Archives for April 2021

Affordable Versus Cheap Dental Implants

Posted on April 26, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have visited four dentists in my area for a dental implant consultation. One dentist is significantly less expensive than the other two. Like thousands of dollars cheaper. Is this like an awesome deal or is something hinky going on?

Alan

Dear Alan,

Implant overdentures

I am glad you wrote. Often a “deal” like this on dental imlants is a red flag, though there is one positive scenario that would be fine to move forward as long as you understand the risks. that doesn’t mean jump ship. You just have to understand what you are getting into. Let’s start with the red flags.

In general, when I dentist is significantly cheaper than all the other dentists in your area it is because they are trying to draw more clients in. Is this necessarily a bad thing? No, but it depends on why. There are two reasons this could be happening.

The first is they are really bad at their job and have trouble retaining patients. This could be because their work is shoddy or because they have a horrible chairside manner and patients do not enjoy going there. You also have to ask how are they making up their profits. A dentist will not stay in business long if they lost money on treatments. If he is that much cheaper, he is probably cutting corners. This could mean he is purchasing cheap implements from overseas. An implant in the United States costs more than overseas because of the quality control regulations we have. They can get them for just a few dollars from a company outside of the US. The problem is they often break, fall out, or cause infections. It’s not really a good deal if it leads to dental implant failure.

The second possibility is this is a new procedure for this dentist and he is looking to gain experience. The fastest way to do that is by being the cheapest option out there. We all start somewhere and as long as you understand the risks of working with a newbie, it could be a way to save money. Just make sure you talk to him ahead of time about what he’ll do if there is a problem.

There are affordable dental implants and there are cheap dental implants. The difference is in the dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey

Clear Choice Pricing

Posted on April 17, 2021 by writeradmin.

I need some advice. A previous dentist talked me into removing all my teeth. I am haunted by giving in to that because I really feel at least twelve are them were salvageable. I know that is water under the bridge, but it would have saved me the problem I am facing now. That same dentist told me I could just get dentures now and them add dental implants later. Now I am thinking he said that because he doesn’t do dental implants and he wanted the fee for the dentures. They have been a disaster from the beginning. They hurt constantly and I have a horrible gag reflex. At the moment, I only wear them (and then only the top ones) when I have to go in public. I need teeth! I decided to go to a Clear Choice Dental Implant center to learn about the all on four procedure. They said I was a good candidate and quoted me $67,000. Then, when they found out my age offered me a senior citizen discount which brought it down to $53,000. That is a $14,000 difference. Were they overcharging to begin with? It is still too high for me. Is there a better route for me to go?

Elaine

Dear Elaine,

Wow! You have been put through the mill. Let’s start with your old dentist. Let me first say he is one of the laziest dentists I have heard of in a long time. We go into our business in order help take care of teeth. I am sorry he did this to you. All we can do now is salvage the damage as much as possible.

Clear Choice may not be your best option. I would suggest getting a second opinion. Their pricing seems arbitrary to me, and I’m guessing that you could get a lower fee for an all-on-4 dental implant procedure from some other very qualified dental implant dentist. It sounds like they are pricing it with bone grafting in mind. However, the main point of doing an all-on-4 is to work around the need for bone grafting to begin with.

You did not mention how long it has been since your teeth were extracted. If it hasn’t been too long, you may not even need to have bone grafting done. In that case you can go with straight implant overdentures. I would start by having some really good diagnostics done, with an experienced implant dentist, to see what you are dealing with. Once you know how much bone you have you can make some decisions.

If you don’t need bone grafting, get implant overdentures. If you do need bone grafting, you have two choices. First, it is a possibility that you can get the all-on-four procedure done. Just bear in mind if one part of it fails the whole thing will need to be redone. Your other option is to have the bone grafting done and still get the implant overdentures. I would do a good consult first and discuss the pros and cons of each in your specific case before making a decision.

This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey.

Dental Implants after 30 Years in Dentures

Posted on April 7, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have had dental implants for over 30 years. I was wondering if it were possible to get dental implants after this length of time? I have never had a pretty smile and I would love one.

Carly

Dear Carly,

Implant overdentures

There are two questions here. The first is can you have dental implants. Then you mentioned a pretty smile. Those are two separate issues. Let’s start with the dental implants. As long as you are in good general health, it is possible to get dental implants no matter how long you have been wearing dentures. The one thing the length of time will affect is the amount of bone support you will have for your dental implants. After thirty years, you won’t have much. This will mean you will need one additional procedure so there will be enough support in order to retain your dental implants. This can be done with a bone grafting procedure. Once there has been a healing time for that, you can start on your dental implants.

You won’t actually want a single dental implant for each tooth. That would be way too expensive. Instead, I would suggest you get implant overdentures. With this you will get between four and eight dental implants depending on your budget, and then a new set of dentures will be anchored to each arch. Obviously, the more implants you have the more secure they will be and the more bone preservation you’ll have, but four per arch can do the job.

The second aspect of your question was a pretty smile. Having dentures or dental implants does not determine whether or not your smile will be attractive. That has more to do with the cosmetic skills of the dentist doing the work. Feel free to ask to see sample images of their before and after work before you commit to anything. You’ll also want to make sure they have significant post-doctoral training in implants. Dental school does not give enough training in this field.

This blog is brought to you by Atlanta Periodontist Dr. David Pumphrey.