tissue. If it continues to be left untreated, it will move into the bone. This will cause the teeth to come loose and fallout.

If this is what is happening to you, a dental implant won’t help. At this point, the bone is still infected and won’t be able to hold on to your implant any more than they could your teeth.

The Importance of Dealing with Gum Disease

See your dentist. They regularly check for gum disease at check ups and cleanings. He or she will let you know if you have it. Then, if you do, it is imperative you get treated.

It will continue to infect the bone and you will continue to lose your teeth. Eventually you’ll lose all of them. From there, you’ll be looking at dentures or implant overdentures.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Dentist Dr. Imam.