Archive for the ‘Clear Choice Dental Implant Center’ Category

Clear Choice Tucson review

Monday, February 20th, 2012

We saw a patient at our office recently who had been to the Clear Choice Dental Implants Center in Tucson. He had them place dental implants six months before seeing us, and all of them had failed, and he had developed a cardiac problem from all the pain medication he had been on. He came to us because he searched on dental implant horror stories.

Our understanding is that Clear Choice did square with him and did refund his money or paid him something as compensation.

If you have an experience you’d like to share, please see our Clear Choice Reviews page.

This blog is sponsored by Phoenix implant dentist Dr. Arthur Chal.

My experience at Clear Choice in Virginia

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

I had 3 goals when I went to Clear Choice:
(1) I hoped to reverse a protruding upper lip created from bad orthodonics from my youth. They said they could do that. (2) I couldn’t chew or talk without biting myself. I wanted my molars to be narrower so this didn’t happen.
(3)My teeth were very decayed. They said I would never have gum disease or decay again. They said they could make my new teeth to solve all these problems.

I regret the decision SO much that I am looking for another cosmetic dentist to find out if I have any options. Five months in and I have become extremely depressed over this. There isn’t a moment of the day that I am not aware that this foreign thing is in my mouth. They were very nice to me. They explained all the other options and I signed a statement saying so. I was very enthusiastic when they said that they would be like “my own teeth”. They explained that I would not be able to eat solid foods for 6 months when the temporaries would be replaced by permanent. They said I’d get used to the “feel” in a month or two. When they showed me a sample of the teeth, they were mounted on an artificial gum and palate. When I asked if MY teeth would be on “that” (pointing to the palate) they said no, it was only there to show the teeth. I asked this several times, so I thought the teeth alone would be screwed into the posts. I was shocked when they pull out my set of teeth mounted on a gum looking bridge and put it over my own gum. Now I salivate and slobber all the time. I have that “slurppy / juicey” sound that old people have when their dentures are slipping. The saliva gets tacky and slimey and I feel I can’t wipe it off my lips. As far as achieving goals above — my problem with protruding upper lip is worse because of the thickness of the prosthetic. Sometimes when I smile, my upper lip rolls up over it and disappears into that space over the thick fake gum. Instead of teeth that go straight down, these tilt at a sharp angle into my mouth. I had specifically said I did not want that! Instead of each front tooth itself shaped like a tooth, it curves around like a hook so that the upper edge fits into the prosthetic, but the lower half touches the lower teeth. I don’t think it will prevent my biting myself after the last four molars are put in They told me after my first month check up that I must water-pick and floss under the fake gum twice a day or risk gum disease. It takes 1 hour minimum to floss because it’s so hard to get the floss chord up under there. I hate this thing. It was not what I was promised. I wish I could find a way out. It has made my self-image so much worst.

- Julie from Virginia

Julie,
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I think the best way to avoid the problems you had is to have a dentist who knows you personally and is willing to address all your personal issues. A clinic like Clear Choice is not conducive to solving the kinds of issues you have, though I think their dentists are generally quite skilled.

This blog sponsored by Phoenix implant dentist Dr. Arthur Chal.

Do You Have a Clear Choice Review?

If you have an experience at Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers that you would like to share, visit our Clear Choice Reviews page.

Needing a second opinion after Clear Choice

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

I have a full upper denture , I also have a lower partal all rear teeth missing, 4 on the right rear lower, 3 on left rear lower. I went to Clear CHoice to see about the all on 4 and what to do on my lowers. I cannot afford Clear Choice. I have looked in to going to Costa Rica where I can afford there services. Is it safe or what do you recomend.
- John from Missouri

John,
We’ve had e-mails from several people who have gone down to Costa Rica or Mexico for dental care, trying to save money, and it has ended up costing them double and has become almost a nightmare, with repeated trips while the dentist tries to get it right, and the dentist may never actually get it right. It’s easy to get complacent here in the United States about our health care system, and sometimes, until we go abroad, we don’t realize how good we have it. The standards of care in Costa Rica are not anything near what they are here, and when something goes wrong, you often have no recourse except the good will of the dentist.

