Upfront I will state I am not a fan of Clear Choice. But what are they doing?
At the very, very, least I would expect that if you are getting IV sedation that you are out. To be aware during the procedure wasn't the way it was explained to me.
Pain 11 days after the procedure is another unusual thing. Perhaps a little discomfort when chewing but pain. Suggests things were done very quickly without regard to surround gum tissue.
Also thought the temporaries were world class. The more I hear about them the gladder I am that I did something else.
I have repeated this several times on the forum. Implants preserve bone by providing pressure where they are placed. With the Clear Choice all on 4 - and this is worse with the angled implants - you are only stimulating bone in a very small area of the mouth - in the very front. This will work at first. But what happens to that bone underneath the permanent bridges in the back as times goes on. It goes away and you are left with a bad fit in the back.
Beth - Do you want to know what the price is for a single implant at Clear Choice? If so I would guess $2,000 - $3,000. They actually aren't excited about doing 1 tooth. To almost everyone they recommend having all your teeth extracted and doing there All on 4. Sometimes people don't really need this.
If you need just one tooth it will probably be better to go to a regular implant dentist. Cost should be about $1,500 for just the implant and then another $1500 for the abutment and crown. Depending on where the tooth is and how the bone is there could be other costs.
The current price at Clear Choice is about $20,000 per arch or $40,000 full mouth. When I was checking it was closer to $50,000. Their prices are coming down.
Jeremy - if you are getting a full mouth for $29,300 this is a new low price.
I did lots of research. I ended up going to Costa Rica.
I have posted before. I had 2 main problems with Clear Choice. If everything is so fantastic why only a 5 year guarantee? Also there All on 4 works initially but how long does it last?
Implants help bone. There are no implants in about 80% of your arch - none in the back. The back bone goes faster. So after several years the thing you get will not fit right. The bone in the back will wear away.
Anyway I used Costa Rican Dental http://costaricandental.com/. They are stateside and knew a lot about replacing dentures in Costa Rica.
Dental in Costa Rica is about half of US. I was lucky and got all my dental done in one trip of 2 weeks. Lots of people need 2 trips.
If you need to replace dentures it is still a lot of money even in CR. The cheapest - overdentures is about $8,000 - mine was $16,00 - if you need bone stuff and other special things maybe $25,000
They use good stuff and dentist are good. I liked my trip.
The company I mentioned above was one of the best I have ever dealt with. They were always there even on weekends. I must have asked a zillioon questions. They almost always knew the answer.
It has been over a year and I have had no problems.
I still had to pay a lot of money to get my teeth fixed. That's just how it is.
If you look at the posts from people who went to Costa Rica the costs for dental are between $10,000 - $16,000. Compare that to Clear Choice - $40,000. How much do you think travel and hotel is?
MIne was the highest $16,000. Figure I spent about $2,000 for air and hotel and stuff. I only had to go one time. Others have to go twice.
If you only have to get 1 implant then it is not worth it. However, if you are going full mouth you get a better restoration for a lot less. You will save about $20,000
I did a lot of worrying and stuff. I contacted Costa Rican Dental. These guys are good. They answered all my questions and gave me the confidence to go. $20,000 was still a lot of money for me but I feel like I got much better dental and saved $20,000.
There have actually been very few studies conducted on the relationship between smoking and dental implants I don't think there is even 1 study that directly tested for smoking and only smoking. Most dentists are just repeating something they read somewhere.
I would challenge any of the dentists who have posted here to reference one article where there is a significant difference between success with non smokers vs. smokers. To me significant is like there is a 25% greater chance of implant failure in smokers vs. nonsmokers.
Some of the studies will go like this - nonsmoker 2 implants failed - smoker 4 implants failed. Conclusion - There is a 50% greater chance of implant failure for smokers vs. non smokes.
To me the smoking issue is used as an excuse - if the implant fails and you smoke - then the reason the implant failed was because you smoked. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't.
Sure it is better for your health in general if you don't smoke. Cutting back or quitting a few days before and after surgery can't hurt.
But to say an implant failed because you smoke and only because you smoked is not will documented in the literature.
Recent comments
Posted to Clear choice dental implants worth it? on 4 Nov 2012
Posted to Is that price for a full mouth how much doesone front tooth cost on 31 Oct 2012
Posted to Clear choice dental implants worth it? on 31 Oct 2012
Posted to Dental Implants in - Costa Rica on 25 Sep 2012
MIne was the highest $16,000. Figure I spent about $2,000 for air and hotel and stuff. I only had to go one time. Others have to go twice.
If you only have to get 1 implant then it is not worth it. However, if you are going full mouth you get a better restoration for a lot less. You will save about $20,000
I did a lot of worrying and stuff. I contacted Costa Rican Dental. These guys are good. They answered all my questions and gave me the confidence to go. $20,000 was still a lot of money for me but I feel like I got much better dental and saved $20,000.
Posted to Smoking and Dental Implants with and Without Bone Grafts on 27 Aug 2012
I would challenge any of the dentists who have posted here to reference one article where there is a significant difference between success with non smokers vs. smokers. To me significant is like there is a 25% greater chance of implant failure in smokers vs. nonsmokers.
Some of the studies will go like this - nonsmoker 2 implants failed - smoker 4 implants failed. Conclusion - There is a 50% greater chance of implant failure for smokers vs. non smokes.
To me the smoking issue is used as an excuse - if the implant fails and you smoke - then the reason the implant failed was because you smoked. Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't.
Sure it is better for your health in general if you don't smoke. Cutting back or quitting a few days before and after surgery can't hurt.
But to say an implant failed because you smoke and only because you smoked is not will documented in the literature.