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Dental Implants Made in China or Asia?

asked 1 year ago by anon
Latest answer by Brian Dorfman, MD, DMD
Question viewed 403 times
Tags: discount, safety

I learned that a dentist may charge you for a full priced dental implant made at a US lab, and then buys it from a lab in Asia/China at a fraction of the cost. Do you think this is fair or ethical? How can I make sure that I get one made by safe materials and from the US?

8 answers to Dental Implants Made in China or Asia?

Offshore Lab Work

As far as the actual implant itself, as long as it is a major brand ( Astra, Zimmer, Straumann, are examples) the quality standards are very high and you don't need to worry about where they manufacture their products. Custom abutments and crowns are another matter. I would be very cautious of implant crowns at the low end of the price range for your area. Often these are porcelain fused to metal crowns which contain nickel instead of a precious metal such as gold. The issue with nickel... more

Paul D. Kantor, DDS
Cleveland Cosmetic Dentist

Where Are Implants Manufactured?

You are asking a great question and I assumed that the companies I work with manufacture our Implants in the USA. We work with Nobel Biocare, Biomet and Astra Companies and will find out the answer. It never dawned on us that they may be manufactured elsewhere. Our policy is to always work with the best supplies we can get and the charges are reflective of that. Thanks for asking the question-I plan to check to make sure our assumptions are correct. Asking... more

Wendy S. Spektor, DDS
Bellevue Cosmetic Dentist

How to be sure your lab work is not from a foreign country

This is a very relevant question and is a hot topic in dentistry now. The lab the dentist uses may outsource its lab procedures to foreign countries to save money. Some of these foreign labs work for peanuts and use subpar materials and have no standard of care for sanitization or material composition (like lead in crowns). Some dentist that send work to larger labs may not even be aware where the lab work is sent. The patient needs to be vigilant and ask the questions to the dentist and ask... more

J. Willis Baker, DDS
Wichita Cosmetic Dentist

Dental Implant origins

When a dentist sends a case to a lab, most of the time the case is being sent somewhere in the United States. Some of the labs do not tell the dentist that they then outsource it to Asia/ China. Always ask your dentist where the lab work is being done and by whom. Ask to see the "Identceram Certificate" which states the materials that went into your lab work. The dentist can get a verification of where the work was actually done from the lab for you to see. As far... more

Fred Peck, DDS
Cincinnati Cosmetic Dentist

Dental Labs : US versus Foreign

I think that there are several issues here. The first is that i would make sure that the type of implant placed in your mouth is not a knock off, but a brand name implant that has been around and tested. The second is the crown or work that goes on the implant. You are correct, you do not want foreign work in your mouth. There were articles about this in the papers awhile back as the foreign labs are not under the same laws as US labs. In Texas, all lab techs must be... more

Ronald Konig DDS
Houston Cosmetic Dentist

Dental implant fees are for the service

While each dentist has their own overhead and may use many labs, the fees do not fluctuate. If you are on a PPO plan, the fees are set by the plan and cannot be changed. If lab outsources some labor to China, their fees are not significantly different, so not much of a savings to pass on. If you don't trust your dentist, there are bigger issues. If you really want to know, ask your dentist to see the lab slip. However, some dentists don't know that their... more

Lance Timmerman, DMD
Seattle Cosmetic Dentist

The Foreign Connection

Unless your dentist charges separate material and labor costs, the question is moot. Dentist generally charge a reasonable fee to provide a service which includes material, labor, staff, overhead and other associated costs. Which country the dental products come from should not be of concern. I would be more concerned with the training, experience and reputation of the dentist. The fact is that most dental materials are developed abroad. Many dental companies have... more

Marc Zive, DMD
Springfield Cosmetic Dentist

Dental Implants By Legitimate Manufacturers

As long as you surgeon is using a legitimate known manufacturer, then there is no issue with the dental Implants themselves. I generally use Nobel Biocare Implants because of the decades of research the company has published and they back their products. Nobel is the Largest manufacturer in the world, they cost more than most others but my patients deserve the best and that's what they get. I also use Biohorizons which have a great deal of research behind them. At any... more

Brian Dorfman, MD, DMD
Phoenix Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

drbdorfman.com

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