With dental implants, there is so much that can go wrong, and when something goes wrong, it can be extremely serious. What if you were to lose your jawbone – what would you do then? What if they puncture your sinus or the floor of your nose? Don’t do it. You may be better off doing nothing than doing that.

Clear Choice, in their marketing, gives an impression that they are inexpensive, but in fact, from what I’ve seen, they are quite expensive. And they tend to give you one option only. My advice is to find a qualified implant dentist who is willing to consider various implant options for stabilizing a denture. You may be surprised at how affordable they can make it, if the dentist is flexible and you have the full spectrum of options given to you.

Do You Have a Clear Choice Review?

If you have an experience at Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers that you would like to share, visit our Clear Choice Reviews page.

Links: Click here to read more about a second opinion on a Clear Choice treatment plan.

A mixed experience at Clear Choice

Monday, July 19th, 2010

I went to the Clear Choice Dental Implant Center here in Roseville. The experience on the whole was very positive. The staff seemed to be knowlegeable and the Dr. highly degreed. What concerns me is they do not tell you everything. They do not tell you anything about after the implants have bee finalized and the teeth are placed against the gum.

My whole intend in choosing Clear Choice was to not have to worry about excusing myself from the table after I eat. I now not only have to do that I have to cary dental piks, dental floss and a tooth brush. There is so much food between the prosthetic and the gum it is uncomfortable and food sticks to the teeth everywhere. Also they do no follow up after the teeth are set, such as calling to see if there are any problems say after about two weeks. Perhaps this seems like a minor problem but it is huge when one is having dinner out in an upscale restaurant.
- Patricia from California

Patricia,
I know that the Clear Choice Center here in Phoenix has some capable professionals who have advanced degrees, similar to what you’re saying about California. I’m sorry that they didn’t explain the pros and cons of the various options to you. There are different options in full mouth dental implants. The full implant crown and bridge would have none of the problems that you are having with food catching under the prosthesis, because the implants are supporting individual teeth. The removable hybrid restoration or the implant overdenture would tend to be on the other end, where you would tend to have more possibility of food getting between the prosthesis and the gum, because there is a tissue replacement that laps over the gum. There are other options in between. Different people have different expectations of what they want with their teeth, and some professionals, unfortunately, seem to develop a one-size-fits-all approach.

And then that follow-up contact can be important because issues like this may be able to be resolved. If food is collecting between the the prosthesis and the gums, it’s possible that the prosthesis can be relined for a tighter fit. You may want to ask about that.

Do You Have a Clear Choice Review?

If you have an experience at Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers that you would like to share, visit our Clear Choice Reviews page.

Other links:
Click here to ask the dentist a question.

What do you know about Clear Choice Dental Implant Center, Phoenix

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

Dr. Chal,

Re: Clearchoice Dental Implant Center, Phoenix, AZ. What info do you have on quality of work? They want to pull all my teeth and do 8 implants and bridge. My normal dentist says I need 8 implants but leave the other teeth. I am confused what to do?
Gordon in Arizona
Gordon,
I haven’t heard anything negative about their quality of work, but I have heard a couple of complaints about different other issues. I can only assume that the dentists there are fully qualified professionals.

But sometimes even very skilled and qualified dentists can be too eager to extract teeth that could otherwise be saved. If your general dentist is telling you that these teeth could be saved, I’d get another opinion from another dentist who is well qualified to do dental implants. We would certainly be happy to see you in my office, if you’d like.

Do You Have a Clear Choice Review?

If you have an experience at Clear Choice Dental Implant Centers that you would like to share, visit our Clear Choice Reviews page.

Related links:
Read about Dental Implant Failure
Read in the mynewsmile.com cosmetic dentistry information website more about dental implants.