I had all of my teeth extracted a year ago, and need dental implants. I visited a Clear Choice Dental Implants Center near me for a consultation, and I wanted to write and share my experience, to see if other people have had similar experiences, and to warn other potential patients about what to expect.
Everyone at the facility was very nice, and very professional. After an assessment, they told me I was the perfect candidate for dental implants. They quoted me a price of almost $55,000 to do full upper and lower dental implants, which really shocked me! I expected the price to be quite a bit lower, as all of my teeth are already extracted, but they told me that they do not charge anything for the extractions when they are part of the implant procedure. That sounded kind of weird to me, especially because another facility I talked to quoted me at almost half the cost, WITH extractions.
I did not qualify for the financing for the $55,000, so I left the clinic without setting up anything further. Six months later, I let them talk me into a return visit, under the pretense that they could (their words) “significantly reduce” the treatment costs. When I arrived, I discovered that what they ACTUALLY meant was that they wanted to submit my information to a different lending agent, for the full amount of the initial quote. What a waste of my time! I was very upset, and felt that they had deliberately misled me.
Clear Choice has a reputation for using top of the line materials and surgeons, and that is one of the reasons I wanted to talk to them in the first place. But they have priced themselves right out of the market for most people. Dental insurance companies consider them a cosmetic treatment, even when you really need them to restore you ability to eat and communicate normally, and will probably never cover even part of the costs. Even if I had perfect credit and could qualify for the payment plans, what if I lost my job? I just can’t imagine a day when I could justify spending more than a year’s wages, even for something this important.
I know dental implants are the treatment of choice for people in my situation, but I guess I will have to figure out how to make do with dentures. Clear Choice made it clear that they offer NO choice at all.
Britta in Waco
Dear Britta,
You letter says more than I ever could about making good choices for your dental care. I hope you don’t give up! Seek another opinion.