I want to save some money and am trying to decide between going to Costa Rica to get dental implants or to use ClearChoice. One of my concerns about is that ClearChoice seems to only want to place all on four dental implants and I’m wondering if I’d be better off with something else. I’ve also heard there is not much follow-up after patients are done there. Getting the work done in Costa Rica is less expensive, even with the travel required. Though, I have several people telling me that it isn’t a good idea to go to Costa Rica for dental care. Yet, a lot of people do it so I’m wondering if it is as bad as my friends are making out. Do you have an opinion?

Luke

Dear Luke,

Let’s start with Costa Rica. They do have a significant amount of dental tourism. Sometimes it works out okay for the patient and sometimes it doesn’t. The big problem is when it doesn’t. Often the situation is pretty bad. Plus, you don’t really have any recourse. One of the things you were concerned about with ClearChoice was their lack of follow-up. What type of follow-up do you think you would get with a foreign country?

Dental implants are one of the most advanced procedures out there. Part of this is because of the potential complications when things don’t work out properly. The implant can be placed on a nerve that causes facial paralysis. Or, it won’t be properly fitted which leads to an infection in your jaw. In some cases, people have lost chunks of their face. Mind you, that type of complication does not happen often, but my point is you want to make sure the dentist working on you is highly trained and not just cheap.

As for ClearChoice, most complaints about them have more to do with their hard sales tactics than their dentistry. The dentists there tend to be decent, skilled dentists. Because they are a corporate model, they are more about the bottom line than the individual patient. This is one of the reasons they have what appears to be the one-size-fits-all approach to what dental implant procedure to use.

If you want the all-on-4 procedure, you should be fine there, though you should insist on some follow-up. Be aware that if one part of the all-on-4 fails, you will have to replace the entire unit.

Before making a decision, I would speak with a private dentist to get his opinion of what will be your best treatment option before making a final decision. You may save money in the long run getting a slightly more expensive procedure that lasts years longer with no complications.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.