I have some trouble with my bone structure so I need a place that does all-on-4 dental implants. I was looking at Clear Choice Implant Center, but a friend told me they went there and felt pressured and then there was no follow-up afterward so she felt a bit on her own. I am wondering if I am better off going to Costa Rica. I could travel there and still save money on the procedure. Do you have an opinion?
Fanny
Dear Fanny,
You just have to read some of the reviews and information on Clear Choice Dental Implants to know that your friend is right in her assessment. They do have a habit of both high-pressure tactics and leaving patients on their own once the procedure is completed. However, if you think you won’t get follow-up care at Clear Choice, how much do you think you could expect from the dentists in Costa Rica?
Placing dental implants are difficult under the best of circumstances. There is a lot that can go wrong with it. In fact, it is one of the leading litigations in malpractice suits. To give you a basic list of the potential problems, take a look below:
- You could lose practically all your jawbone, leaving you a dental cripple.
- The implants can be improperly placed in the nerve canal.
- An infection could set in.
- The implants could be loaded prematurely.
- They could place cheap, faulty fixtures.
- They could lack precise tolerance that allows an infection to seep in or the implant to come loose.
There are so many things that could go wrong. Even though dental implants are not a recognized specialty, we at least have laws and regulations to protect patients and guarantee at least some quality. But, in Costa Rica, you lose all those safety measures. There are no regulations and you have no recourse if things go wrong.
It is even trickier with all-on-four dental implants. If something goes wrong with one fixture the whole case will have to be re-done. If you want my advice, I am going to suggest that you see a dentist in solo practice. But, even then you have to be careful. You want to see a dentist with real post-doctoral training and experience. Ideally, you should see someone who is a fellow with the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. These are the top implant dentists in the country.
You aren’t stuck with all-on-4 implants because of your bone. There is a bone grafting procedure that can be done which will enable you to get traditional dental implants.
This blog is brought to you by Sugar Land Dentist Dr. Siny Thomas.