Clear Choice or Costa Rica For Dental Implants
Posted by writeradmin
I need to get complete dental implants placed. I have looked at Clear Choice. They are recommending all-on-4, which I’ve been told by a friend has drawbacks. From what I can tell from reviews their work is fine, but there isn’t much follow up with them. It looks like I can get the regular implant procedure for a lot less money than I could here in the states. But, if I use Clear Choice, I wouldn’t have to travel. Which of these would you choose?
Mark
Dear Mark,
I’m actually going to recommend a third option. If you want implant supported dentures, then I would do it through a private dentist. If you think there is no follow up with Clear Choice, imagine what it would be like to have your work done in Costa Rica. There wouldn’t exactly be a lot of follow up there, either.
Dental tourism is a huge risk. If you were doing something like a crown, it might be worth the risk. If that gets messed up, you can have it redone pretty easily. Dental implants are a completely different ball game. This is a highly advanced procedure which includes surgery in your bone. If things go bad, then you can end up having the implant damage a nerve, perforate your sinus cavity, develop an infection in your jaw, and even lose bone. There are very little protections for patients in these countries, nor do they have the same standards of care.
While all-on-four dental implants work well for many people, and can be a real service to those who’ve already lost some bone structure, the one downside is that if one part goes bad, the entire unit has to be replaced. Clear Choice seems to push that procedure whether it is warranted or not for the individual patient’s case.
If you go to a private dentist, they are completely invested in your case and that will include follow up. The one thing you will want to be certain of is that whatever dentist you go to has post-doctoral training in dental implants, along with a high success rate. The best implant dentists will be fellows of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI). Take a look at Dr. Stillman’s bio, to get an idea of what training to look for in the dentist who does your implants.
This blog is brought to you by Mt. Dora Dentist Dr. Michelle Stillman.