Several years ago I agreed to have all my teeth extracted by a dentist who felt they were too much work to continue to deal with. I wish I had not listened to him. He fit me for a denture and told me I could have it anchored down the road. I HATE this denture. After a year of going back and forth with fittings trying to get it comfortable and not make me gag, I am left toothless and only wearing the top denture when I am in public to save myself humiliation. I recently went to Clear Choice Dental Implants. They said they could give me the all-on-four procedure for $67,000. Then, when they learned I’ve recently hit the senior citizen magic number lowered it to $56,000. Does that mean non-senior citizens are being drastically overcharged? Either way, it still seems like a lot of money. I don’t want to make a second/third mistake with my teeth. What do you recommend?
Angie
Dear Angie,
All on Four Dental Implants
One of the reasons that Clear Choice prices are so high is they are pricing them to compete with people who need bone grafting. However, they don’t actually have to do the bone grafting, which dramatically increases their profits. They do the all-on-4 dental implant procedure which angles the implants enough so that they are more secure without the bone. It can work, but if one part of the unit fails then the entire thing has to be redone.
My recommendation is to talk to a dentist with post-doctoral training in dental implants and get their opinion on your situation. If you haven’t been in dentures that long, you may not even need the bone grafting, which will save you even more money. A dentist will normally work with you financially. You pay out implants in two stages. Once when the implants are first placed and then another payment when your restoration is placed.
Implant overdentures may be a better fit for you. By the way, even though the restoration uses dentures, it doesn’t feel in any way what you are experiencing with your removable dentures. There is no denture plate, so no gagging. Plus, the denture is anchored to the implants so it is completely secure and comfortable.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.