I’ve been looking into dental implants. A friend of mine did Clear Choice and, while she didn’t have any major problems, she did feel like the moment her procedure was done they sort of left her on her own. No follow up. No guidance. Another friend of mine went to Costa Rica to have a reverse tubal ligation. The only reason she went there was because in the states all the doctors said she was too old. Her procedure went fine. She told me that she met people down there who were having dental work done from the states. Would that be a better option for me than Clear Choice? I don’t want to be dropped without support.
Claire
Dear Claire,
I’m assuming you’re talking about complete tooth replacement with dental implants. That is the most common procedure at Clear Choice. They are a corporate clinic with high pressure sales tactics, though in most cases the dentists there are decent and do a good job. It is true that you are often left without support afterward because they do a high volume and will be moving onto the next patient. Another issue is that they tend to push the all-on-4 procedure, instead of traditional implant overdentures. It’s not a bad procedure, but it does have the drawback that if one part of the unit fails, the entire thing will have to be replaced.
That being said, I’m not going to recommend Costa Rica either. There are not the same standard of care and quality control requirements in clinics outside the United States. Dental implants are a highly advanced procedure with serious consequences if there are complications. There can be nerve damage, bone damage, infections. None of which will you have any recourse for if things go south. Plus, if you think there is no follow-up from Clear Choice, what type of follow-up do you think you’ll get from out of the country.
I’m going to suggest that you look at a third option. I would like to you talk to a couple of dentists in private practice that have advanced dental implant training. It’s even better if you have a dentist that can do the surgery as well as the placement because it will prevent any miscommunication. If that isn’t possible, then make sure that it is the dentist who plans the treatment and not the oral surgeon.
When you see a dentist in private practice, they will be highly invested in your case. You’ll get attentive care and follow up. They’ll also give you all of your options and not just push their favorite procedure on you.
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