Baton Rouge Dentist

Problems with ClearChoice

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A ClearChoice representative did a presentation at our senior center, and I was really impressed. I made an appointment for a consultation at a ClearChoice Dental Implant Center. I came away from that appointment really confused! Maybe you can help make things more understandable.

The representative I spoke with at the clinic said that they would want to remove all of my upper teeth. I have two dental implants that were done by my previous dentist (he retired) and a dental bridge that I am completely happy with. At most I think I would need two dental implants in my upper arch. If I do it their way, I am throwing away thousands of dollars I already spent!

They were really pushing hard to book the surgery at that consultation appointment, which just put me off. I don’t like to be rushed! They just seemed to have an all or nothing approach that did not take into consideration my individual circumstances at all. I did schedule another appointment with them, but am thinking about cancelling it. They spent way more time explaining the financing options than they did the details of the procedure itself! Basically it was, “Oh, we’ll just remove everything and do implants, and here are all the options to pay for it…”

Is this typical? So much of what you read indicates that they are the top of the line in dental implants, but their approach was a real turn-off.

Camilla in San Francisco, CA

Dear Camilla,

A trend in emerging in letters we receive about prospective ClearChoice patients. The treatment plan is almost always “extract all the remaining teeth and do all-on-four dental implants”. Almost every letter also mirrors yours in the discomfort with the level of sales pressure put on in the initial appointments, and the feelings of being rushed into treatment.

These reports make ClearChoice sound like they are not as focused on health care provision as they are on marketing. That is unfortunate. As everyone knows, there is never a “one size fits all” approach to medical or dental treatment. A second opinion on your case would definitely be in order. Can you still contact your retired dentist? If you are happy with the work he or she did, they may have excellent recommendations about who you should see now.

Support for this blog post is provided by the dental office of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.

Dental implants through ClearChoice

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I am writing to tell you about an experience I had through ClearChoice, and to see if in your opinion the treatment recommendations were sound.

I recently had an appointment at a Clear Choice clinic, which I made through a representative they sent to the senior center I belong to. I had all my teeth extracted a year ago, and have been trying to come up with the best option for treatment, as I HATE wearing full dentures. The ClearChoice people I met were just so nice, I thought that they could really help me, and when they told me about how dental implants look and feel like your natural teeth I was really excited to check it out.

Well, what a disappointment! I went in, and they assured me that I was an ideal candidate for the procedure, except for the part where I don’t have more than $50,000 laying around to get the work done! They tried to talk me into looking at different financing options, but I just had to leave. I could not even believe how much the cost was! After all, I already have all my teeth extracted! When I mentioned this, and asked about why it did not reduce the price, I was informed that tooth extractions are done for free when you are getting implants done with them

What a bunch of flim flam artists! I am not naive enough to think that it does not cost them anything to extract people’s teeth, especially not since I remember very well how much it cost me to have that done.

I recently went to another dentist and received a much lower quote on what it would cost to have this done. I know from reading other articles that it is a bad idea to “price shop” for dental implants, but this doctor’s credentials were impeccable, and he showed me pictures of his successful cases. I really want this done, and can afford to do it with the lower priced doctor.

I guess I just wrote to vent, and to ask how in the world ClearChoice can get away with charging those kind of prices. They are more than 40% higher than the quote I received from my current dentist. How can that be?

Meredith in Ludington, MI

Dear Meredith,

We are sorry to hear about your negative experience! While ClearChoice has a reputation for doing top of the line work using only the best materials, unfortunately they are also known to charge top of the line prices using aggressive sales tactics.

If you have thoroughly vetted your current dentist’s credentials and seen examples of previous successful cases, you should be able to go forward with treatment in confidence. As you have discovered, dental implants are the ideal treatment for missing teeth.

Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Perry’s office provides this blog as a courtesy.